Shawkat Jang grandson of Nawab alivardi khan and a cousin and rival claimant of sirajuddaula on the masnad of Murshidabad. Son of sayed ahmed khan, he succeeded his father as the naib nazim of Purnia under Alivardi. On the eve of Alivardi's death the enemies of Siraj including mir jafar and ghaseti begum secretly supported the claim of Shawkat Jang on the throne. Soon after Alivardi's death (10 April 1756) Mir Jafar urged Shawkat Jang through a secret letter to invade Bengal assuring him of his support and that of some other generals of Murshidabad.

Meanwhile Shawkat Jang got a farman (letter patent) from Delhi Emperor Alamgir II granting him the subahdari of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. He procured the farman promising to pay Ghaziuddin Imadul-Mulk, the wazir, a bribe of one crore rupees. He now assumed the title of alampanah (protector of the world). Sirajuddaula, through a letter, asked Shawkat Jang to acknowledge his suzerainty to which Shawkat sent an arrogant reply.

Siraj immediately despatched an army under Mohanlal to take possession of Purnia (24 Sept 1756). Mohanlal, swelled by the army of Ram Narayan, deputy governor of Patna, crossed the Ganges at Rajmahal, entered south Purnia and arrived at Manihari. In the battle that followed (16 Oct 1756) many of the Purina troops were killed, many were captured and the rest fled. Shawkat Jang himself, in a drunken and dazed condition, was struck on the head by a musket ball and fell dead. Mohanlal entered Purnia, seized Shawkat's wealth and family and returned to Murshidabad.

Shawkat Jang, a block-headed idiot, drunkard and debauch was always found surrounded by rash sycophants as his counsellors. He had in him the ignorant pride, insane ambition, uncontrolled passions and looseness of tongue and all these combined led to his fall. [Muazzam Hussain Khan]