Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 Changes in Police Administration and Other Arrangements by British under the Board of Administration after Annexation of the Punjab Dr. Mandeep Kaur Abstract The State emerges to ensure security and peace to the individual. In order to realize these objectives, the State created an administrative system of which the police seems to be an important component. The system of policing in India had been their since ancient period but it were the British who established the modern Police system. Immediately after the annexation of Punjab for the consolidation of British hold in newly conquered territory and to reconcile the violent Sikhs to the British rule, the Board of Administration was established for the Punjab on 29th March, 1849, to set in motion the machinery of Government by this Board. The Board was entrusted with vast civil, criminal, military and other administrative powers. It worked for four years i.e. till 4th February 1853, when Governor-General, Dalhousie abolished the Board. Whatever might had been the reasons for its abolition but within these four years its minimum essential task had been fulfilled i.e. the pacification and consolidation of the Punjab. The initial changes made by the Board of Administration in the Police administration and other administrative arrangements immediately after the annexation of the Punjab have been discussed in the present work. Key words Police, Annexation of Punjab, Criminal, Administration, Board. The policing in any country in any system of governance has always been a responsibility of the rulers. The State emerges to ensure security and peace to the individual. In order to realize these objectives, the State created an administrative system of which the police seem to be an important component. Police administration is very important in every democratic society because in very country peace, law, order and society depend upon it. The term “Police” in its origin is very old. The widely accepted view is that it is derived from the Greek word “Polis” which means City and is defined in the Greek tradition as an organized civil force in a town or a city for the preservation of the life, property and health of the community and for the enforcement of law. The Latin root of the term police is “Politia” which literally stands for the condition of a “Polis” or “State”. It is Assistant Professor, Shaheed Udham Singh Panjab University Constituent College, Guruharsahai Ferozepur Punjab, email: [email protected], mob. 9814000177 Volume IX, Issue VIII, AUGUST/2020 Page No : 1609 Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 believed that the word police was imported from France and England in the early eighteenth century.1 The ancient law giver, Manu, referred to the police functions during his time for the prevention and detection of crime. There are also some references of police in Rig Veda.2The Oxford dictionary defines ‘Police’ as an official organization whose job is to make people obey the law and to prevent and solve crime. The term ‘Police’ means a body of people organized to maintain law and order to investigate breaches of law.3 The system of policing in India was well-organized and had its basis on the land tenure system during Mughal period. Jamadars (armed officers of zamindars) were made bereft of their power and authority or administer justice as a consequence of the assumption of authority. They were responsible for apprehending disturbers of the public peace and performing other policing duties. At the level of village, these functions were performed by the headman of the village. In large towns, administration of police was entrusted to functionaries called Kotwals.4 Police administration under Akbar was fairly efficient and well organized, which was maintained with high standards of public order and tranquillity. The Police administration was divided into three categories -Urban Police (cities and towns), District Police and Village Police.5The maintenance of law and order and the administration of justice at each district remained in the hands of zamindars (landlords), many of whom become faujdars of the empire and the office was more formal than real because they functioned as contractors of general administration. The duty of the faujdar was to maintain law and order and thereby protect life and property of the people under his district. Kotwal was the head of the city police in the urban area. The kotwal who exercised all kind of powers acted as the administrator, had to be very vigilant. If he was not able to recover the stolen property, he had to make good the loss. He kept an eye on the currency. He fixed local prices. He checked weights and measures. He was required to maintain an investor of the properties 1 Girirai Shah, Image Makers: An Attitudinal Study of Indian Police, Abhinav Publication, New Delhi, 1993, p.7. 2 S.K. Chatterjee, The Police in Ancient India, The Indian Police Journal (Century Issue 1861-1961), SVP Police Academy, Hyderabad, 1961, p.11. 3 The New Encyclopedia Britannica: Vol. 18, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1985, p.158. 4 Saima Manzoor, Akif Manzoor, Engr.Asif Manzoor, Police in Pakistan, Lulu.com, Latifabad Sindh, 2014, p. 79. 5 Ashirbadi Lal Srivastva, The Mughal Empire (1526-1803), Shivalal Aggarwal & Co., Agra, 1976, p. 301. Volume IX, Issue VIII, AUGUST/2020 Page No : 1610 Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 of the persons dying intestate.6 The province was sub-divided into suitable districts which were further divided into parganas which we called "Thanas" (police stations), sometimes there were more than one thana in a pargana. Each thana was placed under a 'Thanedar' (Station Head Officer) for proper policing of the rural area. It was also a usual practice to establish chowkies (posts) in different strategic areas for the maintenance of internal order in the conquered territory. The village headman was required to discover the thieves and robbers within a specified time. In the event of his failure he had to pay for the loss from his own pocket. If the crime occurred on the boundary of more than one village, the headmen of each village concerned were held responsible for it, usually the entire village was answerable for every crime.7 Before the annexation of Punjab by the British, there was no independent Police department in the Sikh rule under Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his successors. The monarch was the highest authority of all branches of the administration including police. At that time in the province, the police functions were performed by the nazims, sardars, lambardars and chowkidars hierarchically and in the capital city i.e. in the city of Lahore, the head of the police was Kotwal.8 There were no special officers for dispensing civil and criminal justice separately except, in the city of Lahore. In the city of Lahore an Adaalti (judicial officer) was stationed and there were no special officers for the dispensing of civil justice or the execution of criminal law. The thanedars (police officers) were rather political and military than civil officers. Their business was to check disturbances and to arrange for the marching troops.9 It were the British who established the modern Police system. It was 'an alien institution created by the English by slow degrees. It separated the preventive and investigating agency from the authority which tries and punishes the criminals.'10 Immediately after the annexation of Punjab, Lord Dalhousie was 6 Vincent A, Smith, Akbar (The Great Mogul) 1542-1605, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1917, p. 382. 7 Ashirbadi Lal Srivastva, op. cit., p. 301. 8 Bhagat Singh, Sikh Polity in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century, Orient Publishers New Delhi, 1978, pp. 247-256. 9 Report of the Committee appointed by Government to consider certain questions connected with Police Administration of the Punjab, November 1899 to February 1900, Punjab Government Press, Lahore, 1900, p. 1, para 1. (hereinafter referred as RCGCPAP, 1899-1900) 10 J.C. Curry, The Indian Police, London, 1932, reprint Manu Publications, New Delhi, 1977, p.18. Volume IX, Issue VIII, AUGUST/2020 Page No : 1611 Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 very much concerned about the consolidation of British hold in newly conquered territory and to reconcile the violent Sikhs to the British rule. He established a Board of Administration for the Punjab on 29th March, 1849 to set in motion the machinery of Government by appointing this Board. It consisted of one President and two members.11 Henry Lawrence, the British Resident at Lahore, was appointed as the President of the Board and was entrusted with matters connected with defence and relations with the Sardars while his brother, John Lawrence, was put in charge of land settlement as a member. Charles Grenville Mansel, a covenanted civilian was entrusted as another member with the administration of justice. He was replaced by Robert Montgomery after an year.12 This Board was made the final appellate Court and was vested with the powers of life and death. The Board had the power to communicate directly with the Governor General. At the same time, the main principles were described, on which the administration was to be conducted.13 The two regions, the cis-Sutlej and the trans-Sutlej, were reunited under the Board and the Punjab, along with the trans-Indus territories, comprised an area of about 73,000 square miles. Its population was roughly estimated at ten million.14 The Board split the entire newly annexed territory into four circles or divisions each under a Commissioner. These divisions were Lahore, Jhelum, Multan, and Leh. These divisions were further divided into districts. Lahore division had five districts, Lahore, Batala and Amritsar in Bari doab (area between River Beas and Ravi) and Wazirabad and Sheikhupura in Rachna doab (area between River Ravi and Chenab).