Caste, Dacoity and Countryside in the Nineteenth-century Bengal

The increase of bandit groups in Bengal over the nineteenth century was a menace to the established law and order. The bandit gangs are known as dakat, a Hindi word for banditry. The article sheds light on several issues including whether people engaged in dacoities belonged to a particular caste, community, class or religion. It also examines how much they transcended these categories. It is important to understand how crime has a social impact; therefore, the analysis emphasizes this aspect by looking at the individuals and their reasons. The article on the other hand points out socio-economic backgrounds, motives and social origins of criminal behaviour in analysing various dacoity groups.