...Where the British East India Company actually had a Thuggee and Dacoity Department. On further investigation, alas, it was not a catering function but instead devoted its attention to the suppression of such activities.
Man, for just a minute there, what an image....! After all, EIC and later the Raj had their fingers in just about everything else.
And here in the States, we've got Congress. The only Department that (is supposed to) make them toe the mark is you and me -- we're not as successful as the EIC was at controlling bandits. And about the only spice we get is spicy tales of Congressional misdeeds in the tabloid press.
And you could probably smuggle a Rumāl past the Capital police and their metal detectors. Just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteJUST KIDDING. DON'T TJIC ME, BRO!
Dacoits are still a problem, and were when we lived there in Balasore, Thugee not so much - but the Islamists seem to have taken-up the role of murderous religious fanatic. Arcane numbering systems: A "lakh" is 100,000, and a "crore" is 10Million.
ReplyDeleteHe had suffered injuries after being thrashed by the public
ReplyDeleteBwah.
"Suffered injuries...by the public" is frequently the result, because the legal system there is so f*d up that's the only way justice is ever really administered.
ReplyDeleteIndia has the Collyer Brothers of governments, festooned with bits and pieces and entire subassemblies of every other institution they've ever had that served the function of government. The people of India have accomplished great things withal.
ReplyDeletePerhaps chaos is their strength. Perhaps not.