Human Rights Violations

During the British Raj

Overview

There were many human rights

violations during the British rule
in India. The British did not treat
the Indians kindly and did not
care for their wellbeing or for the
Indian economy. In this
presentation, you will see some
of the many human rights
violations which occurred during
the British Raj.
Economy and Jobs

As the British infiltrated India, they banned farmers

from harvesting food and forced them to harvest
cotton. The Indian workers were treated very poorly
and were seen as being inferior. Indian workers were
paid very little and had to pay a lot of tax to the
British. Many workers were killed and injured during
this time and the British also forced children and
women to work in the factories as well. The workers
lived in unsanitary spaces and often lived with many
other people. The British suppressed the Indian
workers.
Famine

During the British rule of India, Indians experienced an

unnecessary famine. Although there was an abundant
amount of food in India at the time, Indians were given
little to none of the food. They were seen as being
inferior servants that were better off under the British
rule. Millions of people died from the famine. This
reflects today in India as the people of India are still
suffering from famine.
Sepoys
A Sepoy is an Indian troop that works for Britain. These troops were
treated as if they were inferior to the British soldiers and were not
treated as kindly. Many Sepoys were forced to convert to
Christianity due to the church missionaries challenging of Hindu’s
religious beliefs. They also were given a different set of weapons
compared to the British soldiers. The rifles the Sepoys were given
were lubricated with pig and cow lard which the Sepoys had to bite
off in order to get their rifles working. The British did this on
purpose as the eating of pig and cow meat is forbidden by both
Muslims and Hindus but they wanted to make sure these troops
knew their place under British rule and did not care this violated
their religious beliefs.
The Indian Partition
The Indian Partition was a period which reflected many human
rights violations. During this time period which began in 1947, the
British Imperialists who controlled India forced millions of people
out of their homes as British India was divided into two separate
countries. After World War II Britain believed the best way to stop
conflicts between Muslim and Hindus was to make two new
countries. The way the government divided the country was based
on population. Areas with a higher Muslim population were
placed on the Pakistan side and the areas with a higher Sikh or
Hindu population were given to India. The process, which should
have taken years was done in months. The partition forced
millions of people to leave their homes and move across the
country without any notice. This decision was made for the people
without their consent or approval. Along the journey to the new
country, millions of Hindus and Muslims were murdered by mobs
of the different religious groups. The result of this is the ongoing
fight between the Muslims and Hindus today. The British put the
dominant Hindu party in charge of the Indian government which
has resulted in an unstable, biased government today. This also is
due to the lack of a democratic past because the old Indian
government also wasn’t a democracy.
 As the British came to India, they brought some of their culture and tradition
Indian with them as well. All of the Indians were forced to speak a new language and
learn new customs against their will. As the British gained more control in
Schooling India, they began slowly transitioning the schooling language into English. This
was against the Indians will and was they were forced to learn it. This has
System changed the entire Indian school system and schools today still teach mainly in
the English language.
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Bibliography
Mody, Anjali. “India’s Craze for English-Medium Schools Is Depriving Many Children of a Real Education.” Scroll.In, 2 Sept. 2015,
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Safi, Michael. “Churchill’s Policies Contributed to 1943 Bengal Famine – Study.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 29 Mar. 2019,
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