In 1868, an attempt was made on Salar Jung's life, on the day of Eid ul-Fitr as he was proceeding towards the Nizam's court. Two pistol-shots were fired, of which one injured his attendant, while the other grazed his turban. The assassin was immediately captured, and would have been lynched by the crowd, however, Salar Jung forbade any further violence, and asked that he be handed over to the police. He sentenced to death by beheading, although Salar Jung himself had appealed for the sentence to be commuted to imprisonment. The motive for the crime remains unknown as the assassin never made a confession.