RULE OF INDIA

Grey River Argus, 27 August 1946, Page 5

RULE OF INDIA

Nehru’s Cabinet LONDON, August 24. It is officially stated that fatalities as a result of the Calcutta riots' so far total 2020, including 717 removed for burial from the hospitals and streets, 803 taken from burning buildings and 500 removed by the military from the streets. The police are still collecting dead from houses in the riot areas, the total of whom is not yet known. The injured in hospital or discharged from hospitals total 4291. A Government spokesman added that the situation in Calcutta had greatly improved, but it was still f,ar from 1 normal. Ninety thousand had so faf left through the Howrah station, but confidence was returning. Twelve men have been named of the 13 who will rule India in the Interim Government until she gains independence and holds elections. Pandit Nehru submited six leading Congress Hindu names to the Viceroy—his own and V. Patel, Dr. R. Grasad, C. Rajagopalachari, Sarat Bose and Jag van Ram. The Government is to include five Moslems who are not members of the Moslem League. These are believed to include Asaf Ali Ali Zahir, and Sir Shafaat Ahmedkhan. Names believed to have been submitted for minority representation include Sardar Balaevsingh for the Sikhs, Dr. J. Mathai for the Indian Christians and possibly F Anthony for the Anglo-Indians and Parsee representative. Upon the appointment of a new interim Indian Government under the Nationalist Nehru, rioting occurred in the old city- in New Delhi between groups armed with sticks and knives. A six-hour curfew has been ordered and pubic assemblies have been banned.

A prominent Moslem has appealed to London to see that there is no outbreak of rioting, but he said that .there was no chance of a change in the League’s attitude, because of the un-co-operative attitude of the Congress Party. In Simla, Sir Shafta-Ahmed Khan, a member of the new Government, was attacked by two young men and stabbed seven times. His assailants escaped. Sir Shafat Ahmed Khan was admitted to hospital, and some time afterwards it was' reported that he was out of danger. He is a Moslem, but resigned from the Moslem League recently as a protest against the League’s decision not to take part in the Government. In Allahabad crowds of Hindus and Moslems armed with brickbats, knives, and lathis, engaged in pitched battles. The Allahabad Magistrate said that three had died from bullet wounds, forty-two were sent to hospital for injuries, and seven had been treated for gunshot wounds. Several cases of attempted incendiarism occurred. • BOMBAY, August 22. The police fired to disperse the crowds after a series' of clashes at Dacca, eastern Bengal. Ten are reported to have 1 been killed and 15 injured in disturbances in the past two days.