Police matters : the everyday state and caste politics in south India, 1900-1975

2021·2.5 MB·English

by  Kumar, Radha, 1981- author

PolICe (cid:3462)atter(cid:3468)

P ol ice M a tte rs
T he E v eryday S tate and C aste Politics
in South India, 1900–1975
•
R a dha Kumar
Cornell unI(cid:3471)er(cid:3468)It(cid:3474) Pre(cid:3468)(cid:3468)
IthaCa an(cid:3453) lon(cid:3453)on
Copyright (cid:139) 2021 by Cornell University
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kumar, Radha, 1981(cid:177) author.
Title: Police matters: the everyday state and caste politics in south India,
1900(cid:177)1975 (cid:18) by Radha Kumar.
Description: Ithaca (cid:62)New (cid:60)ork(cid:64): Cornell University Press, (cid:62)2021(cid:64) (cid:95)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021005664 (print) (cid:95) LCCN 2021005665 (ebook) (cid:95)
ISBN 9781501761065 (paperback) (cid:95) ISBN 9781501760860 (pdf) (cid:95)
ISBN 9781501760877 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Police—India—Tamil Nadu—History—20th century. (cid:95)
Law enforcement—India—Tamil Nadu—History—20th century. (cid:95) Caste—
Political aspects—India—Tamil Nadu—History. (cid:95) Police-community
relations—India—Tamil Nadu—History—20th century. (cid:95) Caste-based
discrimination—India—Tamil Nadu—History—20th century.
Classification: LCC HV8249.T3 K86 2021 (print) (cid:95) LCC HV8249.T3 (ebook) (cid:95)
DDC 363.20954(cid:18)820904—dc23
LC record available at https:(cid:18)(cid:18)lccn.loc.gov(cid:18)2021005664
LC ebook record available at https:(cid:18)(cid:18)lccn.loc.gov(cid:18)2021005665
Cover image: The Car en Route, Srivilliputtur, c. 1935.
(cid:139) The British Library Board, Carleston Collection:
Album of Snapshot Views in South India, Photo 628(cid:18)1 (40).
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Content(cid:3468)
L is t of Illustrations ix
A ck now le dg m e nts x i
L is t of A b b re v ia tions x v
Glossary xvi
Note on Terminology xvii
Note on Castes xviii
Introduction 1
Part I: PolICe an(cid:3453) the e(cid:3471)er(cid:3474)(cid:3453)a(cid:3474) (cid:3468)tate
ChaPter 1
State Knowledge: Seeing Like a Policeman 21
ChaPter 2
Police Documents: The Politics of “False Cases” 49
ChaPter 3
Routine Coercion: Scarred Bodies, Clean Records 80
Part II: PolICIng PoPular PolItIC(cid:3468)
ChaPter 4
“Unlawful Assembly” in Colonial Madras 115
ChaPter 5
Illegitimate Force in Postcolonial Politics 143
Conclusion 170
Notes 175
Bibliography 211

Illu(cid:3468)tratIon(cid:3468)
FIgure(cid:3468)
1. Mudukulathur planning map 32
2. Occurrence Report 58
3. First Information Report 59
4. Political cartoons, 1950s 153
5. Statues of Dalit leaders (B. R. Ambedkar and Immanuel Sekaran) 166
6. Statue of U. Muthuramalinga Thevar 167
(cid:3462)aP(cid:3468)
1. The Southern Tamil Region 5
2. Distribution of police stations in the colonial period 25
ix