INDIAN VIOLENCE

Taranaki Daily News, 12 May 1930, Page 9

INDIAN VIOLENCE

TROOPS FIRE UPON MOBS

fifty killed at sholapur

POLICEMEN BURNED ALIVE

GANDHFS SON NEW LEADER

By Telegraph—frees Assn. —Copyright. Delhi, May 9.

Fifteen are reported to have been killed ns the result of the police firing on a riotous mob at Sholapur City. All the European women and children were brought to Poona.

Gandhi .was secretly removed at the dead of night from the Yervada Gaol, Poona, to the Purandbar Hills, Purandhar being a military sanatorium 25 miles from Poona. Gandhi’s second son Manibal has assumed leadership of his father’s volunteers. He intends to raid the salt depot at Dharavna. The Government has surrounded the depot with barbed wire entanglements.

The story of how seven policemen were burned to death by a maddened mob during the riots is told by women who arrived at Poona from Sholapur. A crowd numbering several thousand attacked and set fire to the district magistrate’s courthouse. They overpowered the guards, whom they flung into the flames.

The mob then endeavoured, to set fire to the pest office and attacked the quarters of the European and Anglo-Indian railway employees, but were repulsed by the police aided by troops who opened fire, killing 50 and wounding over 400. The railway quarters were evacuated and the women and children concentrated on the railway station under a strong armed guard until they were taken away by train. European residents and missionaries have been, ordered to evacuate Talegaon, near Bombay, owing to a threatened outbreak.

GREAT SAVAGERY OF RIOTERS.

UNARMED POLICE MURDERED

Rec. 5.5 p.m.

Delhj, May 10.

Though later reports do not bear out the first high estimates of the casualties at Sholapur it is certain 12 were killed and 24 wounded. Five policemen are etill missing. The mob engaged in pastimes specially recommended by Gandhi, picketing the liquor shops and cutting down palm trees, and showed the greatest savagery when they murdered or burned alive three unarmed policemen. The burning of the judge’s court destroyed records dating back to 1827. European and Anglo-Indian refugees arrived at Poona state . that after the murders the police, aided by a small detachment of auxiliary forces, fired and regained control and all Europeans were concentrated in the railway quarters. With the arrival of British troops the situation is again in hand. No mention has yet been made of any arrests.

GOVERNMENT WELL PREPARED.

STATEMENT IN THE COMMONS.

British Wireless. Rugby, May 9. Captain Wedgwood Benn, Secretary for India, stated in the House of Commons today that he had received a telegram to the effect that in the North-West Frontier Province of India there had been no change of importance since May 5. In the city of Peshawar the situation was tranquil. The civil power was still supported in the city by the presence of troops. The general situation in India was well under control, despite riots in various places following the arrest of Gandhi for which the Government were well prepared. The spirit of the troops and police were excellent. AMERICANS URGE SETTLEMENT. CONFLICT MEANS CATASTROPHE. Rec. 6.20 p.m. New York, May 10. A cablegram was sent to-day by 102 American clergymen to Mr. Ramsay MacDonald urging him to avoid by amicable settlement with Gandhi and hie people “conflict which means a catastrophe for Britain in India.” INDIANS IN JAPAN PROTEST. BOYCOTT OF BRITISH GOODS. Tokio, May 0. In connection with Gandhi’s arrest Inlinns at Yokohama and Kobe convened l meeting and resolved not to use British goods and made a bonfire of everything in their possession of British origin.