During the early years, the British were engaged in consolidation of the empire in India and laid emphasis on reorganization of administration as well as regulation of economy. Their priority was to promote and protect the British trade and industry.

For this order and security ought to be maintained. At this time, the British thought it wise not to interfere in the religious and socio-cultural life in India. Religious faiths and social customs are two sensitive aspects with which Indians are emotionally involved.

Little amount of interference might lead to unrest and resentment against the British Rule. Only after 1813, when the British felt politically safe and secured they stopped forward for introducing changes for transformation or modernization of Indian society and culture.

Two factors primarily promoted the British to introduce a series of reforms for modernization of India on Western model. First, the Industrial Revolution had transformed England into an industrial country.

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Their industrial interests needed a profitable market for machine-products. They found India the most attractive one. For accomplishment of their aims, India would Bengal transformed to a consumer of British goods.

Modernization of Indian society would develop the taste and demand for consumption of British Industrial products by Indians. Secondly, due to progress in science and technology, new ideas like humanism and rationalism replaced faith and superstition. Those ideas broadened the mind and molded the thought process of the Europeans. A group of European thinkers wanted to spread those ideas all over the world.

In case of India a clash of ideas came upon among the conservatives and the radicals. The conservatives or men of traditional attitude held the view that Indian society and culture was in no way inferior to the European civilization.

They proposed for introduction of changes as few as possible and pleaded that hasty and sweeping changes would affect social stability. On the other hand, the radicals or the men of new thought were critical of Indian society and culture and were in favour of sweeping changes. They considered certain customs as social injustice like caste system, untouchably, the sati, infanticide and the status of women etc.

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The radicals received strong support from Rammohan Ray and other progressive Indians. British officials like James Mill, and above all Lord William Bethink, The Governor General of India, Championed the cause of modernization.

Legislations of Bentinck:

Lord William Bentinck came to India as Governor General. His period as governor-general from 1828 to 1835 has been accepted as an important phase of reform. He himself was an advocate of new ideas and always marched ahead with progressive thought. He weighed the welfare of the ruled as the moral obligation of the ruler.

He advocated for good Government and worked for a peaceful, prosperous and modern India. His approach was humanitarian and motto was happiness of the governed. He differed from his predecessors and set precedence for h successors. He abolished of the custom of Sati, suppressed the Thugs, prohibited infanticide and human sacrifice.

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Abolition of Sati:

Among the age old customs of India, sati was the most inhuman practice. It was a challenge for any civilized human being. The barbarous and horrifying system of Sati drew the attention of Bentinck. Practice of Sati was the burning of the widow in the funeral pyre for husband.

It was based on the superstition that by practicing Sati, woman would attain divinity and would goods to heaven. Origin of this social evil is yet to Bengal ascertained. X there were socio-economic motives behind this system. Socially, the Sati was revered by the people. Many of the widows preferred to practice the Sati in the hope of attaining heaven.

It was considered as a religious duty. But in most cases the women feared the tortures and miseries of a widow. With clean shaven heads, dropped in white clothes and prohibited to participate in social functions, the widows lived like animals. Their presence or very sight was considered inauspicious.

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To have an unmarried girl in family was a social dishonour. Therefore, social pressure and custom forced people to go for child-marriage and marriage of young girls to old-grooms. It was a common practice among the high castes like Brahmins and Kayastas. In addition the Family members very often forced the widow to death in order to grab her property share. When a widow was unwilling to practice Sati, her relatives put her into the funeral pyre forcibly. It was simply homicide. Even the Brahmins accorded sanction to these practice for money and the ornaments of the widow.

By the time, Bentinck came to India Sati was widely practiced. Even the sister-in-law in Raja Rammohan Ray was burn to death. Then Rammohan Ray became vocal against this atrocity against the women. He pleaded with the Government to stop the System of Sati. Bentinck was moved by the horrors of Sati system and by a regulation in 1829 the practice of Sati was declared illegal. Burning of widow was treated as a crime punishable by court of laws.

As anticipated orthodox Hindus considered the act as clear intervention in the socio-religious life of Indians. They protested against this act by sending protest letters to Privacy Council in London.

But Raja Rammohan Ray argued before the Privy Council in favour of abolition of this practice and succeeded in convincing the Privy Council to authorize the Governor General to proceed ahead. Thus, Bentinck and Ray, both equally deserve the honour for emancipating the destitute widows.

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Female infanticide:

Second humanitarian measure was taken to prohibit female infanticide or the practice of killing female children at the time of birth. The Rajputs or other castes of Western and Central India killed female children at the time of birth. Even birth of a girl was considered as curse.

The reasons for such practice were primarily socio-economic nature. First, most of the Rajput clans were involved in continuous warfare and young Rajputs were killed in wars. It was a problem to find grooms for the girls. Second, due to the evil practice of dowry in its worst form, the Rajputs parents found the marriage impossible. When earning livelihood in the unfertile areas was difficult, offering a goods dowry was beyond their capacity.

Third, accommodating an unmarried girl in the family was a social dishonour. Therefore, the girls were killed at the time of birth. Bentinck strictly enforced regulations for prohibition of infanticide.

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Human Sacrifice:

Another feather in the cap of Bentinck was the abolition of human sacrifice among the primitive Gonds. The tribals offered human sacrifice for the goddess earth in the hope of good harvest. This superstitious practice was a social evil. Bentinck declared this practice illegal and imposed death penalty on the persons practicing it. Though the practice was not abolished completely, the number of human sacrifice reduced.

Suppression of Thugs:

A major achievement of Bentinck was the suppression of the Thugs. The thugs were groups of robbers wandering in the forest and lonely tracts of Madhya Bharat and Uttar Pradesh regions.

They were the nomads and religious fanatics believing in the Goddess Kali. They looted, plundered and killed people on their way and profession was hereditary. Their areas of operations were inaccessible regions and it was impossible to trace them out since they change their hide outs.

Even the disguise of merchants, monks, or pilgrims, they joined travelers on the highways and killed and plundered at opportunity. Sometimes landlords, petty Zamindars and even common people helped the Thugs either to receive the share of the loot or out of fear. The Thugs spread fear in the society and made the roads unsafe.

Bentinck initiated strong actions for suppression of Thugs. He thought it the responsibility of the Government to maintain law and order in the society and to provide security for the people. He used the good services of Captain Sleeman who was well conversant with the profession and movement of the Thugs.

He also declared to punish those who maintained any sort of relation with the Thugs. Captain Sleeman collected information about the Thugs and their hideouts. He kept constant watch on the activities of the Thugs through h agents.

He raided the hideouts of the Thugs and captured them. Bentinck, by law of 1830, imposed death penalty on the Thugs. Many of the Thugs were exiled and many of them surrendered. Gradually the organizations of the Thugs broke down and the roads became safe for the people.