§ SIR WILLIAM WEDDERBURN (Banffshire)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether the Bombay Government consulted the local officers before imposing upon the city of Poona a punitive police, costing Rs.230,400; whether he is aware that both the District Magistrate of Poona and the 398 Commissioner of the Division protested against this police being imposed; whether the Commissioner was censured by the Government for making this protest, and threatened to resign unless the censure was withdrawn; whether the censure was accordingly withdrawn or modified; and whether he will lay the correspondence upon the Table of the House?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIAThe decision to impose for two years a punitive police, costing about Rs.11,500 per annum, upon the city of Poona was arrived at by the Bombay Government, who are alone responsible for it; and their action was approved by me in Council. I am not in possession of any information as to the various opinions of such subordinate officers as may have been consulted, and I should not be prepared to lay on the Table of the House any correspondence which may have taken place between the Government of Bombay and its subordinates on the subject.