§ I. Major-General Sir Alfred Knoxasked the Under-Secretary of State for India how many political detenus have been released during the present year, and in what provinces?
The Under-Secretary of State for India (Lord Stanley)The only province where there has been any considerable number of detenus is Bengal. Between 1st January and 1st November of this year, 516 Bengal detenus were released unconditionally, and 378 on conditions, in pursuance of a policy of gradual release consistent with the public safety. The Bengal Government has now decided to remove all restrictions from 1,100 persons at present on probation in their villages or homes. As regards other provinces, there were at the beginning of the year a few persons under restraint under the Special Powers Acts then in force in seven provinces. According to the information available nine of these have been released in the North-West Frontier Province, eight in the Punjab and one in Assam.
§ Sir A. KnoxIs it not a fact that a very large number of prisoners have been released in all these provinces, and that 10,000 have been released in the United Provinces alone, and that among those are the so-called Kakori convicts, who, 826 on their release, were received officially by the municipality of Cawnpore, were permitted to address the undergraduates of Lucknow University, and were entertained to dinner by a Minister of the Crown?
Lord StanleyThe question of convicted prisoners does not arise out of this question at all. The question deals with detenus. The House will realise that the responsibility for law and order was handed over to the provincial governments, and that the Governor only feels he can intervene if any action proposed is likely to be a grave menace to the peace of the province. That does not arise in the present situation, and the Governor saw no reason to take action.
§ Sir A. KnoxIf I put down a question, Mr. Speaker, as to the number of prisoners released, will that be allowed on the Paper?