§ Mr. BERNAYSasked the Under-Secretary of State for India what was the daily average number of persons over the age of 16 years undergoing any form of detention on account of criminal or political activities in British India and in the Native States for the last 12 months for which statistics are available?
§ Mr. BUTLERStatistics are not available giving the daily average number of such persons but at the end of May, 1936, 75 persons were detained in British India as State prisoners, of whom 28 were in jail and the remainder domiciled in villages or houses under certain restrictions. In addition roughly 1,400 persons were 1747W under detention in Bengal under the provisions of the Bengal Criminal Law Amendment Act as terrorist suspects in jails and detention camps and about 1,200 were domiciled in villages or their own homes and subjected to certain restrictions on their movements. In Burma and Assam 18 persons were in jail and 32 were subjected to restrictions as to their domicile and movements under the Criminal Law Amendment Acts in force in those Provinces. I have no information as regards the Indian States. I have no reason to suppose that any of these persons was under 16 years of age.