HistoryModern India: Colonialism and the Countryside

In which decade did the British embark on a brutal policy of extermin…

In which decade did the British embark on a brutal policy of extermination, hunting the Paharias down and killing them?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → 1770s

The British hunted down and killed the Paharias in the 1770s. Only later, by the 1780s, did Augustus Cleveland propose a policy of pacification with allowances for the chiefs.

NCERT (2026-27): “2.1 In the hills of Rajmahal …
In the 1770s the British embarked on a brutal policy of extermination, hunting the Paharias down and killing them. Then, by the 1780s, Augustus Cleveland, the Collector of Bhagalpur, proposed a policy of pacification. Paharia chiefs were given an annual allowance and made responsible for the proper conduct of their men. …”