Pardhis were prolific hunters. They were experts in ancient weaponry like Bows & arrows, swords and hunting traps. This made them highly efficient in guerrilla warfare. They were a nuisance for the British Empire along with other 150 Tribes of
India who participated in
1857 revolt. There were numerous other revolts against British by these tribal communities. To keep these tribal communities in check,
British Brought the
Criminal Tribes Act and branded these tribes as criminals from birth. The criminal branding of the tribe goes back to 1871 after the
British passed the "
Criminal Tribes Act". About a hundred and fifty tribes were branded as criminal, and the police were given sweeping powers to arrest them and watch over their movements. T. V. Stephens, a British officer at that time quoted: "... people from time immemorial have been pursuing the caste system defined job-positions: weaving, carpentry and such were hereditary jobs. So there must have been hereditary criminals also who pursued their forefathers’ profession." Volume XII of the 1880 Bombay Presidency Gazette has further comments about the group stating: "They are still fond of hunting and poaching and have not got rid of their turn for thieving.... The Phase Pardhi [a sub-tribe] is nearly always ragged and dirty, walking with a sneaking gait." In 1952, the tribe was
denotified as "criminal" and named as a
nomadic tribe. However this has not changed the public perception of the tribe, and they continue to be stigmatized and live as outcasts, further aggravating their economic hardships. Another Paradhi tribe called the
Gav-Paradhi, settled primarily in the
Amravati District Maharashtra, escaped the label of 'criminal tribe' as they were mostly
agriculturalists. ==Discrimination==