The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES” GISBORNE, THURSDAY, AUG. 18, 1942. UNREST IN INDIA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20861, 13 August 1942, Page 2

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES” GISBORNE, THURSDAY, AUG. 18, 1942. UNREST IN INDIA

As was only to be expected, the firm action taken by the Government of India has led to a certain amount of unrest in various parts of the country. A number of people have lost their lives and still larger numbers have been injured. Exact figux-es are not given, but one report stated that in the first three days of the rioting 31 persons were killed, 250 injured, and more than 500 arrested. If these figures are anything approaching correct and complete, the amazing thing about them is their smallness. At first glance they may appear to be large, but viewed against the vast population of India as a whole they represent a microscopical fraction. India is a nation of more than 350,000,000 people of diverse race and religion and at the best of times there is always a good deal of friction amopg them and riots and disorders are anything but unusual. There are elements which are always prepared to take advantage of , circumstances to create disturbances and it might have been expected that the drastic measures enforced by the . Government would be the. signal for demonstrations on an unprecedented scale. This, clearly, has not been the case. On the contrary, there is good reason to believe that the situation has been kept well in hand and order reasonably well maintained. The reports from India are an excellent example of how misleading even the most accurate news can be and of the need for interpreting it against its background. A detailed description of clashes between demonstrating crowds and police and troops can make a vivid picture and, of course, can provide the foundation for impressive propaganda. This is largely what has occurred, and it would be wise to attempt to analyse the picture. In the first place, it is significant that only half a dozen towns and cities are mentioned in the reports of the clashes which have occurred. It seems unlikely, from the categorical nature of the reports, that any serious clash in any town

can have been overlooked. And the sum total of all the reports is clashes in half a dozen centres with fewer than 300 casualties. This means that for every city where there has been disorder on any scale there are dozens which have pursued the peaceful tenor of their way; that for every person killed or injured, more than a million have been immune from the consequences of the disorders. The inference is that by far the greater part of India has not been in any way involved in the disturbances, that business and industry are proceeding as usual, and that there has been little interference with the country’s war effort. That seems to reduce the present picture to something like its correct perspective, but it must not be assumed that the danger in India is necessarily past. To-day’s news suggests that there has been a considerable improvement already, but with feelings running high, as they are apt to do in India, there is always the possibility of riots started by irresponsible students and hooligans spreading and assuming more serious proportions. At least it does seem reasonable to assume that the course which has been followed by the Government has been justified by results. By anticipating the plans of the Congress Party it has prevented a much more serious disorganisation of trade and industry with the farreaching disorders which would inevitably have accompanied it. It is interesting, too, to speculate on what might have been the position had the Congress had its way. Had the “QuitIndia” demand been acceded to, then, in Gandhi’s' own words, “whoever was capable of taking power would do so.” In other words, the various factions in India would have been fighting for control and there would have been civil war on a large scale. The situation is bad enough with a strong Government, taking a _ firm stand: what it would have been with-' out any Government can be left to the imagination. The comparative quietness with which the present crisis is being faced by the vast majority of the Indian people is an encouraging sign. It suggests that, despite their 'fervent desire for independence, they have a better understanding of the problems involved than have the more bellicose leaders of the Congress Party. They realise that internal strife at a time when the enemy is at the gates would do more than anything else to prevent the attainment of their objective, indeed, one of the redeeming features of the present situation is the disclosure of the existence of a strong body of moderate opinion in India. This is not peculiar to one section or party, but is represented in them all, including, significantly enough, the Congress Party itself. In no small measure, the future of India lies in the hands of these moderates—men of more balanced judgment who do not allow their idealism to be clouded by refusing to be realistic and practical. They have no easy task at the present time to control the large fanatical sections of the Indian people, but the extent to which they succeed will be a measure of their capacity to take over control of the country when times become more normal. .Indeed, it might well be said that the present crisis offers a test of whether India really is ready.for self-government.