ABSTRACT
Actual influence and status among the Jats was measured in two ways: first, by the fear a man generated in others, either through his use of force in the settlement of issues; second, by having others indebted to him by virtue of being a large landlord and thereby controlling credit relationships. Membership of institutions meant control of the sources of patronage, while the election to the position of sarpanc in a village implied a control over men. For the local leaders of the faction, as well as for the ordinary village participants, the faction was also a means of winning personal vendettas. Dacoits had a very obvious function to perform in the social situation as it existed in Punjab at the time of partition. In the implementation of certain social reform measures, such as land consolidation, the breaking up of large estates, and the influence of those powerful in rural areas was invariably felt.
