§ Mr. SHORTasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether any protests have been received by the Government of India against the Government's proposal to give statutory permission to local governments to raise special volunteer police forces; and whether he will state the names of the bodies from which protests, if any, have been received, and the terms of such protests?
§ Earl WINTERTONThe Bill in question has been referred in the ordinary course to local Governments, to elicit official and public opinion. Those opinions, some of which are unfavourable, have now been received, and are being circulated to the Legislative Assembly on whose resolution they were collected. It seems to me, therefore, unnecessary and, perhaps, undesirable to go further into the matter at this stage in this House.