CALCUTTA GAOL MUTINY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16738, 20 May 1922, Page 13

CALCUTTA GAOL MUTINY.

CONFLICTING OPINIONS AT INQUIRY. TVle^-raph—Press Association—Copyrinht Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received May 20 , 2.60 p m.). DELHI, May 19. evidence at the inquiry into Calcutta gaol mutiny, one witness said the mutiny occurred through a warder kicking a oonvict, who tva* praying for two other convicts. In tho evidence it was stated that this " a fa-lse. accusation, manufactured with tho object of intimidating the **°} authorities to let the convicts hove their own way. Apparently, until the arrival of the non-co-operation prisoners, the convicts were docile, but subsequently they became discontented, because the political prisoners secured privileges and better food, while the latter told the ordinary convicts that, by agitating and. making the position oi gaol people intolerable, they would get better food. Hie political prisoners, also, were allowed to read extremist newspapers in the prison, which were passed to the ordinary criminals, inflaming them and resulting in a hunger strike, which culminated in the mutiny. One witness said the conviots asked him to send an erroneous report to the Extremist papers regarding the kicking of a prisoner who was praying, and another prisoner being throttled to death secretly. Another witness gave evidence that the prisoners made the weapons which they used in the mutiny secretly for some time in the gaol workshop.