Lootere Bandits of British India E04 Web Series
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05:50Ram Ram Pandit ji.
05:51Ram Ram.
05:52We are coming from Haridwar with Gangajal.
05:54We thought of relaxing a bit.
05:55Today, no one is allowed to enter the temple.
05:59On Navratri, the Goddess is being adorned.
06:04♪
06:08No worries, priest.
06:10We will find somewhere else to rest.
06:12If we could get some water to quench our thirst,
06:15it would be a great blessing.
06:17Sure.
06:18You rest here.
06:19I will get some water.
06:21♪
06:31♪
06:41♪
06:51You go inside and loot all the jewellery.
06:54We will take care of this priest.
06:56In those days,
06:57due to the environment of weak administration and impoverishment,
07:03a group of robbers emerged.
07:09They were known as Badhaks.
07:12They were robbers.
07:15They tried to escape by committing murders.
07:23But if there was any obstacle in their way,
07:29they would not hesitate to kill them.
07:32In 1822, a British officer wrote in his report
07:36that there was no region in North and Central India
07:39which was out of their control.
07:41Hail Lord Shiva!
07:45Hail Lord Shiva!
07:48Wait.
07:50This is the house of that Lala
07:52who has buried all his wealth inside his house.
07:57He will not take it out easily.
07:59We will have to chant his name loudly.
08:02Hail Lord Shiva!
08:07Hail Lord Shiva!
08:09Your Majesty!
08:13May you always be happy, son.
08:15Thank you, Your Majesty,
08:16for coming to our house.
08:18Being blessed alone will not do, son.
08:21We have come to build the temple of Lord Shiva.
08:24If you give us some donation,
08:26it will be a blessing to Lord Shiva.
08:28Yes, Your Majesty.
08:39Son, you are so stingy when it comes to God's work.
08:43It is not a good thing.
08:45This is my status, Your Majesty.
08:50My divine vision is telling me
08:53that you have buried a lot of money and jewellery inside your house.
08:57No, Your Majesty.
08:59You must be mistaken.
09:01I am just an ordinary man.
09:03Hey!
09:04If you interfere in Lord Shiva's work,
09:08you will be destroyed.
09:10Hail Lord Shiva!
09:19Please forgive me, Your Majesty.
09:21I made a big mistake, Your Majesty.
09:23I am ready to offer my everything to Lord Shiva, Your Majesty.
09:27Go.
09:28Lord Shiva will bless you, son.
09:31Yes, Your Majesty.
09:32Go.
09:34The badhukas had their own way of robbing people.
09:39With this method,
09:41they would change their attire
09:43and go on robberies.
09:46Hail Lord Shiva!
09:49Apart from ordinary people,
09:51the badhukas would also attack and rob
09:54the treasures
09:56that were taken from one place to another
09:59by the British and Indian collectors.
10:05Sir.
10:07Please.
10:12Sir.
10:13The evidence we have got
10:15indicates that
10:17the badhukas in the jungles of Awadh
10:20are responsible for the increasing robbery in our area.
10:23The British were so disturbed
10:25by the badhukas' activities
10:27that they would also
10:29fight with them.
10:35Strict action should be taken against these badhukas.
10:38Not only are they robbing the poor natives,
10:41but they have put a serious tent in the British treasury
10:44and this has got to stop.
10:47Sir.
11:18How are you?
11:21Mangala,
11:22how much time is left for the kids to come?
11:24Have a little patience.
11:26How much patience?
11:28One will come,
11:29that's why we will bring another one.
11:32Mangala,
11:33I want a girl this time.
11:35Yes.
11:36You said it and it's done.
11:38Ask God,
11:39you will get everything.
11:47Yes.
11:52So tell me, my dear.
11:54When will you make me your queen?
11:56Huh?
11:58What will you do by becoming my queen, Dhaniya?
12:00Huh?
12:02I will become a queen
12:04and will kiss my king.
12:06I will massage his hands.
12:07Then you will also be
12:09like a benevolent
12:11with all your strength.
12:14Benevolent?
12:15Yes.
12:17How long will you keep breaking the walls?
12:19Will you think about your work?
12:23Madam,
12:25I think you are tired of the city.
12:27I don't like this city life.
12:30My root is this forest
12:32and this is what I like.
12:34Now get up
12:35and listen.
12:37Take Sujaniya this time
12:38and make her roam around the city.
12:41Poor girl has never gone.
12:44You both have not given me a peaceful life.
12:46Huh?
12:47Why did you marry two women?
12:52Come on, get up.
12:54The dacoits were very
12:56colourful people
12:58and
12:59people who liked
13:00excitement.
13:03Chief of Kokiat Badakh,
13:05Meherban Sen,
13:08was released from the British army.
13:12A soldier,
13:13Suraj Singh,
13:15had joined his group.
13:18And he was given the responsibility
13:22to teach his group members
13:25how to lead the army.
13:29To win in the battlefield,
13:32it is very important for the soldiers
13:33to be polite.
13:35And to learn to be polite,
13:36it is very important to learn to parade.
13:39Don't show your teeth.
13:41Stand straight.
13:43So first of all,
13:46put your left foot
13:48and straight hand forward.
13:49Like this.
13:52Keep doing it.
13:53Look straight.
13:55Stand straight.
13:58Like this.
13:59What is it, Suraj Singh?
14:01It seems that by next rainy season,
14:03this army will be
14:04joined by the British army.
14:08You be assured, Meherban Singh.
14:11Now your men will be
14:13under the command of
14:14a capable officer like me.
14:18It will take a couple of years.
14:20But,
14:22once they are ready,
14:24not just the British army,
14:25they will be able to join
14:26any army in the world easily.
14:32Stand straight.
14:33Stand straight.
14:35That means,
14:36someone else will have to act this time.
14:40The reason behind bringing Suraj Singh
14:42was that
14:43he could train his men
14:45for European drill.
14:48So that next year,
14:49when they go for a drill,
14:51they can join the British army.
14:54Every battalion of the Badkhons
14:58had a group of spies.
15:02They used to call them
15:05heroes in their language.
15:10Come, Bansi. Come, Hariya.
15:13You are late.
15:15How can I come without good news?
15:17A ship from Kolkata
15:19has left for Benaras
15:20with British and Spanish coins.
15:22And it will reach Makda very soon.
15:25The job of these heroes was
15:28that they used to go to
15:30big commercial cities.
15:33They used to try to find out
15:35if there were any
15:37precious things
15:39like money, jewellery, gold, etc.
15:41from there.
15:43When and where
15:45are these precious things
15:47going to be sent?
15:49And also,
15:51when these precious things
15:53will be sent,
15:55what kind of security
15:57will be provided
15:59to them?
16:01Wow, Hariya.
16:03You have made me happy.
16:05Brothers, let's get the coach ready.
16:07There will be a celebration.
16:09There was a tradition in Badakh.
16:11All the members used to be
16:13decided before the competition.
16:15The reason behind this was
16:17that after the competition,
16:19you should not be involved
16:21in the competition.
16:29One of you is 25.
16:32One of you is 25.
16:35Now, you don't have any children.
16:43Chhade Singh, you have
16:45at most 10 children.
16:47You have two children and
16:49a new guest is about to come.
16:51You are lucky.
16:53It's all thanks to you.
16:57The number of children
16:59that the Badakhs had
17:01was equal to
17:03the number of children
17:05that the Badakhs had.
17:07The reason for this was
17:09that the Badakhs
17:11used to loot
17:13and loot
17:15and loot
17:17and loot
17:19and loot
17:21and loot
17:23and loot
17:25and loot
17:27and loot
17:29and loot
17:31and loot
17:33and loot
17:49and loot
17:51and loot
18:01The ones who were left behind were also given a share in the loot.
18:17Have you thought of getting married?
18:23You don't understand, Dhaniya.
18:26I am not a badhak.
18:28I am a bandhua.
18:31I am a bandhua, alive and well, because of the blessings of Lord Shiva.
18:36I am a badhak, Vidhya.
18:38If you marry me, you will lose all your wealth.
18:42And then there will be no badhua left.
18:45Neither you, nor your children.
18:51In the midst of these badhaks, there were also gulam badhaks.
18:55Gulam badhaks were those who were adopted as children,
18:58were sold, bought or abducted.
19:03And these people were also brought up in the midst of dacoity.
19:08If a gulam badhak had the ability, he would be taken to dacoity.
19:13Otherwise, he would stay at home.
19:15One gulam badhak would get married to another gulam badhak.
19:19And after many generations, their children were considered badhaks.
19:29Go away from here.
19:32Go away.
19:58Go away.
20:17I am the king of Goa, Mehrwan Singh.
20:20And this is my queen.
20:22The queen is sitting in the palanquin.
20:28The badhak experts would go to various places to do dacoity.
20:33When they would go to North India to do dacoity,
20:36they would mostly go in the form of people who would take holy water to the Ganges.
20:41When they would go to Central India to do dacoity,
20:44they would go in the form of pilgrims,
20:46in the form of banjara,
20:48or in the form of guests who would go to weddings.
20:51So that no one would suspect that they are dacoits.
20:59We are now entering the territory of the Goans.
21:03Do as I say with caution.
21:06Come.
21:27Greetings, King.
21:30Bless you.
21:32How come you are here?
21:34My queen has been insisting for a pilgrimage for a long time.
21:39So I had to come here.
21:41There is no pilgrimage until there is an invitation, King.
21:46Greetings, King.
21:58Dhaniya, keep these things for the pilgrimage with you.
22:03What is the need to keep them in the palanquin?
22:27Hurry up.
22:29It is a hunting night today.
22:31We are very close to the lodge.
22:33The British are waiting for our treasure.
22:35Usually, the treasure of the Estinia Company used to be their target.
22:41Their fear was that
22:43where these things were kept,
22:45a strong security system was set up around the building.
22:50But when these things were taken from one city to another,
22:56during that time, these people would attack.
23:03Let's go.
23:33Let's go.
24:03Let's go.
24:33Hey! Stop!
25:04Stop!
25:23Usually, they did not like to kill and kill.
25:28But if someone used to oppose them during a raid,
25:31then they used to face them like good warriors.
25:35They used to fight and kill them when needed.
25:53Wow!
25:56Look, Sujanya.
25:58Your real work starts now.
26:02As long as you are in the palanquin,
26:04no one will be able to see the palanquin.
26:06Don't move from the palanquin.
26:13Are you alright?
26:15Warriors get minor injuries.
26:18Look, brothers.
26:20The British must have got the news of the loot.
26:22They must be looking for us like a wounded lion.
26:25We should reach the lodge as soon as possible.
26:26Let's go.
26:32The people of Badakh were really colourful.
26:36After looting all the goods of East India Company,
26:39Mehrban and his entire group were returning to the jungle.
26:43During that time, a village came in the way
26:46where the festival of Holi was being celebrated.
26:50In the attire of a king,
26:52Mehrban also celebrated the festival of Holi with his entire group.
26:57After that, they again ran towards the jungle.
27:01When the British started looting the treasures,
27:06such incidents made the British shudder.
27:13Especially after the robbery at Makarai Shrine,
27:19the British lost their senses.
27:22The government issued an order to the joint magistrate of Munger,
27:27Mr. Macfarlane, to go to Makarai
27:33and do whatever it can to catch the robbers.
27:41Let me get you Captain Ancotel, commanding officer at Secura.
27:46He'll help you apprehend this gang with the help of him and his troops.
27:49You attack the Badak camp and catch them all.
28:19How the hell did they know that we were coming?
28:49They couldn't get anything done.
28:53To build a relationship with the kings and landlords,
29:00they did whatever it took.
29:05After the looting,
29:09they gave a large portion of the loot to their protectors
29:15as a bribe.
29:23Come on, hurry up.
29:45Constable.
29:52The British have set up their camp.
29:56They are searching the entire jungle to catch you.
29:59We have to be careful.
30:02Munia, take Dal and follow them.
30:06If we go home, we'll go together.
30:08Otherwise, no one will go.
30:10Are you crazy?
30:12If you catch them all, who will let us go?
30:14Go, I'll take care of the rest.
30:17Let's go.
30:24When attempts were made to catch the robbers,
30:30the landlords, kings and nobles already knew about it.
30:38And since they protected the robbers,
30:41the informers were sent to the robbers
30:47to inform them of the attempts to catch them.
31:11The British were successful in catching the members of the small group.
31:36But they were even more successful when they caught
31:40Mehrban Singh and some of his gang members red-handed.
32:06When all the men were here, it was so peaceful.
32:21Now, it's as if the entire house is empty.
32:28How will they escape?
32:31Do you have any idea?
32:34It won't work without a case.
32:37It's the law of the company.
32:41Only a clerk can solve this case.
32:50As soon as the robbers were caught,
32:53the women of the family were eager to get the robbers released.
33:03First of all, they used to go to the houses of the nobles.
33:12And they used to take a lot of money as bribe.
33:22How do I find out who they are?
33:27Brother.
33:29Yes, tell me.
33:30Can you tell me the address of a clerk or a watchman?
33:36I have to get some important work done.
33:39He is the one you see in front of you.
33:43Thank you, brother.
33:49Hello, sir.
33:51Hello.
33:53Are you the watchman?
33:55Yes, tell me.
33:57Sir.
33:59Take all this money and save our men.
34:03And get Mehrban Singh released.
34:06Look, the whites are after Mehrban Singh.
34:13It's difficult to save Mehrban Singh.
34:20Your other people can be saved.
34:23Okay.
34:25Save those whom you can.
34:28Okay.
34:30Let me see what I have to do.
34:37The courts in the areas of local nobles and nobles
34:45were full of bribery.
34:49But when the cases reached the courts in the areas of the nobles
34:58it was impossible to get the criminals released through bribery.
35:05The same happened with Mehrban Singh.
35:09Mehrban Singh, son of Sujan Singh.
35:12To rob you of the treasure of East India Company
35:14to damage the property of the company
35:17and to kill innocent people
35:20he was sentenced to death.
35:29From 1837 to 1849
35:36which was the middle ages
35:39during that time
35:42to clean up these armed groups
35:48the British administration was successful.
35:53It so happened that on 13th April 1837
35:59the Dacoity Investigation Department was formed
36:04and a commissioner was appointed.
36:08Many officers were appointed under that commissioner.
36:13They were also given the right
36:16that if they had to follow any part of India to arrest the Dacoits
36:26they could do so.
36:28In these 12 years, more than 1200 criminal cases were filed against the Dacoits.
36:34A case was also filed against them.
36:36Some people were punished.
36:39During this operation, some people were successful in running away.
36:44Those who were successful in running away
36:47some of them started their own business
36:50and some remained as common criminals.
36:55This community has not ended since Mehrban Singh left.
37:01Some Dacoits are still not in the hands of the British administration
37:07and some of them have been bribed and released.
37:13So, all of us together will lead our lives
37:18with this profession.
37:21And if a true Dacoit dies
37:24he will die playing the game of his ancestors.
37:31Everyone remember this.
37:33Hey Mother!
37:39Hey Mother!
37:41This is very good news.
37:48Many of these criminals were pardoned.
37:52Some of them were admitted to the police force
37:55and some of them were included in the British Army.
37:58A Dacoit named Ajit Singh was so successful
38:02that he was promoted to the post of Company Commander.
38:06There was an interesting incident in this regard.
38:11The British administration had created a Dacoit army regiment.
38:23But this regiment could not function for long.
38:29There was a rebellion.
38:31The reason for the rebellion was
38:34that the Dacoits said,
38:36why don't our officers do the same kind of duties as we do?
38:43They beat up their officers
38:46and threw them out.
38:49When other officers were sent to them
38:53they did the same to them.
38:59Later, when Allahabad was taken over by the British
39:06they abolished this Dacoit regiment forever.
39:14By the year 1850, the Dacoits' Dacoit life was cleansed.
39:19But despite this, their criminal activities did not stop.
39:25They committed small thefts and other crimes.
39:29The General Superintendent of the Dacoit Investigation Department,
39:34William Henry Sleeman,
39:37had prepared a report on the Dacoits in 1848.
39:46In this report, it is stated
39:51what measures were taken by the British government
39:55to clean up the Dacoits.
40:00This report written by Sleeman
40:04is such that
40:08whatever we know about the Dacoits
40:12is based on this report.
40:21And that is why
40:24this report is considered
40:29to be a dangerous document about the Dacoits.
40:43The Dacoits
40:48The Dacoits
40:52The Dacoits
40:56The Dacoits