HC Deb 11 July 1890 vol 346 c1469
MR. BRADLAUGH (Northampton)

I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that in May the Agent to the Governor General for Central India issued a circular, directing that— No Maharajah, Raja, Nawab, or Thakore, within the jurisdiction of the Central Indian Political Agency shall subscribe to the Amrita Bazar Patrika, without the permission of the Agent or Sub-agent; and that If any of their subjects holds communication with the Amrita Bazar Patrika, or any other newspaper hostile to the Government, they should make inquiry as to the name, address, age, caste, &c, of the party through the police, and communicate the result to the Resident's office in the course of a month; and that On the least intimation of a public meeting or a political movement taking place in their States, the police should make inquiry into the matter; and that If anybody is suspected of being an Agent of the Congress, or a secret spy of a Bengalee newspaper, he should be turned out from the State within 24 hours, and the fact should be communicated to the Political Agent; no matter about their States to be communicated to any newspapers; and requesting the Native Chiefs not to help the Congress movement, on the ground that The future results of the Congress will be prejudicial to the interests of the Country, as it is an enemy to the British Government; and whether such circular was issued by his direction; and, if not, whether he will cause inquiries to be made on the subject?

THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Sir J. GORST,) Chatham

No, Sir; the Secretary of State has no information of any such circular as that referred to in the question of the hon. Gentleman. The question of the hon. Member will be sent to the Government of India.