On April 4, 1856, the British Parliament debated severe torture in Madras, then a British colony. George Thomas Keppel, the Earl of Albemarle, moved a resolution to present a petition from Madras inhabitants. They complained about cruel torture by government officers. Keppel described punishments like tying a man by his hair to a donkey's tail and parading him publicly. Victims faced deprivation of food and water, sleepless nights, and had necklaces of bones hung around their necks, which was deeply offensive to Hindus. Other tortures included forcing men to sit on sharp stones, tying two people by their hair, suspending victims by their heels or wrists and then scourging them, tying them to trees with fire underneath for suffocation, and dunking them in wells causing near drowning. Keppel mentioned a woman who reportedly died from such torture. The Earl highlighted that the Commission's report on torture was incomplete. It was prepared in just three months instead of two years and was based only in Madras city, limiting complaints from across the vast region of over 144,000 square miles. He said the report showed only a sample of how harsh justice and revenue collection were under the East India Company. During the debate, Duke of Argyll recalled a 1854 House of Commons motion denying such torture. However, an inquiry was quickly launched after accusations. By April 1856, the Commission completed their report, which was sent to the Indian and Home Governments within ten months. Other members such as the Marquess of Clanricarde and the Earl of Ellenborough also spoke on the issue. The 1856 discussions revealed dark colonial practices and calls for justice for millions in Madras. (Source: British Parliamentary records, Published January 14, 2026)