Phase Pardhi
Encyclopedia
Phase Pardhi or Phasse Pardhi are a tribe in India
. The tribe often faces harassment by Indian law enforcement agencies. The tribe is found mostly in Maharashtra
and parts of Madhya Pradesh
. The Phasse are a sub tribe of the Pardhi caste
, which includes sub-castes like Gav-Paradhi
, Berad-Paradhi, Gay-Paradhi, Chita-Paradhi. The Passe number 60,000, with 10,000 child beggars and only 3,000 literates in Mumbai
alone. Pardhi is the term for "hunter". There are only three surnames among them, Chauhan, Pawar and Solanke
". About a hundred and fifty tribes were branded as criminal, and the police were given sweeping powers to arrest them and watch over their movements.
T. V. Stephens, a British officer at that time quoted:
Volume XII of the 1880 Bombay Presidency Gazette has further comments about the group stating:
In 1952, the tribe was denotified
as "criminal" and named as a nomadic tribe
. However this has not changed the public perception of the tribe, and they continue to be stigmatized and live as outcasts, further aggravating their backwardness and economic hardships .
Another Paradhi tribe called the Gav-Paradhi
, settled primarily in the Amravati District
Maharashtra
, escaped the label of 'criminal tribe' as they were mostly agriculturalists.
The community says they are driven to crime due to discrimination and the abject poverty they are in. Often landlords take advantage of this and use the Pardhis to carry out crimes. As a result of this bias most are unemployed or earn their livelihood as beggars in the city .
Girish Prabhune has written a book Paradhi to educate people about the Pardhi tribe.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The tribe often faces harassment by Indian law enforcement agencies. The tribe is found mostly in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
and parts of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
. The Phasse are a sub tribe of the Pardhi caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
, which includes sub-castes like Gav-Paradhi
Gav-Paradhi
The Gav-Paradhi are one of the Paradhi Tribes of India. Unlike the other Paradhi tribes they were not classed as a 'Criminal Tribe' by the British Raj government, under Criminal Tribes Act 1871...
, Berad-Paradhi, Gay-Paradhi, Chita-Paradhi. The Passe number 60,000, with 10,000 child beggars and only 3,000 literates in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
alone. Pardhi is the term for "hunter". There are only three surnames among them, Chauhan, Pawar and Solanke
History
The criminal branding of the tribe goes back to 1871 after the British passed the "Criminal Tribes ActCriminal Tribes Act
The term Criminal Tribes Act applies to various successive pieces of legislation enforced in India during British rule; the first enacted in 1871 as applied mostly in North India The Act was extended to Bengal Presidency and other areas in 1876, and finally with the Criminal Tribes Act 1911, it...
". About a hundred and fifty tribes were branded as criminal, and the police were given sweeping powers to arrest them and watch over their movements.
T. V. Stephens, a British officer at that time quoted:
Dabhade, Rane surname also found in pardhi commimity along with pawar , salunkhe and sonwane.
"... people from time immemorial have been pursuing the caste system defined job-positions: weaving, carpentry and such were hereditary jobs. So there must have been hereditary criminals also who pursued their forefathers’ profession."
Volume XII of the 1880 Bombay Presidency Gazette has further comments about the group stating:
"They are still fond of hunting and poaching and have not got rid of their turn for thieving.... The Phase Pardhi [a sub-tribe] is nearly always ragged and dirty, walking with a sneaking gait."
In 1952, the tribe was denotified
Denotified tribes of India
Denotified tribes , also known as vimukta jati, are the tribes that were originally listed under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 , as Criminal Tribes and "addicted to the systematic commission of non-bailable offences." Once a tribe became "notified" as criminal, all its members were required to...
as "criminal" and named as a nomadic tribe
Nomadic tribes in India
The word Nomadic Tribes refers to the people who were forced to live a wandering life by the Indian Caste System. The Nomadic and Denotified Tribes consist of about 60 million in India, out of which about five million lives in Maharashtra...
. However this has not changed the public perception of the tribe, and they continue to be stigmatized and live as outcasts, further aggravating their backwardness and economic hardships .
Another Paradhi tribe called the Gav-Paradhi
Gav-Paradhi
The Gav-Paradhi are one of the Paradhi Tribes of India. Unlike the other Paradhi tribes they were not classed as a 'Criminal Tribe' by the British Raj government, under Criminal Tribes Act 1871...
, settled primarily in the Amravati District
Amravati district
Amravati district is a district of Maharashtra state in central India. Amravati is the administrative headquarters of the district.The district is situated between 20°32' and 21°46' north latitudes and 76°37' and 78°27' east longitudes. The district occupies an area of 12,235 km²...
Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, escaped the label of 'criminal tribe' as they were mostly agriculturalists.
Discrimination
Despite being exonerated by the Indian government, the community is still perceived to be indulging in criminal activities. The criminal stigma is attached from birth, and by the age of sixteen, his name is usually featured in criminal records as a potential suspect. The police uses the "Habitual Offenders Act (1952)" to harass the community. Public pressure in villages often prevents the nomadic community from settling in villages.The community says they are driven to crime due to discrimination and the abject poverty they are in. Often landlords take advantage of this and use the Pardhis to carry out crimes. As a result of this bias most are unemployed or earn their livelihood as beggars in the city .
Girish Prabhune has written a book Paradhi to educate people about the Pardhi tribe.