INDIAN FACTIONS

Evening Star, Issue 20555, 6 August 1930, Page 9

INDIAN FACTIONS

FIERCE RIOTING

MBSLEM-HINDU CLASHES !Pf e« JLisociation—By Telegraph—Copyright. DELHI, August 5. Seven people were killed and over 150 injured in fierce noting between Hindus and Moslems in feukkur, a town in Sind, which is at present overcrowded by refugees from the flooded areas. Hindus stoned a Moslem mosque, upon which a crowd [ of infuriated Moslems, armed with axes, knives, and bamboo poles attacked Hindu merchants and looted their Sops. The combatants were eventually separated by the police, who fired oll Five more were killed and many wore injured when the. police fired to quell a riot between Hindu and Moslems at Ballia, a {own in the United Provinces. A Hindu procession of several thousand, which passed a Moslem mosque in defiance of the police ban, was attacked by hundreds of angry Moslems armed with bamboos. FAITH IN BRITISH JUSTICE. DELHI, August 5. . Baluchi land-owners of Dera Ghazi Khan have offered the Punjab Government 2,000 men, including 500 horsemen, for use in the disturbed areas throughout the country. The landowners state that the Baluchi 3 faith in British justice and their loyalty to the Crown are steadfast and unshaken. THE WEEKLY REVIEW rasiTWH m worse (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 5. (Received August 6, at noon.) _ The Government of India’s appreciation of the situation up to last Saturday states:— Subject to the comments given below, there has been no change during the week, and the improvement manifested during the past few weeks has been maintained. , . . , ... In Waziristan the settlement with the various Mahsud. sections is proceeding very satisfactorily. On the northern border of the Peshawar district the situation remained somewhat obscure throughout the week, but there has been no overt act or hostility. There is no change in the situation in Bannu City. ; ,In the north-west frontier province the process of disarming the disaffected portions in tho rural areas continued throughout the week. During the week it became necessary to apply the prevention of intimidation ordinance to tho Central Provinces, where picketing had become more intensive and the methods more forcible. The ordinance, which makes penal the instigation to non-payment of land revenue and other dues, has been applied to the United Provinces, where the Congress propaganda had been carried on in some villages. Breaches of the forest laws appear to bo extending in tho Central Provinces, and in Bombay Presidency, and in some places they have been accompanied by wilful damage to standing trees. The picketing of schools and colleges continues iu some towns, and in Calcutta it has necessitated successive postponements of certain law examinations. Generally, however, this part of the Congress’s programme does not appear to be achieving any considerable success. The position in Gujcrat continues to improve. More village officers . have withdrawn their resignations, and in several districts the collection of laud revenue is proceeding better than was expected. The economic position in Bombay City is deteriorating. On August 1 six mills closed down,. involving 13,000 operatives. It is anticipated that other mills will close in the early future, owing to the inability to finance further production. The economic effects of the civil disobedience movement are nob confined to Bombay, although they aro perhaps most pronounced in that city. In Amritsar, which is an important centre of the piecegoods trade, tho ban oitforeign goods has resulted in the locking up of a very large amount of capital, with the inevitable consequence that trade and finance are seriously affected, and tho movement of Indianmade goods is impeded. It is reported that the sales of piecegoods dropped in the month of June from an average of 25 to 2 lakhs. The Madras Government reports that in several places largo numbers of weavers have been thrown out of employment owing to the civil disobedience ’ movement. The operation of economic forces may be expected, to encourage the increasing opposition to the continuance of the movement.

Subject to the above remarks tbe position in various provinces is as stated in last week’s appreciation.