Lord William Bentinck

 

Once upon a colonial morning in 1828, when India was still adjusting to being “British but confused,” Lord William Bentinck arrived in Calcutta with a mission:

“Let’s stop being brutal overlords and start being... benevolent overlords.”

Yes, Bentinck was the first Governor-General of India (1828–1835) under the Crown’s tighter leash, and he came with a reformer’s heart and an accountant’s soul.

 Chapter 1: The “No More Burning Widows” Policy

Perhaps Bentinck’s most famous legacy?

Abolition of Sati (1829)

The horrific practice of Sati, where widows were forced (or "gently persuaded" ) to burn themselves alive on their husband's funeral pyre, was officially banned under his rule.

He said:

“Hey, maybe women shouldn’t be barbecued because their husbands died?”

This was met with outrage by orthodox groups, but Bentinck pushed through. He had the support of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a key Indian reformer who also believed "Widow = Person, not Firewood."

CLAT Tip: Regulation XVII of 1829 outlawed Sati.

 Chapter 2: The English-ification of Indian Education

Bentinck looked at India’s traditional education and thought, “Why read Sanskrit when you can read Shakespeare?”

So in 1835, with support from Thomas Babington Macaulay (yes, the Macaulay of Macaulayism), Bentinck introduced the English Education Act:

  • Promoted English as the medium of instruction,

  • Prioritized Western sciences and literature over Indian knowledge systems,

  • Gave birth to a new class of English-educated Indians who would one day say, “Give me liberty, or at least a government job.”

Irony: The British trained Indians in English to make them clerks, but it ended up creating lawyers and nationalists.

Chapter 3: The Accountant-General of India

Bentinck had a major crush on budget cuts.

He reduced:

  • The army’s expenditure,

  • The allowances of officials (not a popular move),

  • And restructured administration to be cheaper and tighter than your uncle at a wedding buffet.

This made him unpopular among the sahibs, but the East India Company back in London clapped.

 Chapter 4: The Anti-Thug Campaign

No, not rappers.

He cracked down on the Thugs — actual armed gangs that roamed India strangling travelers and robbing them in the name of goddess Kali. It was like a mix of highway robbery and Netflix crime docu-series.

Bentinck, with the help of Captain Sleeman, launched an anti-thug campaign that:

  • Captured/killed thousands of Thugs,

  • Restored safer travel routes,

  • And made it slightly less dangerous to ride a horse across Central India.

 Why CLAT Students Should Care:

  • Governor-General of India (1828–1835)

  • Abolished Sati (1829) – Regulation XVII

  • Introduced English education policy (1835)

  • Suppressed Thuggee

  • Reformed financial administration

  • Focused on modernization and humanitarian reforms


Lord William Bentinck was the colonial boss who:

  • Burned less women,

  • Spent less money,

  • Spoke more English,

  • And killed more Thugs (literally).

He didn’t conquer kingdoms — he conquered bad practices, and in doing so, became one of the few British officials remembered for reform over rifles.

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