Self-immolation (Charan Code of Honour)

The Charans practised a form of self-immolation, known as tragu. It was similar to harakiri, though only much more violent. It was performed when the Charan was not able to win a war or his demands were rejected or for the cause of saving someone else's life. It was believed that anyone who shed the blood of a Charan would meet with ruin. The British government in India put a ban on performing tragu from 1808 onward; nevertheless, incidents of it kept occurring during a large part of the later period