THE CASE OF SAVARICAR.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1016, 4 January 1911, Page 5

THE CASE OF SAVARICAR.

Tha case of the Indian student Savarkar is to be considered by The Hague International Arbitration in February next. The extradition of Savarkar from England to India upon charges of soditiou and conspiracy was ordered in June last, and on July 1 ho embarked in tho P. and O. steam ship Morea at Gravesend in the custody of a detective-inspec-tor from Scotland Yard and three Indian .police officials. ; Upon the arrival of the liner at Marseilles a week later Savarkar, who was taking a bath in tho bath room, crawled through an open' port hole, plunged into the. harbour, and swam ashore. . As soon as. the dotectires who had been waiting, outside the bath room door became aware of their prisoner's escape, they raised a hue and cry, with the result that a sergeant of the French dock police, who was on duty on the wharf, captured the fugitive as he clambered out of tho water, and handed him back to tho British detectives. . The French Socialists, on getting wind of the incident, at once started an agitation, on Savarkar's behalf, and declared that, as a political offender, onco ho esoaped on to French soil he could not be recovered by tho British. It was asserted that ho, had been improperly handed over by the French policeman and should bo returned to French soil by Britain. The persistence with which M. Jaures urged the fugitive's cause led tho French Government to take action, with the result that, the ins and outs of tho escapade will be investigated by an international tribunal. In tho meantime Savarkar was taken on to India and -tried, being sentenced to. transportation for life, witli'tho forfeiture of his property.