§ SIR H. COTTON (Nottingham, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has boon drawn to the orders passed by the inspector of schools, Dacca Division, in the province of Eastern Bengal and Assam, directing that teachers of schools who are interesting themselves in the Swadeshi movement shall be dismissed, and that the right of holding and competing for Government scholarships shall be permanently withdrawn from schools in which the teachers are so interested; and whether he will take steps to cancel these orders.
§ MR. MORLEYI have at present no information as to the orders stated to have been passed, but I have telegraphed to the Government of India on the subject.
DR. RUTHERFORD (Middlesex, Brentford)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the frequent Government prosecutions which have been, and still are being, instituted in the province of Eastern Bengal and Assam against schoolboys and others in connection with the Swadeshi movement; and whether, as a political measure tending to allay the unrest in that province, he will issue instructions through the Government of India to the local government to refrain from endeavouring to repress the movement by prosecution of this nature.
§ Mr. MORLEYIn cases in which the measures adopted by the adherents of the
† See (4)Debates,clix., 927.222 Swadeshi or any other movement involved serious breaches of the ordinary law, the hon. Member will, I think, agree that the authorities have no alternative but to take cognisance of them; but police interference will be limited to what is strictly necessary.