British Colonial Genocide Of Indians

During the 190 years of British Colonial Rule in India, over 60+ million Indians were killed in various famines and massacres.^[1]

Engineered Famines[edit]

The Bengal Famine of 1770[edit]

The 1770 Bengal Famine occurred between 1769 and 1773, and affected the lower Gangetic plain of India. The territory controlled by the British East India Company, included modern West Bengal, Bangladesh, and parts of Assam, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand. The famine killed over 10 million people, or 1/3 of the population at the time.^[2]

Chalisa Famine of 1783-1784[edit]

The Chalisa famine affected Northern India, which includes Uttar Pradesh, Eastern Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir. The Chalisa Famine was preceded by a Famine from 1782–1783 in Southern India, which includes Madras and the Kingdom of Mysore. These Famines together killed 11 million people.

Doji Bara Famine of 1791 to 1792[edit]

The Famine caused widespread mortality in the areas of Hyderabad, the Maratha Kingdom, Deccan, Gujarat, and Marwar(Rajasthan). The British policy of diverting food supplies to Europe, and pricing out the leftover grain out of reach of Indians as well as adopting agricultural policies that destroyed food production was responsible for the Famine. The British had surplus grains which was not distributed to the people who grew it. Due to this, from 1789–1792, 11 million people died of starvation and accompanying epidemics that followed.

Upper Doab Famine of 1860-1861[edit]

The Upper Doab Famine occurred in the Ganga- Yamuna Doab area which encompassed parts of Rohilkhand, Ayodhya, Dehli, Hissar, Punjab and Rajasthan. According to the "official" British reports of the Famine, 2 million were killed.

Orissa Famine of 1866[edit]

Even though Orissa was hard hit by this famine, the famine affected India's eastern areas along the Bay of Bengal going all the way down to Madras. Based on the "official" records, 1 million people died.

Rajputana Famine of 1869[edit]

The Rajputana Famine of 1869 affected an area of around 300,000 square miles which belonged for the most part to the princely state of Ajmer. This Famine, based on the "official" British claim killed 1.5 million people.

The Great Famine of 1876-1878[edit]

This famine affected Central and Southern India which includes Madras, Mysore, Hyderabad, and Bombay. The death toll was around 11 million.

Famines of 1896-1897 and 1899-1900[edit]

This famine affected Madras, Bombay, Deccan, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Central India, Hyderabad, and Rajasthan. Reportedly, 6 million people died during the 2 famines, although the number in the princely states is unknown.

1943 Bengal Famine[edit]

For a more detailed treatment, see 1943 Bengal Famine.

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre[edit]

British Army officer Reginald Dyer had commanded his troops to the Bagh on April 13, 1919, located near the holiest Sikh shrine, the Golden temple. Peaceful protesters demanding an end to British rule were fired on without warning by Dyer's troops. Dyer's troops killed over 2,000 people. The Bagh was enclosed from all 4 sides with buildings, and had only one main entrance which was blocked by Dyer's troops. Other smaller gates were locked, thereby preventing people from fleeing the firing. Many people jumped to their death inside a well inside the garden.^[3]

Qisa Khwani Bazaar Massacre[edit]

British troops opened fire on members of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement, a Pashtun nonviolent resistance movement against British Colonial rule in India. It took place in the city of Peshawar in British India. Around 400 people were killed.^[4]

References[edit]