§ Mr. O'GRADYasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the Secretary of State has yet received information from the Government of India with regard to the Purneah torture case which occurred in 1909 and was mentioned in the recently published Report of the Inspector-General of the Bengal police; if so, whether he can inform the House what was the result of the judicial investigation into the death of the man who was admitted to have died at the hands of the police; what was the nature of the torture disclosed at the trial; what charge was brought against the police concerned; and what punishment has been inflicted upon them?
§ Mr. MONTAGUTwo sub-inspectors of police were tried on charges of voluntarily causing grievous hurt and of wrongfully confining a man to extort confession. As the result of the trial they were acquitted and the charges decided to have been false. One of the sub-inspectors and two constables have been departmentally punished for binding without sufficient 1010 care the arms of the man, who subsequently died, and for delay in bringing their prisoners to headquarters. The Secretary of State is awaiting a further report from the Government of India, on receipt of which I will communicate with my hon. Friend.