§ Mr. Bennasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he can now make a statement as to affairs in Hyderabad?
§ Lieut.-Colonel MuirheadI would refer the right hon. Gentleman to what I said in reply to previous questions on the 19th and 26th June and on the 10th July. Since then the number of persons detained in Hyderabad has risen to over 8,000. His Exalted Highness the Nizam's Government have published communiqués which are substantiated by the statements of independent witnesses denying harsh treatment of the persons detained in jails. In some cases it has been necessary, for example, at Aurangabad, to use force to preserve jail discipline, but only a few prisoners have received superficial injuries. No lathi charges have been made on protesting prisoners. Among those arrested nine deaths have occurred. This is not a high average having regard to the time of the year. Of those who died, one had high fever on arrival, two were over 65, and one was a lunatic.
Conditions at the camp jail at Aurangabad were not at first satisfactory, owing to flooding from heavy rain, but the Inspector-General of Police, a retired British officer formerly Inspector-General in the United Provinces, saw that these were promptly remedied. The Crown Representative has no ground for doubting the accuracy of the communiqués issued by the Nizam's Government, and 1969W remains satisfied that the developments call for no special action on the part of the Paramount Power.
The Nizam has recently promulgated an announcement of constitutional changes providing for the creation of a unicameral legislature, of which the members are to be elected to represent various economic interests in the State. It is proposed that half the members shall be Moslems and half Hindus. The Reforms also provide for the setting up of a Religious Affairs Committee, on which Hindus and Moslems will be equally represented, and to which the Nizam's Government will refer all important complaints regarding religious disabilities.