Various
press reports from the original Salt March of 1930
Lady
Volunteers Assaulted
A news item on how Bombay Satyagrahis resisted police attack
appeared in the Bombay Chronicle of 11 April 1930. Excerpts
from it are reproduced below.
THE BOMBAY City Police Deputy Commissioner Cowasji Petigarra
made a sudden sweep on the Congress House on Thursday evening
to dismantle the “salt factory” More than 200
Policemen with 30 Police officers armed with revolvers made
their appearance all of a sudden just on the eve of a meeting....
The Congress officials and Satyagrahis on the spot remained
cool and calm and Mr. Petigarra and the police party were
first met with a non-violent resistance at the hands of Satyagrahi
ladies. Mrs. Perin Captain along with other lady volunteers
barred their way. For a time the police party was baffled
and when cavalry failed Mr. Petigarra gave orders to push
aside the ladies and the policemen pushed their way through
the cordon.
When they wanted to destroy the salt pans they were again
met with another non-violent resistance by Satyagrahis under
Mr. Meherally who formed a cordon round the salt pans. The
police party then rushed at the volunteers and after forcibly
removing them dismantled the “factory”. In the
scuffle that followed the police attack many Satyagrahis received
injuries, four of them having fainted on the spot.
The
police then put Mr. Abid Ali, Mr. Meherally and Mr. Sadik
under arrest and marched them to the police motor van waiting
outside. By this time news of the “raid” had spread
throughout Girgaum and a crowd of more than 5.000 gathered
round the Congress House. As the arrested leaders were being
marched to the van with a police force more than 200 strong
they received a thundering ... reception with cries of “Gandhi
Ki Jai” “Down with the Union Jack” “Hindu-Muslim
Ki Jai” The arrested leaders were kept in the Lamington
Road Police Lock-up...
Vedaranyam March
The Salt Satyagraha which began with the Dandi March spread
to other parts of the country. In Tamil Nadu, C. Rajagopalachri
led a march from Trichinopoly to Vedaranyam, for which he
was sentenced to six months imprisonment. A report on this
from the Hindu of 1 May 1930 is reproduced below.
MR. C. Rajagopalachari, leader of the Tamil Nadu volunteers,
sent a letter last night to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate
of Mannargudi, camping at Vedaranyam, informing him that himself
and several other resisters would commence breaking the salt
law from 6 a.m. today.
Early this morning Mr. C. Rajagopalachari, with 16 volunteers,
picked up salt at the Edayantheevu swamps near the Agastampalli
salt factory. None knew in which direction the party had gone.
The Superintendent of Police, with his subordinates and about
50 constables, as well as the Assistant Commissioner of Salt,
were seen standing on the road to Kodaikanal, probably with
a view to prevent the party from proceeding further. At about
7.30 they got information through one of the salt officers
that the Satyagrahis were scraping salt somewhere. All these
officers were immediately on the scene and the Police Superintendent
asked the volunteers to surrender the salt and they refused.
After one or two attempts at snatching the salt from the volunteers,
the police officer arrested Mr. C.Rajagopalachari under the
salt law and as leader of an unlawful assembly.
Mr. C. Rajagopalachari was then produced before the Sub-Divisional
Magistrate of Mannargudi. The charge was that on 30th April,
1930. Mr. Rajagopalachari and his followers forced themselves
into the disobedience campaign to break the salt law and in
pursuance of that he has led the campaign.
When asked by the Magistrate, “Have you anything to
say in explanation of the circumstances appearing in the evidence
against you, please?” Mr. Achariar said “Everything
necessary has been said by my leader, Mahatma Gandhi.”
Dharasana
Satyagraha
Webb Miller, an American correspondent who was an eye-witness
of the heroic non-violent fight at Dharasana salt depot, wrote
a detailed account of the police atrocities. Excerpts from
his account of the events of 21 May 1930 are reproduced below.
MME. NAIDU called for prayer before the march started, and
the entire assemblage knelt. She exhorted them: "Gandhi’s
body is in jail but his soul is with you. India’s prestige
is in your hands, you must not use any violence under any
circumstances. You will be beaten but you must not resist:
you must not even raise a hand to ward off blows." Wild,
shrill cheers terminated her speech.
Slowly and in silence the throng commenced the half-mile march
to the salt-deposits. A few carried ropes for loosening the
barbed-wire stockade around the salt pans. About a score who
were assigned to act as stretcher-bearers wore crude, hand-painted
red crosses pinned to their breasts, their stretchers consisted
of blankets. Manilal Gandhi, second son of Gandhi, walked
among the foremost of the marchers. As the throng drew near
the salt pans they commenced chanting the revolutionary slogan,
" Inquilab Zindabad", intoning the two
words over and over.
The salt-deposits were surrounded by ditches filled with water
and guarded by four hundred native Surat Police in khaki shorts
and brown turbans. Half a dozen British officials commanded
them. The police carried lathis- five foot clubs tipped with
steel. Inside the stockade twenty-five native rifle-men were
drawn up.
In complete silence the Gandhi men drew up and halted a hundred
yards from the stockade. A picket column advanced from the
crowd, waded the ditches, and approached the barbed-wire stockade,
which the Surat Police surrounded, holding clubs at the ready.
Police officials ordered the marchers to disperse. The column
silently ignored the warning and slowly walked forward.
Suddenly, at a word of command, scores of native police rushed
upon the advancing marchers and rained blows on their heads
with their steel-shod lathis. Not one of the marchers even
raised an arm to fend off the blows. They went down like ninepins.
From where I stood I heard the sickening whacks of the clubs
on unprotected skulls. The waiting crowd of watchers groaned
and sucked in their breaths in sympathetic pain at every blow.
Those struck down fell sprawling, unconscious or writhing
in pain with fractured skulls or broken shoulders. In two
or three minutes the ground was quilted with bodies. Great
patches of blood widened on their white clothes. The survivors,
without breaking ranks, silently and doggedly marched on until
struck down.
Then another column formed while the leaders pleaded with
them to retain their self-control. They marched slowly towards
the police. Although everyone knew that within a few minutes
he would be beaten down, perhaps killed, I could detect no
signs of wavering or fear. They marched steadily with heads
up, without the encouragement of music or cheering or any
possibility that they might escape serious injury or death.
The police rushed out and methodically and mechanically beat
down the second column. There was no fight, no struggle; the
marchers simply walked forward until struck down. There were
no outcries, only groans after they fell... The blankets used
as stretchers were sodden with blood...
Congress Working Committee Resolutions
The following resolutions were passed by the Congress Working
Committee on 27 June 1930, which not only reaffirmed its earlier
resolutions on the Civil Disobedience Movement but also expanded
their scope.
1. THE WORKING Committee notes with satisfaction the progress
made in the boycott of foreign cloth in a very large number
of cities, towns and villages, and appreciates the patriotic
spirit of the dealers. Thereby causing very considerable fall
in the imports of all foreign textile goods. The Committee
calls upon the dealers in foreign cloth in places where they
not yet stopped the sale of such cloth to stop such sale forthwith,
and on their failure to do so directs the Congress organisations
concerned to enforce strict and vigorous picketing of the
shops of such dealers.
2. The Committee calls upon all Congress organisations and
the country at large to take more vigorous steps to bring
about complete boycott of British goso far been taken, by
giving preference to goods of non-British manufacture wherever
similar Swadeshi goods are not available.
3. This Committee calls upon the people to organise and enforce
a strict social boycott of all Government officials and others
known to have participated directly in the atrocities committed
upon the people to stifle the national movement.
4. The Working Committee calls attention to the resolution
of the Indian National Congress... whereby the Congress repudiated
the financial burdens and obligations directly or indirectly
imposed on India by the foreign administration.. and advises
the Indian public not to buy or accept any fresh bonds of
the Government of India.
5. Whereas the present legal tender value in the silver in
India has been fixed exchange arbitrarily by the British Government
in the teeth of strong public opposition. The Working Committee
strongly advises the people of India not to accept rupees
or currency notes in payment of any claims against the Government
but to insist on payment in gold wherever possible. The Committee
further advises the people to take the earliest opportunity
to convert all their currency holdings of rupees or notes
into gold.
6. In the opinion of this Committee the time has arrived when
students of Indian colleges should take their full share in
the movement for national freedom and directs all Provincial
Committees to call upon such students within their respective
jurisdictions to place their services at the disposal of the
Congress.
7. Whereas the Government has declared a certain number of
Provincial and District Congress Committees and other subordinate
and allied organisations as unlawful Associations. This Committee
directs the Committees and organisations affected by those
declarations, and those that nay hereafter be similarly affected,
to continue to function as before, and carry out the Congress
programme notwithstanding such declaration.
8. The Committee notes the amazing declaration of the U.P.
Governor-in-Council, forfeiting copies of Resolution No. 5
of this Committee about the duty of Military and Police forces
passed at its meeting held on the 7th June, The Committee
maintains that the use of the military and the Police by the
Government as their tools for perpetrating shocking atrocities
on the people would have fully justified it in passing a much
stronger resolution.
9. This Committee congratulates the country on the splendid
stand made by the people against the atrocities committed
by the officials and reiterates its warning to the Government
that the people of India will continue their fight for freedom
to the bitter end in spite of all conceivable tortures inflicted
on them.
10. The Committee notes with grateful appreciation that the
women of India are continuing to take an increasing to take
an increasing part in the national movement and bravely suffering
assaults, ill-treatment and imprisonment.
The
Case of Ten-Year Old Yashpal
The following is the text of the letter sent by the Deputy
Commissioner, Lahore, to the Chief Secretary to the Government
of Punjab on 12 November 1930.
1. THIS IS in reply to your confidential D.O. of the 11th
instant, in regard to the bail Chand Khursand, editor of the
local “Milap”.
2. There are, at present, three cases pending against this
youth , who, though his age is stated to be only 10 years,
appears to be a couple of years older. These cases are:
(i) assault on a Police Constable on traffic duty at Shahlmi
Gate, under Sections 332/147 of the I.P.C.
a. a. assisting the operations of an unlawful association
(Lahore City Congress Committee) after the 19th of September,
1930, under Section 17 (2) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act
(4 accused), and
b. b. proceedings under Section 108 of the Criminal procedure
Code.
All these cases are being tried by Diwan Harivansh Lal, Section
30 Magistrate. No: (i) is ripe for judgment. No. (ii) has
not yet started, as the accused had applied for a transfer.
The case was accordingly adjourned, but had to be, again,
postponed, as another accused wished to put in a similar application,
and asked for an adjournment. In the first case, Yashpal was
enlarged on a bail of Rs. 1,000/- on the 31st of July, 1930,
but during the pendency of the case, he continued his seditious
activities by making numerous seditious speeches at public
meetings. As a consequence, the second case was filed against
him. Before the case was allotted to a Magistrate, the accused
was placed before the Additional District Magistrate, who,
in view of his past record, passed an order granting bail
in Rs. 10,000/-with two sureties of Rs. 5,000/- each, provided
an undertaking was given by the boy’s father that the
former would not engage in unlawful activities during the
pendency of the trial. This bail was furnished immediately
without any difficulty. The third case was started on the
5th instant, on the basis of the speeches delivered by the
accused during the previous 2 or 3 months, and in view of
his past record, again Diwan Harivansh Lal called on him,
under Section 117 (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code, to execute
a bond in Rs. 10,000/- with two sureties of Rs. 5,000/- each,
to be of good behaviour during the pendency of the proceedings.
In addition, a personal reconal recognizance for Rs. 5,000/-
was taken. Here, again, bonds were executed without any difficulty.
3. The boy’s father is a well-to-do journalist with
a comfortable income, and has considerable influence in Congress
circles. Yeshpal himself is Secretary of the notorious Bal
Bharat Sabha, which, as you know is composed entirely of juveniles.
This Sabha has given us a deal of trouble, by inducing raw
youths to take to picketing, to join processions, and make
wild speeches.
4. I would emphasize that Yashpal has a very bad influence
on City youths, and has continued his seditious activities,
despite warnings and his seditious activities, despite warnings
and these prosecutions.
5. Every effort is being made to conclude these cases without
any undue delay
|
