Mad Dogs and Parsis: The Bombay Dog Riots of 1832

Abstract

The article details the events and themes surrounding a strike and riot that transpired in colonial Bombay in 1832, led by a segment of the Parsi community and joined by other Indians, in reaction to the British cull of stray pariah dogs in the streets. The strike and riot demonstrated the commercial power of the Parsis to disrupt the daily routine of Bombay and exert their influence in hostility to colonial interference and incursions against Parsi (Indian) religious sensibilities. The Bombay dog riots of 1832 exposed the vulnerability of early British-Indian socio-political relations in Bombay and Western India in the face of popular disturbances against British authority and was in marked contrast to the state of Parsi-British relations that developed in the nineteenth century, as the Parsis led the process of Indian accommodation to British rule, tempered only by overt threats to their religious identity.

Reorienting rabies research and practice: Lessons from India

“…These attitudes and policies were imported to India, where British authorities treated street dogs as part of the problematic Indian urban environment that needed controlling and containing. The British were aware that the killing of dogs was unpopular, especially after riots in Bombay in 1832 following such killing (Palsetia, 2001). But they carried on anyway, and dogs became enfolded within the complexities of public health in British India.…”

Rabies as a Public Health Concern in India—A Historical Perspective

“…The strict (and often overenthusiastic) enforcement of this regulation sometimes led to the destruction of owned dogs as well and is closely associated with what has been described as the “Bombay dog riots” of 1832. These riots, which also had communal overtones, have been described in detail elsewhere [ 83 ]. Other legislation included ‘section 68 of the Cantonment Code of 1912’, and provisions in Municipal Acts, which authorised cantonments or municipalities to detain or destroy confirmed or suspected rabid dogs as well as stray dogs.…”

Rabies as a Public Health Concern in India – A Historical Perspective

“…The strict (and often over-enthusiastic) enforcement of this regulation sometimes led to the destruction of owned dogs as well, and is closely associated with what has been described as the 'Bombay dog riots' of 1832. These riots, which also had communal overtones, have been described in detail elsewhere [83]. Other legislation included section 68 of the Cantonment Code of 1912, and provisions in Municipal Acts, which authorized cantonments or municipalities to detain or destroy confirmed or suspected rabid dogs as well as stray dogs.…”

“…Similar efforts were also reported from Calcutta However, one letter from a reader describing empty dog carts and the number of dogs on the road [39] suggests that such measures may have been no more effective in controlling dog populations and rabies than they were in more contemporary times. These measures and the methods used to kill dogs (carbonic acid gas, strychnine poisoning, clubbing to death, electrocution) [19,86] were opposed by many Indians due to religious reasons [41,83], by Indian vernacular newspapers and many British residents [19]. In addition to dogs, wildlife [74], predominantly jackals [87] were also often destroyed.…”