§ MR. O'DONNELLasked the Secretary of State for India, If he is aware that forced labour is exacted from the people: of Assam by the British authorities; and, if he has approved of such exaction of forced labour?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONSir, I am not aware that forced labour is exacted from the people of Assam by the British authorities. Some complaints appear to have been made that the village head men, who are responsible for the maintenance of the local roads, &c, sometimes improperly exact labour from the villagers for that purpose. These complaints appear to have been brought to the notice of the Chief Commissioner and of the Government of India. In the wild tracts known as the Naga and Garo Hills, which have lately been the scene of military operations, one of the conditions made with the people on the pacification of the country is that they shall give a certain amount of labour annually at a low rate to construct roads, &c.
§ MR. O'DONNELLasked if the attention of the noble Lord had been directed to the letter of a newspaper correspondent, in which it was stated that advances were made in money to these labourers, and that if they refused to receive them or to work they were dragged from their homes and subjected to ill-treatment and imprisonment, and that it was notorious that the only way to avoid this treatment was to propitiate the officers by bribes; and, whether Her Majesty's Government were aware that the forced labour had been characterized by The Hindoo Patriot as a slave-grinding system?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONsaid, that he was unable to accept the statement referred to by the hon. Member. His attention had been called to it, and he would cause inquiries to be made.