I guess that is what happens when you let a private corporation (The East India Company) run a sub-continent for profit with its own army. At least Google and Facebook don't have their own armies (yet)!

A private corporation committing atrocities is still the country or empire that sets the rules. It's still British people carrying out / orchestrating the violence.

I'm not excusing Britain in any way for allowing the East India Company to behave as it did. I believe many of the British ruling class were shareholders and benefitted directly from its depredations.

Also, in the British tradition of 'divide and rule' they would generally get local people to do a lot of the dirty work.

No absolutely, sorry if I sounded that way.

I certainly was not saying you were excusing, just adding an addendum to your comment.

Today it's split between the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh.