 His first encounter with the British East India Company army on 25 February 1771 with the sepoys led by Lieutenant Feltham in Dinajpur was unsuccessful and he fled to the "dargah" at Mahasthangarh in Bogra district.He even managed to get a follower from Hindu zamindar family named Moti Giri or Moti Singh.In the winter of 1773, Majnu Shah and his team of faqirs reappeared in Rajshahi district and joined up with a body of sannyasis.