§ 10 and 11. Mr. R. GWYNNEasked the Secretary of State for India (1), whether, on the outbreak of rebellion in Northern India in April, 1919, the Governor-General in command issued a Resolution, dated 14th April, stating his determination to use all the forces at his command to suppress disorder and assuring the officers entrusted with the novel and arduous responsibility of restoring order of the full countenance and support of the Government; whether the rebellion was suppressed within a few weeks, and before the Afghan War broke out, as a result of the prompt and rigorous measures taken by the officers of Government;
1861 (2) Whether he will give a list of the officers, civil and military, British and Indian, concerned in the suppression of the rebellion in Northern India in the spring of 1919, who have been punished with public censure, and in other ways, for so-called undue severity or improper punishments in accordance with paragraph 4 of the Secretary of State's despatch of the 26th May, 1920; whether he will state in each case the reasons for such punishments; whether it is a fact that the Hunter Committee, which investigated the disturbances in India, made no suggestions in the Majority Report for such punishments; that the Government of India, in their despatch of 3rd May, 1920, also made no such proposal; and whether his action is based on the Minority Report of the three Indian members and on the Report of the Congress Committee presided over by Mr. Ghandi?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe hon. Member once again refers to events which occurred nineteen months ago and were exhaustively discussed in India, in published documents, and finally in Parliament. It is, as the House is aware, the avowed policy of a section in India, which the hon. Member would be the first to regard as hostile to the maintenance of order, to keep alive the memory of the events in question by continued agitation. I would appeal to the hon. Member and to the House not to allow themselves to be allied, however unintentionally, with such methods. I would remind the House that the Viceroy, acting within his powers, disallowed a resolution for the discussion of those events at a meeting of the Indian Legislative Council this summer. I would ask the hon. Members to associate themselves with that action of the Viceroy, on whom falls the main burden of estimating and guarding against possible dangers to the public peace in India. In these circumstances, I hope that the hon. Member will not press me to give an answer to these or similar questions.
§ Mr. GWYNNEMay I ask whether it is not a fact that the right hon Gentleman has himself raised the question again by ordering punishment to be administered to certain officers and men in the Civil Service since last summer; and, therefore, am I not entitled to ask him whether it is on his instructions that 1862 censures and punishments have been meted out to these officers and men, and not on the recommendation of the Indian Government?
§ Mr. MONTAGUI have taken no action in regard to the Punjab since the discussion in the House of Commons, and the despatch which I sent on behalf of His Majesty's Government, which preceded it, and was under discussion at the time.
§ Mr. GWYNNEWill the right hon. Gentleman say on whose authority this disciplinary action was taken with regard to these officials: who has done it?
§ Mr. MONTAGUIf my hon. Friend will recollect the Debate, it centred round the despatch sent by me on behalf of the Government. In that despatch we left it to the Government of India and the local Governments to deal with these matters, and in accordance with that despatch they dealt with them.
§ Mr. GWYNNEIs it a fact that since the disciplinary action and punishment these men have been practically ruined, whilst those who took part in the agitation have been set free; on whose authority has that been done?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe despatch left it to the Government of India and to the local Governments to take their own action. Nothing has occurred from England since the Debate, or since the despatch was sent to India.