§ 3. Mr. THURTLEasked the Under-Secretary of State for India if he has any information regarding a hunger strike of the Indian political prisoners confined at Mandalay without trial?
§ Earl WINTERTONYes, Sir. The strike, which I understand was due to the refusal of an application for special allowances, ended at 11 a.m. on the 4th March.
§ 4. Mr. THURTLEasked the Under-Secretary of State for India the total number of persons at present under arrest in India under the provisions of the Bengal Ordinance who have been under arrest for more than six months; and if he will ask the Government of India to review the cases of all such persons with a view to having as many as possible tried publicly at an early date?
§ Earl WINTERTONI understand that one hundred and ten persons have been for more than six months subjected to the restrictions provided by the Bengal Criminal Justice Act, but less than half of these are actually in custody. The Government of India have announced that they desire to release these detenus as soon as the public safety makes that possible, and in the meantime to limit restraint to the minimum of what is essential to prevent crime, and that their policy is to bring persons to trial wherever possible.