How many Indians were killed off by the British colonialism

Submitted by Shastri (Germany), Dec 4, 2012 at 10:13

This deceptively simple question was asked by a gentleman in the Bharat Rakshak forum. This got me thinking, "Surely there has to be a tally of the number of Indians killed by the British?" After all haven't other mass genocides like that of the Jews by Nazi Germany been documented? A simple internet search will give you estimates on how many Jews died in the Holocaust.

So why isn't there any information on the total number of Indians killed off by the British in their "civilising" wars, manmade famines etc? Why have the "eminent" historians who set our educational syllabuses from their ivory towers in JNU (Jawaharlal University, Delhi) not brought out a simple tally of the Indians killed due to British imperialism? Have they done anything other than being Congress cronies and apologists for the Islamic mob? There is no surprise on their studied silence on British atrocities in India. After all some of the more "eminent" historians owe their sustenance and publicity to their lords overseas.

For the British government it is imperative that only the so called "positive" aspects of their tyranny in India are highlighted. Who would want to own up to being responsible for multiple genocides?

At the end of the Second World War, a completely shattered Germany was forced to publicly atone for its war crimes. But the British pulled out of India completely intact, hence there was no "pressure" on them to repent for their genocides in India. Additionally, British academics and historians have played a pivotal role in denying outright or defending the role of their ancestors in the genocide .For e.g. take the case of our First war of Independence of 1857.It is only recently that the Indian viewpoint has begun to emerge ("Operation Red Lotus" is a book I would recommend). For more than 150 years after the event the British version dominated mainstream narration of history.

Similarly in the case of other "Made in Britain" disasters, such as the terrible famines which hit India from 1768 till 1943 CE ( the last one occurred only four years before they left India in 1947 CE), British academia and their "brown sahibs" in India continually try to deny the British role in the deaths of millions. Case in point is the Wikipedia entry for "Famines in India". The lowest estimate of deaths is usually presented as the true one and every effort is made to absolve the British of the blood on their hands. One wonders who is editing those entries and why aren't our people turning out in force to tell our version of history?

But the body of evidence regarding the deliberate murder of millions in the "good" times of the British Raj continues to pile up. It is heartening to see more and more mainstream books coming out outlining in detail the racist and deliberate policies pursued by British which directly led to the genocide of millions of Indians.

I am neither a historian nor anything of that sort. I try to live by two principles in life: "Truth" and "Justice". As far as the telling of our history is concerned, none of these two principles is present. This is my humble attempt to keep the memories of those who have passed away alive.

I have made a start on this long journey of compiling the number of our dead from a variety of different sources. The task is mind numbing and very painful for me personally, but it must be done.

I have started off with populating the total number of Indians killed in British-Made famines. As I populate each section I will add an Appendix which gives a detail break up with references and a short note from me. Each of the other casualty figures will be populated as I gather more information.

Book to be read :

1. Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World, Mike Davis, Verso Books.

The book has excellent research drawing on a variety of sources, both Indian and foreign to show the true nature of British rule in India. Gives detail explanations of the deliberate policy of maximising revenue while millions of Indians perished in the famines. Also explodes some myths of "progress" due to the British such as railways, telegraph etc. Get your hands on one and read from beginning till the end.

2. "Famines and Land Assessments in India", Romesh Chunder Dutt. Available for free download from : http://www.archive.org/stream/faminesandlanda00duttgoog

R C Dutt was a brilliant Bengali economic historian who had served for as a civil servant in the British government in India. His books lay bare the British policy of funnelling wealth and food out of India at the expense of millions of Indian lives.

3. The Economic History of India Under Early British Rule. From the Rise of the British Power in 1757 to the Accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. Vol. I, Romesh Chunder Dutt.

The Economic History of India in the Victorian Age. From the Accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 to the Commencement of the Twentieth Century, Vol. II, Romesh Chunder Dutt.

The above two books are specifically focused on the economic loot of India from the time of East India Company (1757 CE onwards) till 1901-1902 CE.A must read to get an idea of the resources and wealth looted from India by the British.

4. Churchill's Secret War: The British Empire and the Forgotten Indian Famine of World War II, Madhusree Mukherjee, 2010.

The above books is about the terrible Bengal Famine of 1943 and presents evidence of British deliberately starving nearly 7 million Bengalis to death.

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