TRIBAL UNREST

Southland Times, Issue 21178, 3 September 1930, Page 5

TRIBAL UNREST

CLASH WITH TROOPS ENGAGEMENT AT CLOSE QUARTERS SITUATION IN INDIA (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, September 1. Extraordinary circumstances attending a serious clash between Government forces and a large armed party of Hath! Khel Waziris. which occurred near Domel in the Bannu district last week, are described in the Government of India’s weekly appreciation of the situation issued to-night. It appears that a mixed force of regular infantry frontier constabulary and police had moved out from Bannu in the early morning to occupy the ground where a meeting under the hostile Mullah, Fazl Quadir, had been advertised and to effect the arrest of the leading agitators. The Mullah and his adherents appeared with a large gathering of armed followers and sent a message stating that they were prepared to surrender themselves for arrest, but only on condition that they wore permitted to march with their armed following first to the place of meeting and thence to the Bannu gaol, where they would give themselves up.

The Magistrate and the political Tahsildar were sent to parley with the leaders, but a hostile lashkar of Mullah’s following meanwhile continued its advance towards the adjoining hamlet. There they came up against a platoon of infantry, which moved out to stop the lashkar’s advance. Captain Ashcroft, who was with the platoon, was attacked by one member of the lashkar, and 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 and the Government casualties were 9 killed, including Captain Ashcroft, and 10 wounded and the hostile casualties were 42 killed, including the Mullah, Fazl Quadir, and 30 wounded and more than CO were taken prisoners. The situation was cleared up with the help of a friendly tribal leader, who sent a lashkar in pursuit of the hostile tribe. Regarding the situation elsewhere the weekly report states that the Peshawar district border has remained quiet and the area of hostile activity has moved southwest towards Kurram and the Tochi Valley. The situation at present is well in hand, but contains serious possibilities. Reference is made to terrorist activity in Bengal, and it is already reported that the Legislative Council by passing the 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 the difficulties of preventing isolated outrages are considerable. The report mentions that the educational boycott is losing strength and that the picketing at the Allahabad University has been abandoned owing largely to the opposition of the students themselves, but the boycott of foreign goods still continues and remains the main success of Congress. The consequent distress of many thousands of Indian dealers is increasing. The report expresses the view that generally the enthusiasm for the civil disobedience movement is declining, but as its failure becomes more pronounced the activities of those who favour violence are likely to increase. TRADE DEPRESSION MORE COTTON MILLS CLOSE DOWN. (Rec. 10.50 p.m.) Delhi, September 2. Eight more cotton mills closed down in Bombay yesterday, and in the city there arc now 60.000 idle mill bands. Twentytwo mills hitherto have closed as a result of trade depression which has been aggravated by the Congress ban on their products, throwing 40,000 workers out of employment. Many other mills are working only short time, rendering 20,000 more idle. RAID BY POLICE LIVELY REVOLVER. DUEL. (Rec. 1.15 a.m.) Delhi, September 2. Led by Sir Charles Tegart, whose life was recently attempted, 20 police quietly surrounded a house on the fringe of the jungle in Chandernagore in French territory. A lively revolver duel ended in one Bengali being killed and four arrested. Some of the latter are alleged to be implicated in the Chittagong revolt. The raid was carried out with the sanction of the French authorities.