Indian Political Department facts for kids

The Indian Political Department (IPD) was an important government office in British India. Think of it like a special department that handled how the British rulers dealt with different groups and areas within India, as well as with other countries.

What Was the Indian Political Department?

This department was first set up a long time ago, on September 13, 1783. It was created by the British East India Company, which was a powerful trading company that also ruled parts of India. The idea was to help Warren Hastings, who was a top British official, manage important "secret and political business." This meant dealing with sensitive matters and relationships.

How It Started

In 1843, a leader named Governor-General Ellenborough changed how the government was organized. He divided the main offices into four parts: Foreign, Home, Finance, and Military. The Foreign Department was in charge of all official letters and talks about how the government related to other places, both inside and outside India.

What They Did

The people who worked in this department were called "political officers." They had two main jobs:

• They helped manage the everyday running of areas near the borders of British India.
• They also acted as special British representatives to the rulers of princely states. These were parts of India that were not directly ruled by the British but had their own kings or princes.

The department made a clear difference between its "foreign" and "political" work. Dealing with all "Asiatic powers" (which included the Indian princely states) was seen as "political." Dealing with European countries was considered "foreign."

Who Worked There?

The staff of the IPD were part of a group called the Indian Political Service (IPS). People often called them "political officers" or just "politicals." They came from different parts of the British administration in India:

• About two-thirds of them came from the British Indian Army.
• Many also came from the Indian Civil Service, which was the main group of administrators.
• Some came from the Indian Medical Service, which provided doctors.
• Others joined from the Indian Public Works and Engineering Department, which built things.
• A few also came from the Law Services.

Becoming a Political Officer

When someone joined the IPS, they were usually "seconded" from their original service. This means they temporarily moved to the IPS but still followed the rules for pensions and retirement from their first job. For example, the IPS could recruit two officers from the Indian Civil Service each year, though this later changed to one every five years. From the Army, they would recruit four or five officers every other year. As more Indians started joining the services, some officers from local government services also joined the IPS.

Who Were the Officers?

Most of the people working in the political service were European. However, a small number of Indians also worked there. In 1947, just before India became independent, there were 170 officers in the IPS, with 124 of them actively working. Among these, 17 were Indian. Out of these 17 Indian officers, 12 were Muslim, four were Hindu, and one was Sikh.

What Happened Next?

When India gained its independence in 1948, the Foreign and Political Department of the British India government changed. It became the new Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations for the independent Government of India. A few British officers continued to work for the new Indian government for a while.