§ 7. Brigadier - General BROOKEasked the Under-Secretary of State for India the casualties which have resulted from rioting in India in each of the last 18 months, mentioning the fatalities in each period?
Lord STANLEYStatistics prepared in this country would. I fear, be incomplete; but if the hon. and gallant Member desires, inquiry will he made from India.
§ 10. Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEasked the Under-Secretary of State for India the latest information in his possession regarding the riots in Rawalpindi and neighbourhood; what number of persons have been killed and injured; and whether there have been any communal outbreaks in other places such as Lucknow and Delhi?
Lord STANLEYThe official reports received add little to the press messages, but I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a summary of the telegrams from the Government of India. In Rawalpindi 14 deaths occurred and 46 wounded persons were treated in the hospitals. No outbreaks have been reported from Lucknow or Delhi or other cities.
§ Following is the summary promised:
§ On the 13th June a large procession of Sikhs, estimated to number 15,000 persons, paraded the streets of Rawalpindi, accompanied by a band. On reaching the vicinity of the Jama Masjid they were met by a deputation of Mohammedans, who asked that the band might stop playing. This request was not acceded to; on the contrary, it was followed by increased activity on the part of the Sikhs, who surged towards the mosque and were only restrained with difficulty by their leaders. The procession then continued on its way, 5 the Sikhs apparently considering that by passing the mosque they had achieved a victory over the Mohammedans.
§ On the following night, that of the 14th-15th June, the Mohammedans came out in large numbers, and proceeded to set fire to buildings in different parts of the city and to loot their contents. Owing to the wide area involved it was found necessary to call upon a detachment of the King's Royal Rifles to supplement the police. Rioting continued throughout the night, and was characterised by sporadic attacks upon individuals rather than by collisions between large organised bodies. Control was established before sunrise, neither the military nor the police being compelled to open fire on the rioters. By the evening of the 15th the city was outwardly quiet, but most of the shops were closed and the military and police were still in command. The casualties during the rioting amounted to 14 killed, of whom 11 were Mohammedans, two Sikhs, and one a Hindu, and 46 wounded, of whom 27 were Mohammedans, seven Sikhs, and 12 Hindus. The amount of material damage has not yet been ascertained, but, so far as is known, no religions property was damaged. No casualties are reported amongst the military or police.
§ Following upon these events in the city itself, on the night of the 16th-17th June Saidpur village, nine miles north of Rawalpindi, was looted by a large gang from the Hazara district. About 60 houses were burnt and two of the villagers, both Hindus, were killed and three wounded. Information of this outrage reached Rawalpindi early in the morning, and police were immediately drafted into the village. By the 17th June both Rawalpindi and Saidpur were reported to be quiet.