During his leadership, Lindsay started to trade chunam (limestone), rattan, betel nut and elephants found in the Sylhet region.

Lindsay describes in his autobiography, Anecdotes of an Indian life, that during his visit to the Dargah of Shah Jalal, he sensed some danger and also perceived it as a "potential hotbed of resistance".

[4] During this period, Mubarak Ali Khan was the Nawab of Bengal under the crumbling Mughal Empire ruled by Shah Alam II and Warren Hastings was the Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William.

Lindsay dismissed the Hindus as he could see no signs of riot and he was also aware that it was the Islamic month of Muharram in which the Muslims would be busy preparing for Ashura, which was just a few days away.

[9] Lindsay also mentions that it was uncommon for the Muslims to be violent, most probably due to the fact that Muharram is a sacred month in Islam, during which warfare is forbidden.

This was an influential family descended from Syed Hamzah Shersowari, a companion of Shah Jalal who participated in the Muslim conquest of the region in 1303 CE and then settled atop the Jhornar Par hill where he lies buried in a mazar.

আজ মারবার অথবা মরবার দিন Aj marbar ôthôba môrbar din Today is the day to kill or to die, ইংরেজ রাজত্ব আজ খতম Ingrez rajôttô aj khôtôm The reign of the English is at an end In the evening, the Pirzada led a tazia procession of 300 alongside his brothers, Syed Muhammad Hadi and Syed Muhammad Mahdi (known locally as Hada Miah & Mada Miah).

[13] In a letter to the government at Fort William, Lindsay mentions that the Muslim rebels first killed Dewan Manik Chand in his house before setting many parts of the town to fire.

However, it is unknown whether this true as other sources claim that the Hindus were not involved during the day as during that time the Muslims were scattering on top of the hills around the Eidgah instead of being situated in the lowlands where inhabitants lived.

[15][1][16] Lindsay then informed Masud Bakht, the Head Qanungo (Registrar) of Sylhet, and told his Muslim jamadar to ready 20 sepoys and go to the eidgah.

Lindsay sent another military force to the town, not because there was another revolt, rather the Muslims were burying their dead men and required light due to it being late at night.

[11] Lindsay mentioned that although two days remained, he was not expecting any more trouble from the local people as main "desperadoes" were killed and the survivors had suffered too much.

[11][1] After Lindsay's return to Scotland many years succeeding the conflict, he came across a Bengali Muslim man from Sylhet named Saeed Ullah whilst visiting the house of his clergyman, Mr Small.

Lindsay denied this as he mentioned that he had never had a better curry in his life, and acknowledged the fact that Saeed only ate halal meat (dhabihah) which was the reason behind him not tasting it.