Kotwal was a title used in medieval India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 for the leader of a Kot

Kot (disambiguation)

Kot may refer to:* Kot District, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan* Kot, a Polish surname* Kot , Slovenia* Kot, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India* Kot, Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, India* Kot, Swat‎, a hill station in northern Pakistan...

 or fort. Kotwals often controlled the fort of a major town or an area of smaller towns on behalf of another ruler. It was similar in function to a British India Zaildar

Zaildar

Zaildar was a native officer in charge of a Zail in the colonial rural administration of Punjab in British India. Each Zail was an administrative unit, extending between 2 to 40 villages....

 From Mughal

Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

 times the title was given to the local ruler of a large town and the surrounding area. However, the title is also used for leaders in small village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

s as well. Kotwal has also been translated as Chief police officer

Chief police officer

Chief police officer is a phrase used in the United Kingdom to describe the position held by the most senior police officer in a police force. It refers to either one of the 53 Chief Constables, the Commissioner of the City of London Police or the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Such...

.