Suppression of thuggee

History glossary

Also called: Thuggee Department · Topic: Europeans in India and the Rise of Company Rule · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

Thuggee refers to gangs of "thugs" who were said to travel with traders and pilgrims, win their trust, then strangle and rob them on India's roads. In the 1830s, under Governor-General Lord William Bentinck, the Company launched a campaign to wipe them out. The officer William Sleeman led it. A special Thuggee (later Thuggee and Dacoity) Department was set up to hunt the gangs. The British presented this as proof of their "civilising mission".

Example

Sleeman's men caught gang members and persuaded some to give evidence against others. Using this evidence, they tracked down gangs across central India. Hundreds were hanged, jailed or sent away for life.

Don't confuse with

  • Abolition of sati (1829): also under Bentinck, it banned the burning of widows. It was a social reform law, while thuggee suppression was a police campaign against crime.

Related concepts

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