Major William Sleeman : A Thuggee Commissioner

Major William Sleeman

People living in this well governed, modern state today cannot even imagine the condition that the country was during the 19th century in colonial India. Those were terrible times. Theft, dacoity, fraud, assault and murder were par for the course. In those days, a man hesitated less before killing a fellow human than he did before swatting a mosquito. It was from Lord Bentinck's time that laws became very strict.

Major William Sleeman assumed charge of the office of Commissioner for the Suppression of Thuggee and Dacoity in early 1839. He is best known for his work from the 1830s in suppressing the organized criminal gangs known as Thuggee. During the operations that he supervised, more than 1400 Thugs were hanged or transported for the life.

In 19th century colonial India, two prevalent forms of criminal activity were thuggee and dacoity. Thuggee was a practice which involved criminal gangs looting, robbing, and eventually murdering travelers whereas Dacoity was a type of organized robbery which involved the raiding of towns and villages.

Originating in the northern parts of India, Thuggee and dacoity were criminal practices that developed as a response to the social and political unrest prevailing colonial India after the decline of the Mughal empire. As regional groups gained power in the absence of central governance, an anarchic situation arose giving rise to such offences.

"Thug or a Million Murders" is written by Colonel James Sleeman. He is the grandson of Major William Sleeman. Many stories of his grandfather as a thug hunter and judge are narrated in this book.

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