Criminalizing Indigenous Communities🔗

Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts

In an effort to demonize Hindus and feed the stereotype of the savage oriental, British authorities and media sensationalized stories of bloodthirsty thuggees, or bandits, who would offer human sacrifices to the wicked and fearsome goddess Kali. The image of the thuggee was promoted worldwide as an example of all that was wrong with Bharat.

In addition to denigrating Hindu culture, the narrative of the thuggee menace was also used to justify colonial rule, suspend civil liberties and target subversive elements that challenged British hegemony.

"Secular" Bharat Hindu Temples Looted and Neglected Post-Independence, the Hindu State continued the British policy of taxing and managing the wealth and properties of all major Hindu temples despite claiming to be a 'secular' state. Their governance of Hindu temples has been fraught with mismanagement, neglect corruption, theft of jewels and deities and alienation of temple land: "Many temples constructed at least 1,500 years ago or much before the temples recognized by UNESCO are in ruins. Even the daily rituals are not performed. Some temples remain closed throughout the day with no one to even light the lamps." Madras High Court, citing a UNESCO report highlighting government incompetence and corruption in temple management