INDIAN CONGRESS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21537, 8 January 1932, Page 7

INDIAN CONGRESS

GOVERNMENT’S ACTION BOMBAY LEADERS ARRESTED AN EXTENSIVE ROUND-UP (British Official Wireless.) (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY, January 6. An extensive round-up of Congress leaders is taking place in Bombay. Among others taken into custody were Mr Nariman, head of the Bombay Congress Committee, and Mr Nagindas, one of the chief organisers of the civil disobedience campaign. No serious trouble has been encountered by the police. A clash between the police and a crowd in Benares resulted in the police being pelted with stones. The Daily News states: “Reports from all parts of India, and particularly the north, show that the efforts to organise hartals and other demonstrations against the Government’s action have fallen flat.” CONGRESS OFFICES CLOSED. CALCUTTA, January 6. Following the arrest of Mr Patel the police made a raid on Congress headquarters at Bombay. They hauled down the Congress flag and replaced it with the Union Jack, which is now flying gallantly over the building. The Congress offices are closed. Further arrests include Mr V. J. Patel, a brother of Mr Vallabhai Patel, and former president of the Legislative Assembly. WOMEN LEADERS ARRESTED. CALCUTTA, January 6. A strong force of police rounded up Congressmen in Bombay at dawn, and arrested over 100, including nine prominent women leaders. One man was killed when the Benares police were forced to fire on a crowd which was attempting to hold a meeting of protest against the arrests of Congressmen.

GENERAL EFFECT OF ARRESTS, TOO EARLY TO GAUGE. LONDON, January 6. The Delhi correspondent of The Times says that the strength and rapidity of the successive Government attacks have seemingly stunned the supporters of Congress, but it is too early to gauge the general effect on India. Clearly the storm may break anywhere at any moment. The real test may come in a day or two. TRANSFER OF CONGRESS FUNDS. THE GOVERNMENT ALERT. DELHI, January 7. (Received Jan. 7, at 10 p.m.) The Bombay Government frustrated attempts by Congress organisations to transfer funds in the banka to individual accounts. Yesterday detectives seized £3850 in two Bombay banks which had been transferred to private accounts in order to avoid sequestration under the new ordinances. CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, OPPOSITION FROM MOSLEMS. DELHI, January G. (Received Jan. 7, at 11 p.m.) Indian Moslems generally are determined not to tolerate a repetition of the boycott of traders who sell British goods, which seriously hampered trade in the last civil disobedience movements, and meetings of Moslems at many centres have passed resolutions supporting the Government ordinances and warning the Congress that Moslems will not hesitate to take direct action to suppress disobedience.