Centre for the Study of Social Systems
School of Social Sciences
CSSS Colloquium
Javed Iqbal Wani
(Asstt. Prof, Ambedkar University-Delhi)
Will be presenting a paper on
Arming ‘Reliable’ Citizens and Subcontracting Sovereign Violence in India
Date & Time:
January 24, 2019 (Thursday), 11am
Venue:
CSSS Committee Room (No: 13), SSS-II
Abstract: In the year 1948, the Police Reorganising Committee in the United Provinces (UP) resolved to introduce a policy to arm ‘reliable’ citizens across villages to counter the threat of dacoits. Such a move was started in a few districts initially but was proposed to be extended to all districts of the United Provinces later. It created numerous challenges for the administration though. By discussing the bureaucratic discussion that argued for such a policy, the paper will argue that the postcolonial state was anxious about maintaining ‘pubic order’. The policy of issuing guns to reliable villagers outsourced sovereign violence to private individuals and led to the establishment of a state sponsored vigilantism in the United Provinces.
Bio: Javed Iqbal Wani is assistant professor (Law & Legal Studies) at the School of Law, Governance and Citizenship at Ambedkar University Delhi. He completed his doctorate from Department of History, Royal Holloway, University of London.