§ Sir HENRY COTTONasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he has now obtained official information of a case reported from Bahraich, in the United Provinces, in April last, in which innocent landholders were convicted of dacoity on false evidence manufactured by the police; whether a police inspector concerned in this case confessed his guilt and then committed suicide to avoid the humiliation of arrest and punishment; and whether any departmental action has been taken by the local authorities in regard to this matter?
The UNDER-SECRETARY for INDIA (The Master of Elibank)There has not been time for a reply to be received to the inquiry made of the Government of India.
§ Sir HENRY COTTONasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he 1972 has now received any official information regarding the case of Hridoy Nath Bose, of Jessore, in Bengal, who stated in his dying declaration in a Calcutta hospital, before a magistrate in May or June last, that he had been injured by the rolling of a bamboo over his chest by the police; whether the evidence of the hospital surgeon was to the effect that five ribs had been broken; whether the result of the coroner's inquest was to find that his death was due to the sufferings and torture he had sustained; and whether any action has been taken by the authorities in the matter?
The MASTER of ELIBANKThe Secretary of State has received a preliminary Report on the case. One of the inspectors concerned committed suicide after making a confession. Proceedings have been taken against the other police officers implicated under section 195 of the Indian Penal Code for giving or fabricating false evidence. None of them belonged to the Criminal Investigation Department.
§ Sir HENRY COTTONasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he can now state what has been the result of the Departmental inquiry into the conduct of the police in the case of Gulam Bano, who was acquitted of the murder of her husband by the chief court of the Punjab, in February last, in a judgment in which Justices Robertson and Rattigan observed that in their opinion there was grave reason to suspect that her allegations of ill-treatment of a most revolting character at the hands of the police were not without foundation?
§ Sir HENRY COTTONDo I understand that a Report has been called for?
§ Mr. MACKARNESSIs my hon. Friend aware that in this case, as long ago as seven or eight months, charges of a grave character were made against the police, and that the attention of the India Office was called to the matter in February or March; and in these circumstances will he endeavour to hurry on the Report?
§ Mr. REESasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the rank and file and the petty officers, and all but the chief controlling officers, of the police in the Upper Provinces, Bengal, and the Punjab are natives of India; whether he has any official information showing that they belong exclusively or chiefly to exceptionally low, uneducated, or criminal classes of the population; whether any means exist of improving the force other than the extension of European controlling agency; whether any estimates have been made of the probable cost of such extension as would materially leaven the whole body with the spirit of the European controlling officers; and, if so, whether he will communicate such estimates to the House?
The MASTER of ELIBANKIt is the case that except for a few European police officers in the Presidency, all but the chief controlling officers of the police are natives of India; they are recruited from the literate and respectable classes, and not from those mentioned in the question. The means of improving the quality of the Indian police, which have been adopted, are those stated in the Report of the Police Commission of 1902–3, and the Orders on it, namely: Improved pay for all ranks, careful training in their duties at Police schools, and the strengthening of the controlling and supervising agency, both Indian and European. (See Cd. 2478.) Very large sums have been spent on these objects in all Provinces since the Police Commission reported. The Commission estimated an additional expenditure of a million sterling per annum (150 lakhs of rupees), but this estimate, in the actual working out of the reforms, has been considerably exceeded. As I stated in reply to a question recently, the authorities are doing their utmost to improve the moral discipline of the police, and nothing is likely to be gained by excessive disparagement of them.
§ Mr. J. D. REESCan the hon. Gentleman say whether the substitution of natives of Europe for natives of India is likely to be acceptable to the reformers, who are now complaining of the Indian police?