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Indian Freedom Struggle (1707–1947 A.D.)

Notes was customary to bury, with the body of a chief, his drinking bowls horses, dogs and even his favorite
wives and concubines. Probably this practice was brought to India by the Indo-Scythian invadors. In
India its popularity was due to a false sense of conjugal duty sanctioned by society and religion,
though the motivating urges were economic and moral.
Some enlightened Indian princes had taken steps to abolish this cruel practice in their dominions.
Emperor Akbar had attempted to restrict it. The Marathas had forbidden it in their dominions. The
portuguese at Goa and the French at Chandernagore had also taken some steps towards its abolition.
The East India Company had however, adhered to its declared policy of non-interference into the
social and religious customs of the people of India. Early British Governors-General like Cornwallis,
Minto and Lord Hastings had taken some steps to restrict the practice of sati by discouraging
compulsion, forbidding administration of intoxicating drugs to the sorrow-stricken widows, putting
a ban on the burning of pregnant women or widows below 16 years of age and, above all, making
compulsory the presence of police officials at the time of sacrifice, who were to see that no compulsion
was used. These restrictions, however, proved inadequate and unsuccessful.
Enlightened Indian reformers led by Raja Rammohan Roy urged William Bentinck to take necessary
steps and declare the practice of sati illegal. The loss of his sister-in-law by sati had stirred Rammohan
Roy to action and he had published a number of pamphlets condemning the practice. His arguments
were supported by many of the progressive Indian newspapers and the conscience of the nation had
been awakened. William Bentinck provided the necessary legislative corrective. He collected relevant
facts and figures about sati cases, obtained the views of army officers, of the Judges of Nizamat
Adalat, of the Superintendents of Police of the Lower and Upper Provinces and came to the conclusion
that there was no danger of mutiny or civil commotion. Regulation No. XVII of December 1829 declared
the practice of sati or of burning or burying alive of widows illegal and punishable by the criminal
courts as culpable homicide. The Regulation of 1829 was applicable in the first place to Bengal
Presidency alone, but in 1830 was extended in different forms to Madras and Bombay Presidencies.
No public disorders followed the enactment. A few orthodox Bengalis vainly made an appeal to the
Privy Council against Government’s interference in their religious customs. Counter-petitions were
sent to the King by Rammohan Roy and Devendranath Tagore and William Bentinck was thanked
for what he had done.
Suppression of Infanticide and Child-sacrifices: The practice of killing infant girls prevailed among
some Rajput tribes. Many dubious methods were used to destroy female children; some neglected to
suckle the child, others administered poisonous drugs (mostly opium) through the nipple of the
mother’s breast, still some dare-devils put the girl in a sack and threw it into a river. Infanticide was
found to be prevalent among some Rajput tribes in the province of Banaras, among the Jharija Rajputs
of Cutch and Gujarat and cases were also reported among the Rathors of Jaipur and Jodhpur and
even the Jats and Mewatis were not immune from this evil practice. Although infanticide had been
declared illegal by Bengal Regulation XXI of 1795 and Regulation III of 1804, the inhuman practice
still continued. William Bentinck took vigorous steps to suppress this immoral and in human practice.
William Bentinck’s attention was also drawn to the ritual of offering child sacrifices at special occasions
in Saugar island in Bengal. Bentinck issued prompt orders to stop this evil practice.
Suppression of Thugi: Another great reform to the credit of William Bentinck is the suppression of
thugs. The thugs, i.e., cheats were a sect of hereditary assassins and robbers who lived by preying
upon innocent and defenseless travellers. A more appropriate name for thugs was pansigar, derived
from the scarf and noose used by the thugs to strangle their victims.
However remote the origin of thugi the organisation found a very congenial atmosphere for growth
during the period of decay and downfall of the Mughal Empire when all police arrangements broke
down and public roads became insecure. Petty officials of small states in Central India, unable to
effectively deal with thugs, made common cause with them and gave them protection in return for a
share in the spoils. The thugs were particularly active in the entire area from Oudh to Hyderabad and
in Rajputana and Budelkhand.
The thugs belonged to both the Hindu and Muslim religions and worshipped the Hindu goddeses
like Kali, Durga or Bhawani, to whom they offered the heads of their victim as sacrifices. The thugs

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