Darogas (also spelled darogha or daroghah) were police officials in the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

and the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. In the Mughal Empire, a daroga was superintendent of the "slaves" of a Mughal monarch.

Duties

The darogas served in the armies of

Kachhwaha The Kachhwaha is a Rajput clan found primarily in India. They claim descent from the Suryavanshi (Solar) dynasty. Etymology According to Cynthia Talbot, the meaning of word ''Kachhwaha'' is tortoise. Origin There are numerous theories on ...

s and Mughals; and in accordance with the duties performed by them, the darogas were given various titles like ''daroga-i-sutarkhana'', ''daroga-i-topkhana'', and ''daroga-i-baroodkhana''. Daroghas answered to district

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

s who were in charge of areas at least ; because the magistrates were responsible for such a large area, the daroghas were normally the most powerful

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

. In some cases, they were in charge of factories. The darogas also had command over the police in rural areas.

Female daroga

The women assigned to the administration of the imperial

zenana Zenana (, "of the women" or "pertaining to women"; ; ; ) is the part of a house belonging to a Muslim family in the Indian subcontinent, which is reserved for the women of the household. The zenana was a product of Indo-Islamic culture and was ...

were also given the title of darogha. The position was appointed by the emperor himself, and marked a great honor for the woman and her family. Consequently, the women given these posts were chosen because they were well brought up, educated and from respectable families. Asmat Banu Begam, the mother of Empress

Nur Jahan Nur Jahan (; 31 May 1577 – 18 December 1645), born Mehr-un-Nissa was the twentieth wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. More decisive and proactive than her husband, Nur Jahan is considered by certain historians to have be ...

, had at one time acted in this role. Female daroghas were tasked with maintaining court etiquette and keeping the peace within the zenana.

References

Gubernatorial titles Government of the Mughal Empire Positions of subnational authority Historical law enforcement occupations Mughal Harem {{Pakistan-hist-stub