The locals complained about British abolition of the practice of Sati (suttee). It was an Indian practice whereby a widow burns herself to death (voluntarily or otherwise) either on the funeral pyre of her husband or soon after his death. The custom may be rooted in ancient beliefs that a husband needed his companions in the afterlife, though opponents point to it as an indication of a value system deeply hostile to women. Developed by the 4th century BC, it became widespread in the 17th – 18th centuries but was banned in British India in 1829.

The Indians complained to Napier that the British were interfering with their cultural traditions. His response:

“You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.”