Robert Thorpe (1838 – 1868) was an officer in the Bengal Army of the British East India Company, later the British Indian Army. He is primarily known for his advocacy for the rights of the people of Kashmir, his authorship of the book Kashmir Misgovernment, and his untimely death which fueled suspicion and conspiracy theories linking it to his political activism.
Thorpe was commissioned into the Bengal Army in 1858. His career initially involved standard military duties. However, he became increasingly interested in the plight of the Kashmiri people, who were then living under the rule of Maharaja Ranbir Singh of the Dogra dynasty. Thorpe believed that the administration was corrupt and oppressive, and that the Kashmiri people were being subjected to injustice and exploitation.
In 1868, Thorpe published Kashmir Misgovernment, a scathing critique of the Dogra administration. The book detailed accounts of perceived corruption, heavy taxation, and the exploitation of the local population. It quickly gained attention and solidified Thorpe's reputation as a champion of the Kashmiri people.
Shortly after the publication of his book, Thorpe died suddenly in Kashmir under circumstances that were considered suspicious. The official cause of death was reported as illness, likely dysentery. However, many believed that he had been poisoned or otherwise killed by agents of the Dogra regime, possibly with the tacit approval or indifference of British authorities who sought to maintain stability and good relations with the Maharaja. No conclusive evidence to support these claims ever surfaced, but the suspicions surrounding his death persist in some historical accounts.
Thorpe's legacy rests primarily on his book and his perceived advocacy for the Kashmiri people. He is remembered as a figure who challenged the status quo and brought attention to the grievances of the local population, even at a potential cost to his own life. His work and his mysterious death continue to be subjects of discussion and debate in the context of Kashmiri history and its relationship with British rule.