Sansi people

Sansi (Devnagari: सैंसी) (Gurmukhi: ਸੈਂਸੀ) are a formerly nomadic people from India that were classified as a criminal tribe in the 19th century by the British during the Raj period.

The British believed other tribes, such as the Baurias and Harnis, were offshoots of the Sansis, who claimed to have originated from Rajput ancestry.

Despite acknowledging their ancestry, the British constantly emphasised the Sansis' "degraded" status through stereotypical descriptions.

For instance, Sansi men were described as having a dark complexion, foxy expressions, and a distinctive smell of musk-rat and rancid grease due to their habit of eating vermin.

[citation needed] During British rule in India they were placed under the Criminal Tribes Act 1871, hence stigmatized for a long time,[2] after independence, however, they were denotified in 1952.