INDIAN AGITATION

Grey River Argus, 6 September 1930, Page 6

INDIAN AGITATION

SIXTY THOUSANDS IDLED. AT BOMBAY MILLS. xaus. nfiff m.Z. Cawe Assn. 7 DELHI, September 2. Eight more cotton mills closed down in Bombay yesterday, and in the city there wore now sixty Ihousand idle mill hands. Twenty-two mills hither to have closed as the result of trade depression, which has been aggravated by the Nationalist Congress han on their products, throwing out forty thousand workers. Many other mills are working only short time, rendering twenty thousand more idle.

Official Version TEAR OF VIOLENCE. (Official Wireless.) RUGBY. September 1. The Government of India in its jweeklv report on the Nationalist Congress campaign for autonomy for India, expresses the view that generally the enthusiasm for the civil disobedience movement is declining, but as its failure becomes more pro nounced, the activities nf those who favour violence are likely io increase. I The report mentions that the educational boycott is losing strength and picketing al Allahabad University has been abandoned, owing largely to the opposition of the students themselves, hut the boycott of foreign goods still I continues and remains the main success nf the Congress. The consequent distress of many thousands of Indian dealers is increasing. Reference is made to terrorist activity in Bengal already reported. The [Legislative Council by passing the 1 Bengal Criminal Law Amendment Act, recently furnished the executive with special powers to deal with the movement. It is hoped their vigorous use will bring it under effective control, but difficulties of presenting isolated outrages are considerable. Regarding the situation elsewhere, the weekly report states: The Peshawar district border remained quiet and the area of hostile activity moved south west towards Kurram and Tochi Valley. The situation at present is well in hand, but contains serious pos- ' sibilities. I 42 NATIVES KILLED. j The report says extraordinary circumstances ai tended a s. riojis clash between Government forces and a j large armed party of Ilathi Rhel WaIzirs, near Domel, iu Bannu district, last week. A mixed force of regular

infantry, frontier constabulary and police moved out from Canna in the early morning to occupy ground -where a meeting under the hostile Mulla Fazl Oudir had been advertised, and to arrest the leading agitators, Mulla and his adherents appeared with a large gathering nf armed followers, and sent a message that they were prepared io surrender themselves for arrest, on condition that they were permitted to march with their armed following first tn the place of meeting and thence to Bannu Jail, where they .would give themselves up. [ A Magistrate and political Tahsildar were sent to parley with the leaders. The tribesmen continued towards the adjoining hamlet. There, they came up against a platoon of infantry which moved out to stop their advance. Captain Ashcroft, who was with the platoon, was attacked by one member of the lashkar, am] while attempting to defend himself was shot dead from behind by another. A general engagement at close quarters, with hand to hand fighting, took place. The Government casualties were nine killed, including Captain Ashcroft, and ten ■wounded, and the hostile casualties were 42 killed, including Mulla Fazl Ouadir, 30 wounded, and more than SO taken prisoner. The situation was cleared up with the help of loyal Hath] Khel Wazir Maliks, who sent a tribal lashkar in pursuit of hostilities.