William Henry Sleeman

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Sir William Henry Sleeman (August 8, 1788 - February 10, 1856) was a British soldier and administrator in India.

He was born in Stratton, Cornwall, the son of Philip Sleeman, a yeoman and supervisor of excise. In 1809 William joined the Bengal army, served in the Nepal War (1814-1816), and in 1820 became assistant to the Governor-General's agent in the Saugor and Nerbudda territories.

He is best known for his suppression of the Thugs or fraternities of stealthy murderers of travellers in India, becoming superintendent of the operations against them in 1835, and commissioner for the suppression of Thuggi and Dacoity in 1839. During these operations, more than 1400 Thugs were hanged or transported for life. One of them confessed to having committed over 700 murders. Detection was only possible by means of informers, for whose protection from the vengeance of their associates a special prison was established at Jubbulpore.

Sleeman was resident at Gwalior from 1843 to 1849, and at Lucknow from 1849 to 1856. He was opposed to the annexation of Oudh by Lord Dalhousie, but his advice was disregarded. He died at sea on his way home to Britain.

See Sir H Sleeman, Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official (1844; 2nd edition, 1893),[1] and A Journey through Oudh (1858)[2].

The village Sleemanabad was named in his honor. ^[1]