MR. H. ROBERTS (Denbighshire, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the recent conduct of Lieutenant Rowcroft, a plague officer in the district of Satara, in assaulting Mr. V. A. Sohoni, a master in the Satara High School; whether he is aware that the ground of the assault was that Mr. Sohoni did not raise his hand sufficiently high in saluting the officer referred to; and whether, seeing that the assault has been admitted, and was proved to have been unprovoked, the Government will take notice of this incident?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Lord G. HAMILTON,) Middlesex, EalingI regret to say that it is the case that an assault was committed by Lieutenant Rowcroft, while employed on plague duty, upon a native schoolmaster at Satara, who was similarly employed. The assault consisted in Lieutenant Rowcroft boxing the schoolmaster's ears on the ground that his manner towards him was studiously insolent. The Bombay Government have already taken notice of the incident by remanding Lieutenant Rowcroft to military duty. I understand that the matter is likely to be brought before a court of law. In these circumstances I do not at present propose to take any further action.