The Bombay Dog Riots of 1832

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Want to know more about the 1832 Bombay riots? If you are living in Mumbai it is likely that you must have come across a few Parsis or Iranis that live in their own world. Most people think of Parsis and Iranis as this sweet, friendly and peace-loving individual that prefer to mind their own business. However, you might not know that in 1832, Parsis and Iranis led the Bombay Dog Riots, the first-ever rioting event in Mumbai (formerly Bombay).

You would never really hear the word ‘Parsi’ and ‘riots’ in the same sentence. Parsis are generally in a neutral position when it comes to regional or national politics. This minority community has always been like the sugar in the milk that only enhances the taste of it.

Before we get into the main story of 1832 Bombay riots, we need to know how things evolved through time which finally led to this rioting event. I won’t take much of your time, so please bear with me.

A Little Bit about the Parsis

Zoroastrianism is among the world’s oldest continuously religions that believe in dual cosmology. This means that Zoroastrians believe in the good versus the evil concept.

As per the recorded history, Zoroastrianism is as old as 5^th Century BCE. It became the most widely accepted religion in Persia. However, after the Muslim conquest of Persia in 633, many Zoroastrians began migrating to India and came to be known as the Parsis.

If you want to go in-depth into history you can click on this link: History of Zoroastrianism

After settling down in different pockets of Gujarat and Bombay, Parsis quickly blended into the Indian culture and became an integral part of the country. Many of them were traders and therefore they decided to make Bombay as their preferred destination to trade.

While Parsis became an integral part of India they also remained one of the least known minorities in the country. Not many people know about the Parsis outside Mumbai and Gujarat territories.

However, in relation to this rioting event here’s something vital you need to know.

Every religion in India and probably in the world has certain beliefs with regards to the death, the judgment and the final passage of the soul.

As per the Zoroastrian religion, a dog is like a guardian angel of the Chinvat (a.k.a. the Bridge of Judgment). This bridge is where the soul awaits before his or her final judgment is pronounced based on his or her actions, deeds and words.  The dog is also the companion of the righteous across the Bridge to Paradise. 

A Brief History of Bombay

Even before the British invasion of India various European empires ruled India. Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama was the first European to reach India by the sea in 1498. However, this led to the age of imperialism in India and many European powers decided to capture India.

The Portuguese captured some of the important coastal cities like Bassein (now Vasai) and the seven islands of Bombay.

If you want to learn more about the Treaty of Vasai click here: History of Vasai

By 1534, Portuguese were ruling the western coast of India. However, in 1662, Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal got married to Charles II of England and Bombay was given to the British as a part of the dowry.

Imagine ek angrez ne dusre angrez ko pura Mumbai dahej mein diya.

Mumbai ka king kaun? Bhiku Mhatre…What rubbish. Okay, let’s not divert from the topic.

So,

By 1661, the Portuguese were quitting India and British became the rulers of Bombay. The East India Company saw Bombay as a city that had the potential to become a trade and commerce city. So, did the Parsis.

Most of the Parsis in Bombay under British rule were traders and merchants. Hence, the British decided to be on friendly terms with the Parsis. The city was growing gradually along with the population of stray dogs.

To manage this, in 1813, the British decided to bring in a regulation that allowed the killing of stray city dogs to control its population. By 1826, Parsis were a dominant force in Bombay with a population of 10,000.

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The Root Cause of Bombay Dog Riots

The 1813 regulation of the killing of the stray dogs didn’t get much attention until 1832 when the Magistrate decided to add to the rules.

As per the new law, the British would pay a eight aana bounty for every stray dog killed. This opened up a new window of income for many people who wanted to make quick money. They began invading homes and started killing private pets as well.

The Parsi community was seriously upset by this horrible regulation and formed a backlash against the dog culling policy. They decided to protest against the policy, first peacefully, but that didn’t get the attention of the city’s magistrate.

On June 6, 1832, the Parsi mob attacked the dog catchers and marched all the way to the city’s court to showcase their collective strength. Around 200 Parsis (a considerable number then) gathered in the Fort area of Bombay. The next day, the Parsis decided to shut their businesses and trade, which led to economic chaos in 1832. This further led to the event of Bombay Dog Riots of the 1832.

The D-Day of 1832 Bombay Riots

Soon the lower-middle-class Parsis, Hindus and Muslims joined the protest paralyzing the entire city’s daily activities. The British decided to use the city’s garrison to break the protest. However, the Parsis organized more porters and labourers to tackle the British garrison. The total swelled to 500 people making it hard for the police to control the agitated crowd.

Eventually, when the garrison used force, a riot broke out and many leaders of the Parsi community were arrested.

The news of the Bombay dog riots went up the command chain within the East India Company. Parsis being affluent traders and merchants had the economic upper hand. The British government decided to negotiate.

The final decision was that the magistrate would take back his orders to cull the stray dogs and instead relocate dogs outside the city limits. All the Parsi protesters were released as they had no political motivation for protest.

The 1832 Bombay Riots is unlike anything India has ever seen. It was among the first act of defiance against the British where different communities came together, not for their freedom to live, but for the stray dogs and their right to coexist with us.

Today, most people would think of Parsis as the most peace-loving communities, but who knew back then they were the first in Mumbai to challenge inhuman British regulations.