Vol. 6, Issue 2, Part C (2024)

This paper critically examines the historical construction of criminality imposed on the Bawaria tribe of Punjab during British colonial rule through the enforcement of the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871. Drawing upon archival sources, administrative reports, and colonial ethnographic records—especially the writings of Denzil Ibbetson and officials like Hari Krishan Kaul and L.L. Tomkins—the study explores how colonial power labeled the Bawarias as hereditary criminals based on their nomadic lifestyle and hunting practices. Despite possessing a distinct occupational identity rooted in traditional hunting and rope-net trapping, the tribe was stigmatized and systemically marginalized. The paper highlights how the Bawarias were forcibly registered, restricted in movement, and subjected to surveillance, leading to socio-economic alienation and loss of dignity. While post-registration records indicate attempts by some community members to adopt settled agricultural life, the persistent tag of criminality obstructed their reintegration into mainstream society. The study concludes that the colonial administrative labeling continues to affect the social perception and development of the Bawaria tribe even in contemporary times, reflecting the long-term consequences of state-imposed criminal identity.