April 1 st, 1936 will always remain etched in golden letters in the history of Orissa, as on this date both the state of Orissa and the Orissa Police were born. The new province constituted of six districts. Perhaps, police administration, in some form or the other, has been in-vogue since the inception of human civilization. In the context of our country, a brief mention about policing is found i
n “Manu Smruti” codified by Manu, the great law- giver. Kautilya, a great scholar and diplomat of the Mauryan period described the duties and functions of the police in “ARTHA SHASTRA”. In the ancient state of Kalinga “Atabika “ police were being employed to control civic unrest. During those days the police officials were known as “RAKSHIMAAH”. During the medieval period successive rulers like Ananga Bhim Dev, Pratap Rudra Dev, Mukunda Dev etc., used “DANDA PAIKAS” for policing in their jurisdiction. However, during the Moghul period the police administration was under the charge of ’Kotwal’ whose duty was to maintain order and peace in his jurisdiction. After Moghuls and Afghans the Marathas ruled over Orissa for about a century. They continued with the system of village police introduced by the Moghuls. However, with the advent of the Britishers a new system of policing was introduced in Orissa from 1803. During the British rule , the land holders and Jamindars were required to appoint and maintain police force within their respective estates. In 1829, the post of Supdt. of Police, was abolished and the office of the Magistrate was transferred from the judge to the Collector. The Magistrate was the controlling officer of the police who were known as Darogas. In fact, Darogas enjoyed absolute powers.
