Assertion (A) : Malik Kafur conspired with Khizr Khan in murdering Ala-ud-din Khalji. Reason (R) : Malik Kafur was ambitious and tried to establish his influence as the supreme authority in the state.

The assertion is false because Malik Kafur did not conspire with Khizr Khan to murder Ala-ud-din Khalji. In fact, Malik Kafur and Khizr Khan were bitter rivals. Kafur manipulated the ailing Sultan to turn against his own family, leading to the imprisonment of Khizr Khan and the execution of his uncle Alp Khan [t7]. Historical accounts by Barani suggest that Kafur's intrigues aimed at removing the legitimate heirs to clear his own path to power [t7]. The reason is true as Malik Kafur was indeed highly ambitious; upon Ala-ud-din's death in 1316, he bypassed the elder sons and installed a minor, Shihabuddin Omar, as a puppet monarch to establish himself as the supreme regent [c1][t4][t6]. His regency lasted only about thirty-five days before he was assassinated by the Sultan's former bodyguards [c1][t4].

Sources

1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 10: Advent of Arabs and Turks > Ala-ud-din's Successors > p. 144
2. [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malik_Kafur
3. [3] http://pride.periyaruniversity.ac.in/SLM2024/M.A%20History/Semester_2_Core_4_History%20of%20Medivel%20India%20-%201206%20-%201707%20CE.pdf