Police Reforms of Cornwallis

So far Police was under the Zamindars. It was taken away from Zamindars and handed over to the Superintendent of the Police at District level. The Police was Europeanized. They were now paid salary and given unlimited powers to arrest the suspected persons.

So now Thanas were there in India to maintain “peace and order”. Zamindars had still a great influence on these Thanas, but legally there were detached from the Police functionary.

In 1789 Lord Cornwallis made a proclamation that “anyone who is found associated with Slavery would be prosecuted in the Supreme Court“. This step he had taken to curb the menace of slavery prevalent in India since Sultanate Era but the immediate reason was that the Children were collected by the Indians and sold to “French”.