Can you write a brief outline on the Criminal Tribes Act passed by British Government? And clarify the reasons due to which this act was introduced?
In 1871 the colonial in India passed the criminal Tribes Act. By this act many communities of craftsmen, traders and pastoralists were classified as criminal tribes. They were stated to be criminal by nature and birth. Once this act came into force, these communities were expected to live only in notified village settlements. They were not allowed to move out without a permit. The village police kept a continuous watch on them.
British officials were suspicious of nomadic people. They distrusted mobile craftsmen and traders who hawked their goods in villages, and pastoralists who changed their places of residence every season, moving in search of good pastures for their herds. The colonial government wanted a rule over a settled population. They wanted the rural people to live in villages, in fixed places. Such population was easy to identify and control
