BB-050 / Punishment
Sati (Widow Burning)
The Act
In some regions and periods of India, widows were expected or forced to immolate themselves on their husbands’ funeral pyres. While some cases may have been voluntary, many involved coercion, drugs, or physical restraint. The practice was most documented among higher castes.
The Response
British colonial authorities banned sati in 1829 after campaigns by reformers such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy. The practice has been illegal in independent India and is now extremely rare, though isolated incidents have been reported.