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| British Raj - Indian Policemen. www.historydiscussion.net |
Regarding military services, blinded by purported racial superiority and pride, the British never
treated the Indian solders well; they were rude and harsh toward the Indian natives. They did
not learn any lessons from the Sepoy Mutiny of 1858 that shook the entire British empire. This was also
true of the Indian police forces consisting mainly of Indian natives.
In British India the police force played a key role in maintaining law
and order, robbery, thefts on the civil side and also criminal
investigations, etc. Imperial Police (IP), was part of the Indian Police
Services (IPS), the uniform system of police administration in British
India, as established by India Act 5 of 1861. It was made of two
branches - the Superior Police Services and the Subordinate Police
Service. For appointments to the senior grades such as Assistant
District Superintendent and above, until 1893 mainly European officers
of the Indian Army were given preference. As for subordinate positions
such as Inspectors, Sub-Inspectors, Head Constables (or Sergeant in the
City forces and Cantonments) and Constables, they recruited Indians up to
certain grades.
There were discrepancies regarding salaries being paid to the police. English policeman doing the same service was paid several times higher than the natives. The police were supposed to be provided with quality food which was essential for their physical and mental well-being. Instead they paid more attention to their health and welfare. The British police force had social clubs where they could drink and dance with their wives or girl friends. In their separate spacious living quarters the British sahibs ate high quality, protein-rich fresh food to their heart's content. They had special cooks and butlers with them to serve them. Whereas Indian police men were provided with stale, cold substandard food made from old food stocks unfit for mad dogs.
There were discrepancies regarding salaries being paid to the police. English policeman doing the same service was paid several times higher than the natives. The police were supposed to be provided with quality food which was essential for their physical and mental well-being. Instead they paid more attention to their health and welfare. The British police force had social clubs where they could drink and dance with their wives or girl friends. In their separate spacious living quarters the British sahibs ate high quality, protein-rich fresh food to their heart's content. They had special cooks and butlers with them to serve them. Whereas Indian police men were provided with stale, cold substandard food made from old food stocks unfit for mad dogs.
The
food provided by the police force was ''Not fit for human
consumption.”
News
papers provide accounts of the protests in different parts of the
country. Here is a report of a police strike in 1946:
"More
than 200 policemen in Delhi refused to take their food on Thursday
morning as a protest against their low salaries and the bad quality
of foods supplied to them from the Police Lines kitchen. As the news
spread to the other police stations, the men there also refused to
take food ... One of the
strikers
said: “The food supplied to us
from
the Police Lines kitchen is not fit for human consumption. Even cattle
would
not
eat the chappattis and dhal which we
have
to eat.''(Hindustan Times 22 March, 1946).
This
was the kind of nauseating treatment meted to the Indian soldiers
under the Raj.
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