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Darogah The term seems to be of Mongol origin and very
widely used by the Mughal rulers in designating a provincial governor,
head of a department, head of city management, chief of police and so
on. The Mongols themselves seem to have imported the word from the Far
East where they found a provincial governor to be called darogah.
The governor of Moscow after its conquest by the Mongols was designated
as a darogah. In the Mughal bureaucracy 'Darogah' was a chief executive
of the royal household with military power as well. But over the period
the term lost its princely position and glamour. Later, it was used for
designating lower ranking central officers and local officials as well.
During the nawabi period a darogah was a chief of the royal stores, of
the department of public law and order, and even of a Thana. Then a darogah
was also called a Thanadar. Now the term 'darogah' is dead in the
legal literature, though general people still tend to call a Thana-office-in-charge
a darogah. [Sirajul Islam] |
