Metropolis and its Underbelly: Calcutta’s Criminal World in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Abstract

This article reflects upon the world of crime in colonial Calcutta during the 19th and the early 20th centuries. In course of its development as a metropolis par excellence, the physical structure of Calcutta underwent certain significant changes. There was a spatial distinction between the European and Indian population with the White Town, which accommodated European population and the Black Town, constituting mostly both rich and poor Indians. When the later found themselves alienated within the vibrant social life of Calcutta, they ended up in the dark and shabby lanes in the Black Town of the City. This article focuses on this doubly marginalized section of the poor victims at the hands of both European masters and their Indian counterparts, who indulged in criminal activities for their survival.