William Henry SleemanSir William Henry SleemanKCB (8 August 1788 – 10 February 1856) was a British officer and administrator in Company-ruled India, best known for his leading role in the Anti-Thuggee Campaign of the 1830s against what he represented as a pan-Indian fraternity of ritual stranglers. Sleeman served as General Superintendent of the Thuggee Department from 1835 to 1855 and published his main work on thuggee, entitled Ramaseeana, in 1836.
HighwaymanA highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads. Such criminals operated until the mid- or late 19th century. Highwaywomen, such as Katherine Ferrers, were said to also exist, often dressing as men, especially in fiction. The first attestation of the word highwayman is from 1617.
Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts, 1836–48The Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts, 1836–48 in British India under East India Company rule were a series of legal acts that outlawed thugee—a practice in North and Central India involving robbery and ritualized murder and mutilation on highways—and dacoity, a form of banditry prevalent in the same region, and prescribed punishment for the same.
Human sacrificeHuman sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is typically intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice by capital punishment, an authoritative/priestly figure, spirits of dead ancestors, or as a retainer sacrifice, wherein a monarch's servants are killed in order for them to continue to serve their master in the next life.
Company rule in IndiaCompany rule in India (sometimes also Company Raj, from Hindi rāj, lit. 'rule') was the rule of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent.
Indian subcontinentThe Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
StranglingStrangling or strangulation is the compression of the neck leading to an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain, which can lead to unconsciousness or even death. Fatal strangulation typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that hanging causes death (alongside breaking the victim's neck).
FraternityA fraternity (from Latin'brother' and ; whence, "") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. The Western concept of fraternities developed in the Christian context, notably with the religious orders in the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages. The concept was eventually further extended with medieval confraternities and guilds.
Historical revisionismIn historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of a historical account. It involves challenging the (established, accepted or traditional) scholarly views or narratives regarding a historical event, timespan, or phenomenon by introducing contrary evidence or reinterpreting the motivations of the people involved. Revision of the historical record can reflect new discoveries of fact, evidence, and interpretation as they come to light.
BanditryBanditry is the act of marauding or robbing, sometimes in semi-organized groups. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as robbery and brigandage, piracy, and thievery.
GangA gang is a group of individuals that engage in illegal and violent behavior. Members of gangs usually encourage and glorify an aggressive and antisocial lifestyle, and many gangs are composed of individuals who were lifelong friends or relatives. Criminologists and law enforcement have varying definitions on what constitutes a gang, and the features of such groups. EtymologyThe word gang derives from the past participle of Old Englishgan, meaning 'to go'.
Religious fanaticismFanaticism towards a religion Religious fanaticism or religious extremism is a designation used to indicate uncritical zeal or obsessive enthusiasm that is related to one's own, or one's group's, devotion to a religion – a form of human fanaticism that could otherwise be expressed in one's other involvements and participation, including employment, role, and partisan affinities. In psychiatry, the term hyperreligiosity is used.
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