Dacoity is a term used for "

banditry Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...

" in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...

. The spelling is the

anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

version of the

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

word ''daaku''; "dacoit" is a colloquial

Indian English Indian English (IE) is a group of English dialects spoken in the republic of India and among the Indian diaspora. English is used by the Indian government for communication, along with Hindi, as enshrined in the Constitution of India. ...

word with this meaning and it appears in the ''Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases'' (1903).

Banditry Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...

is criminal activity involving robbery by groups of armed bandits. The

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sou ...

established the

Thuggee and Dacoity Department The Thuggee and Dacoity Department was an organ of the East India Company, and inherited by British India, which was established in 1830 with the mission of addressing '' dacoity'' (banditry), highway robbery, and particularly the Thuggee cult of ...

in 1830, and the

Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts, 1836–1848 Thuggee (, ) are actions and crimes carried out by Thugs, historically, organised gangs of professional robbers and murderers in India. The English word ''thug'' traces its roots to the Hindi ठग (), which means 'swindler' or 'deceiver'. Rela ...

were enacted in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

under East India Company rule. Areas with ravines or forests, such as Chambal and

Chilapata Forests The Chilapata Forest is a dense forest near Jaldapara National Park in Dooars, Alipurduar district, West Bengal, India. It is about 40 km from Alipurduar, and just a few minutes away from Hasimara town. Ecology The forest forms an elephant ...

, were once known for dacoits.

Etymology

The word "dacoity", the

anglicized Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influenc ...

version of the

word ''ḍakaitī'' (historically spelled ''dakaitee'').

डकैती comes from ''ḍākū'' (historically spelled ''dakoo'',

: डाकू, meaning "armed robber"). The term dacoit (

: डकैत ''ḍakait'') means "a

bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...

" according to the '' OED'' ("A member of a class of robbers in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

and

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, who plunder in armed bands").

History

Bandits of Bhind-Morena and Chambal

The dacoity have had a large impact in the Bhind and

Morena Morena is the headquarter city of Morena district, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is governed by a municipality corporation. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Chambal division. It is from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. G ...

of Chambal regions in

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the second ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern ...

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...

and

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

in north-central India. The exact reasons for the emergence of dacoity in the Chambal valley have been disputed. Most explanations have simply suggested feudal exploitation as the cause that provoked many people of this region to take to arms. The area was also underdeveloped and poor, so that banditry posed great economic incentives. However, the fact that many gangs operating in this valley were composed of higher castes and wealthy people appears to suggest that feudalism may only be a partial explanation of dacoity in Chambal valley (Bhaduri, 1972; Khan, 1981; Jatar, 1980; Katare, 1972). Furthermore, traditional honour codes and

blood feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one pa ...

s would drive some into criminality. In Chambal, India, organized crime controlled much of the countryside from the time of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

up to the early 2000s, with the police offering high rewards for the most notorious bandit chiefs. The criminals regularly targeted local businesses, though they preferred to kidnap wealthy people, and demand ransom from their relatives - cutting off fingers, noses, and ears to pressure them into paying high sums. Many dacoity also posed as

social bandit Social banditry or social crime is a form of lower class social resistance involving behavior that by law is illegal but is supported by wider "oppressed" society as being moral and acceptable. The term ''social bandit'' was invented by the Marx ...

s toward the local poor, paying medical bills and funding weddings. One ex-dacoit described his own criminal past by claiming that "I was a rebel. I fought injustice." Following intense anti-banditry campaigns by the Indian Police, highway robbery was almost completely eradicated in the early 2000s. Nevertheless, Chambal is still popularly believed to be unsafe and bandit-infested by many Indians. One police officer noted that the fading of the dacoity was also due to social changes, as few young people were any longer willing to endure the harsh life as a highway robber in the countryside. Instead, they prefer to join crime groups in the city, where life is easier.

Other dacoity

The term is also applied, according to the '' OED'', to "pirates who formerly infested the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

between

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

and Burhampore". Dacoits existed in Burma as well –

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)'' The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

's fictional Private Mulvaney hunted Burmese dacoits in "

The Taking of Lungtungpen "The Taking of Lungtungpen" is a short story by Rudyard Kipling which was first published in the ''Civil and Military Gazette'' on 11 April 1887. In book form, the story appeared in the first Indian edition of ''Plain Tales from the Hills'' in ...

Sax Rohmer Arthur Henry "Sarsfield" Ward (15 February 1883 – 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was an English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu."Rohmer, Sax" by Jack Adrian in Da ...

's criminal mastermind

Dr. Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu () is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, com ...

also employed Burmese dacoits as his

henchmen A henchman (''vernacular:'' "hencher"), is a loyal employee, supporter, or aide to some powerful figure engaged in nefarious or criminal enterprises. Henchmen are typically relatively unimportant in the organization: minions whose value lies pri ...

. Indian police forces use "Known Dacoit" (K.D.) as a label to classify criminals.

Notable dacoits

Notable dacoits include: * Chavviram Singh Yadav *

Gabbar Singh Gujjar Gabbar Singh Gujjar (1926 — 13 November 1959) was a dacoit active in the late 1950s in the Chambal valley of north-central India. Gabbar Singh was born in Dang village, Madhya Pradesh, India. He joined the Kalyan Singh gang in 1955 and later ...

- inspired the famous 1975 film ''

Sholay ''Sholay'' (, ) is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language action-adventure film directed by Ramesh Sippy, produced by his father G. P. Sippy, and written by Salim–Javed. The film is about two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) ...

'', based on his life * Man Singh was a notorious Dacoit of the

Rathore The Rathore is a Rajput clan found in Northern India. Subclans Jodhana, Vadhel, Jaitawat, Kumpawat, Champawat, Meratiya, Udawat, Karamsot etc. are the branches or subclans of Rathore Rajputs. Coverage This article discusses the "Kanau ...

clan of Rajputs. He was also known as the Lion of Chambal. * Malkhan Singh Rajpoot, a notorious bandit known as the ''Bandit King'' or ''King of Dacoits.'' He also had political aspirations in MP. *

Malangi ''Malangi'' ( Punjabi: ) is a 1965 Pakistani biographical and musical film directed by Rashid Akhtar and produced by Chaudhry Mohammad Aslam. Film starring actor Akmal, Shirin, Yousuf Khan, and Talish. This was a 'Golden Jubilee' film of 1965 ...

* Kallu Yadav ( Kalua ) , also known as Katri King * Mohar Singh * Nirbhay Singh Gujjar *

Nizam Lohar Nizam Lohar ( pa, ; 1835 — 1877) was a dacoit who rebelled against the Colonial Government that led to bloodshed which sent shock waves throughout Britain. In Punjab, he and others defied repressive laws of the government, looted govern ...

, a dacoit born into a Punjabi Muslim family during the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a state originating in the Indian subcontinent, formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire based in the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahor ...

. He is known for his rebellion and freedom struggle against the

. *

Paan Singh Tomar Paan Singh Tomar (1 January 1932 — 1 October 1981) was an Indian soldier, athlete, and later, ''Baaghi'' (rebel/outlaw). He served in the Indian Army, where his talent for running was discovered. He was a seven-time national steeplechase c ...

- Was a soldier of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the Land warfare, land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Arm ...

, an athlete that represented India in the Asian Games, who later resorted to becoming a Baaghi due to the injustices he faced. Also inspired the famous Bollywood film

Paan Singh Tomar (film) ''Paan Singh Tomar'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi- language biographical film about the eponymous athlete who was a soldier in the Indian Army and won a gold medal at the Indian National Games, but was forced to become a rebel against the system. ...

played by

Irrfan Khan Irrfan Khan () (born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan; 7 January 196729 April 2020), also known simply as Irrfan, was an Indian actor who worked in Indian cinema as well as British and American films. Widely regarded as one of the finest actors in In ...

. * Phoolan Devi * Rambabu Gadariya - Regarded as the last notorious dacoit of Chambal * Shiv Kumar Patel (Dadua) *

Veerappan Koose Munisamy Veerappan (18 January 1952 – 18 October 2004) was an Indian bandit turned domestic terrorist who was active for 36 years, and kidnapped major politicians for ransom. He was charged with sandalwood smuggling and poaching o ...

, a notorious dacoit, poacher, and smuggler in South India.

Protection measures

In Madhya Pradesh, women belonging to a village defence group have been issued firearm permits to fend off dacoity. The Chief minister of the state,

Shivraj Singh Chouhan Shivraj Singh Chouhan (born 5 March 1959), is an Indian politician and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the 17th and current Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, having been elected to the same position 3 times in the past, and a Member ...

, recognised the role the women had played in defending their villages without guns. He stated that he wanted to enable these women to better defend both themselves and their villages, and issued the gun permits to advance this goal.

In popular culture

Dacoit films

As the dacoits flourished through the 1940s–1970s, they were the subject of various

Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

made during this era, leading to the emergence of the dacoit film genre in

Hindi Film Industry Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

. The genre began with

Mehboob Khan Mehboob Khan (born Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan; 9 September 1907
at filmreference.com. – 28 ...

's '' Aurat'' (1940), which he remade as ''

Mother India ''Mother India'' is a 1957 Indian epic drama film, directed by Mehboob Khan and starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar and Raaj Kumar. A remake of Khan's earlier film '' Aurat'' (1940), it is the story of a poverty-stricken village wom ...

'' (1957). ''Mother India'' received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination, and defined the dacoit film genre, along with

Dilip Kumar Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from ...

's '' Gunga Jumna'' (1961). Other popular films in this genre included

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

’s '' Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai'' (1961) and Moni Bhattacharjee's ''

Mujhe Jeene Do ''Mujhe Jeene Do'' () is a 1963 Hindi film, directed by Moni Bhattacharjee and written by Aghajani Kashmeri. This dacoit drama stars Sunil Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Nirupa Roy, Rajendranath and Mumtaz. Shot in the Chambal Valley ravines of ...

'' (1963). Pakistani actor

Akmal Khan Akmal Khan, or Akmal, (11 November 1929, in Lahore, Pakistan – 11 June 1967) was a Pakistani film actor. Early life and career Akmal Khan's birth name was Mohammad Asif Khan and he was born in 1929 at Lahore, British India. Akmal Khan (his pr ...

had two dacoit films, ''

'' (1965) and ''

Imam Din Gohavia ''Imam Din Gohavia'' (Punjabi: ) is a 1967 Pakistani, biographical film in the Punjabi language about the British Raj, directed by M. Saleem and produced by Chaudhry Mohammad Aslam. It stars Akmal Khan, Yousuf Khan and Talish. Cast * Akmal ...

'' (1967). Other films in this genre included '' Khote Sikkay'' (1973), ''

Mera Gaon Mera Desh ''Mera Gaon Mera Desh'' () is a 1971 Indian action drama film, directed by Raj Khosla, written by Akhtar Romani, and starring Dharmendra, Asha Parekh in lead roles and Vinod Khanna as the villain. It was a box office success. The film contains m ...

'' (1971), and ''

Kuchhe Dhaage ''Kuchhe Dhaage'' is a 1973 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Raj Khosla. The film stars Vinod Khanna, Moushumi Chatterjee and Kabir Bedi. The music was scored by Laxmikant Pyarelal with lyrics penned by Anand Bakshi. Cast *Vinod K ...

'' (1973) both by

Raj Khosla Raj Khosla (31 May 1925 – 9 June 1991) was one of the top director, producer and screenwriter in Hindi film industry from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was known for bringing in "neo-noir" and style in Indian cinema, and also as a "women's dir ...

. The most famous dacoit film is ''

'' (1975), written by

Salim–Javed Salim–Javed were an Indian screenwriting duo, composed of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, working in Bollywood. They are noted for being the first Indian screenwriters to achieve star status, becoming the most successful Indian screenwriters ...

, and starring

Dharmendra Dharam Singh Deol (born 8 December 1935), also known mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer and politician who is known for his work in Hindi films. Known as the first " He-Man" of Bollywood, Dharmendra has worked in over 30 ...

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

, and Amjad Khan as the dacoit character Gabbar Singh. It was a

masala film Masala films of Indian cinema mix multiple genres into one work. Masala films emerged in the 1970s and are still created as of the 2020s. Typically these films freely mix action, comedy, romance, and drama or melodrama. They also tend to be ...

that combined the dacoit film conventions of ''Mother India'' and ''Gunga Jumna'' with that of

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s, spawning the "Dacoit Western" genre, also known as the "Curry Western" genre. The film also borrowed elements from

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

's ''

Seven Samurai is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai drama film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The story takes place in 1586 during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. It follows the story of a village of desperate farmers who hire sev ...

''. ''Sholay'' became a classic in the genre, and its success led to a surge of films in this genre, including '' Ganga Ki Saugandh'' (1978), once again starring Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan. An internationally acclaimed example of the genre is ''

Bandit Queen ''Bandit Queen'' is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language biographical action-adventure film based on the life of Phoolan Devi as covered in the book ''India's Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi'' by the Indian author Mala Sen. It was written ...

'' (1994). The Tamil movie starring

Karthi Karthik Sivakumar (born 25 May 1977), better known by his stage name Karthi, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. He has won three Filmfare Awards South, an Edison Award, a SIIMA Award and a Tamil Nadu State Film Aw ...

, ''

Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru ''Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru'' () or simply ''Theeran'' is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by H. Vinoth and produced by S. R. Prakashbabu and S. R. Prabhu under the banner Dream Warrior Pictures. Based on ...

'' (2017) deals elaborately with bandits. The film reveals the real dacoity incidents which held in Tamil Nadu between 1995 and 2005. Director

Vinoth Vinoth is an Indian given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Charles Vinoth, Indian actor * Gnaruban Vinoth, Sri Lankan footballer * H. Vinoth, Indian director * Kalloori Vinoth (born 1988), Indian actor Given na ...

did a two-year research about bandits to develop the script. A related genre of crime films are

Mumbai underworld films Organised crime in India refers to organised crime elements originating in India and active in many parts of the world. The purpose of organised crime in India, as elsewhere in the world, is monetary gain. Its virulent form in modern times is d ...

Other media

Bengali novel Devi Chowdhurani by author

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (also Chattopadhayay) CIE (26 or 27 June 1838 – 8 April 1894) was an Indian novelist, poet, Essayist and journalist. Staff writer"Bankim Chandra: The First Prominent Bengali Novelist" ''The Daily Star'', 30 June 201 ...

in 1867. A Hindi novel named ''Painstth Lakh ki Dacoity'' (1977) was written by

Surender Mohan Pathak Surender Mohan Pathak (born 19 February 1940 at Khemkaran, in Tarn Taran district near Amritsar, in the Majha region of Punjab) is an author of Hindi-language crime fiction with nearly 300 novels to his credit. His writing career, along with h ...

; it was translated as '' The 65 Lakh Heist''. Dacoits armed with pistols and swords appear in '' Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasties''. They frequently appeared in the French language ''

Bob Morane ''Bob Morane'' is a series of adventure books in French, featuring an eponymous protagonist, created by French-speaking Belgian novelist Henri Vernes, the pseudonym of Charles-Henri Dewisme. More than 200 novels have been written since his int ...

'' series of novels by

Henri Vernes Charles-Henri-Jean Dewisme (16 October 1918 – 25 July 2021), better known by his pen name Henri Vernes (), was an author of action and science fiction novels. He published over 200 titles in the action and science-fiction genre. He was most ...

, principally as the main thugs or assassins of the hero's recurring villain, Mr. Ming and in English as the agents of Sax Rohmer’s Fu Manchu.

References

External links

Dacoity - Indian Penal Code, Chapter XVII
(Mobile Friendly)
As modern world closes in, India's fabled bandits are disappearing
-

International Herald Tribune The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France for international English-speaking readers. It had the aim of becoming "the world's first global newspaper" and could fairly be said ...

{{Use dmy dates, date=October 2020 British India Robbery Outlaws Illegal occupations Organised crime in Pakistan Indian robbers Gangs in India Indian slang Pakistani slang Bengali words and phrases Urdu-language words and phrases Organised crime in India Secret societies in India Secret societies related to organized crime hi:डकैती