{"id":2709,"date":"2013-07-13T01:43:22","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=2709"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:43:22","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:43:22","slug":"41-bande-mataram-15-3-07-vol-06-07-bande-mataram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/03-cwsa\/06-07-bande-mataram\/41-bande-mataram-15-3-07-vol-06-07-bande-mataram","title":{"rendered":"-41_Bande Mataram 15-3-07.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n
\n\t<\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tBande Mataram<\/font><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t
\n\t{ CALCUTTA, March 15th, 1907 }<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tThe Comilla Incident
\n<\/b>
\n\t<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\tThe Comilla affair remains, after everybody has said his say, obscured by the usual tangle of contradictions. The Hindu version presents a number of allegations,\u2014 specific, detailed and categorical,\u2014 of attacks on Hindus, making up in the mass a
\nserious picture of a mofussil town given over for days to an outbreak of brutal lawlessness on the part of one section of the
\nMahomedan community, a Magistrate quiescent and sympathetically tolerant of the rioters, and the final resort by the Hindu
\ncommunity to drastic measures of self-defence on the continued refusal of British authority to do its duty as the guardian
\nof law and order. A Mahomedan report belittled the accounts of Mahomedan violence and presented picturesque and vivid
\ndetails of Hindu aggressiveness; but as this version has since been repudiated, we have to turn to the official account for the
\nother side of the picture. But the official account\u2014 well, the value of official statements is an understood thing all the world
\nover. Is it not a political byword in England itself that no rumour or irresponsible statement should be believed until it had been
\nofficially denied? The official version of the Comilla incident published on the 9th March is hard to beat as a specimen of its
\nclass\u2014 it is a most amazingly unskilful production over which suppression of truth and suggestion of falsehood are written
\nlarge and palpable; but it presents a beautiful and artistic picture of wanton and murderous Hindu violence, comparative
\nMahomedan moderation, and fatherly British care brooding dove-eyed and maternal-winged over its irreconcilably quarrelsome step-children.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\tIf anyone should think our characterisation of this historical
\n   
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 213<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tdocument too sweeping, we invite him to a careful study both
\nof what it says and what it does not say. It commences with the statement that “a series of anti-Partition meetings were recently held here without incident <\/i>and on 6th March Nawab Salimullah arrived from Dacca to hold counter-meetings.” The
\ninsertion of the words “without incident” is admirable. It implies that there was violent irritation between Hindus and Mahomedans on the Partition question and the latter might have been expected to show their irritation by “incidents”,\u2014 especially
\nwhen the “inflammatory” speeches of Babu Bipin Chandra Pal and other firebrands are taken into account,\u2014 but they very
\nconsiderately refrained. Thus Mahomedan moderation is contrasted with the Hindu aggressiveness which is presently to be
\nrelated, and the way paved for throwing the whole responsibility on the anti-Partition agitation and aggressive Swadeshism. Then
\nwe are informed as a positive fact that a brick was thrown at the Nawab’s procession and brooms held up in derision. “This
\nled to some disturbance and a cloth shop was entered <\/i>but not looted and two prostitutes’ houses robbed.” Let us pause over
\nthis delightful sentence. The outrageous assaults by the rioters which the Hindu accounts carefully specify, are all hidden away
\nand glossed over under the mild and gentlemanly phrase “some disturbance”; the only specific instances which the Commissioner will acknowledge are the cloth-shop “incident” and the “incident” of the two prostitutes. But after all, what occurred
\nin the cloth-shop? It was merely “entered”,\u2014 admirable word!\u2014 the rioters were far too polite, honourable and considerate
\nto loot it. They simply entered for the sheer joy of entering and perhaps of gazing ecstatically on bales of Swadeshi cloth! They
\nalso “entered” the houses of two prostitutes, but in this instance indemnified themselves for their trouble; still, the people robbed
\nwere merely prostitutes! It is thus suggested that the disturbance was of the most trifling character and the only sufferers a shopkeeper and two prostitutes; in fact, the whole thing was little more than an amiable frolic. Of the violent maltreatment not
\nonly of students and shopkeepers but of pleaders and other respectable citizens, of the forcible invasion of private houses
\n    <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 214<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tand the attempts to break into or, let us say, “enter” women’s
\napartments, there is not a word.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\tAfter this day of “entries” there is a blank in the official
\nrecord until the next evening when “the Nawab’s Secretary, a Parsi, was attacked
\nwhile walking alone <\/i>and severely beaten
\nwith lathis by some Hindus.” The provocation alleged to have been given by Mr. Cursetji is carefully omitted, and we are asked
\nto believe that an inoffensive Parsi gentleman out for an innocent and healthful evening walk was waylaid, when alone, and
\nseverely beaten because he happened to be the Nawab’s Private Secretary. And the evening and the morning were the second
\nday. On the third all was again quiet till that dangerous time, the evening, when an “unlicensed Mahomedan procession”, greatly
\ndaring, took the air like Mr. Cursetji before them, apparently with the innocuous object of relieving their feelings and exercising their lungs shouting Allah-ho-Akbar. This explains a great deal; evidently the bands of hooligans ranging the streets and
\nattacking people and “entering” houses were in reality “no such matter” except in vivid Hindu imaginations; they were merely
\n“unlicensed Mahomedan processions” on innocent shouting intent. Some unknown person, however, fired upon this procession
\nand killed a Mahomedan baker; and there, inexplicably enough, matters ended for the day. The shot, however, had a powerful effect upon the authorities; it seems to have stirred them up to some faint remembrance of the elementary duties of a
\ncivilised administration. Accordingly our martial Commissioner telegraphed, like Kuropatkin, for “reinforcements”, and pending their arrival sent for the Mahomedan Sardars and Mullahs and “enlisted” their influence to keep the peace. In the name of
\nreason and logic, why? The account shows that all the violence and lawlessness, if we except the trifling affairs of the unlooted
\nshop and the looted prostitutes, proceeded from the Hindus. The Mahomedans, it seems, kept perfectly quiet until the night
\nof this third day, when the only incidents were again of a trifling character; a man riding on the step of a carriage was “struck”;
\na Hindu peon was “struck”, nothing more. We are ourselves “struck” by the mildness of the methods employed by these
\n   
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
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\n

\n\trioters; they do not break into houses, they merely “enter” them;
\nthey do not severely beat anyone as Mr. Cursetji was “severely beaten” by the Hindus; they merely “strike” a man or two in
\nplayful sort. Under the circumstances it is surely the leaders of the Hindu community who should have been enlisted “to
\nkeep the peace”\u2014 say, as special constables. However, in the end, the reinforcements arrived and the Commissioner busied
\nhimself in the fatherly British way, “inquiring personally into all allegations and endeavouring to bring the leaders of both parties
\ntogether”. On this touching scene the official curtain falls. Who shall say after this that “divide and rule” is the policy of the
\nBritish bureaucracy in India? <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\tWe have said enough to expose thoroughly this ridiculous
\naccount of a very serious affair. It is the production not of an impartial official keeping the peace between two communities,
\nbut of a partisan in a political fight who looks upon the antiSwadeshi Mahomedans as allies “enlisted” on the side of the
\nbureaucracy. In order to understand the affair we have to read into the official account all that it carefully omits; and for this
\nwe must fall back on the Hindu version of the incident. What seems to have happened, is clear enough in outline, whatever
\ndoubt there may be as to details. The popular cause was making immense strides in Comilla and the magnificent success
\nof the District Conference had afforded a proof which could not be ignored. The redoubtable Nawab Salimullah of Dacca
\nconsidered it his duty to his patron, the Assam Government, to stem the tide of nationalism in Tipperah. Accordingly he
\nmarched Comillawards with his lieutenants and entered the town in conquering pomp. That he ordered the sack of the
\nconquered city, is probably no more than the suspicion natural to excited imaginations; but it is certain that his coming was
\nimmediately responsible for the riots. His whole history since he was shoved into prominence by his Anglo-Indian patrons,
\nhas been one long campaign against the Hindus with attempts to excite the passions and class selfishness of the Mahomedans
\nand inflame them into permanent hostility to their Hindu fellow-countrymen. It is only within the territorial limits of the Nawab’s
\n    <\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 216<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t influence that there has been any serious friction between Hindus
\nand Mahomedans on the Swadeshi and Partition questions; but so far as it has gone, its immediate results have been not only
\nfriction but outbreaks of violence and lawlessness either in small as at Serajgunge or on a large scale as in Mymensingh. It is not
\ntherefore surprising that while the Conference at Comilla and the recent Swadeshi meetings came off without “incident”, the
\nNawab should no sooner have set his foot in Comilla than a reign of violence and lawlessness began. At the same time it is probable
\nthat the suddenness of the outbreak was due to some immediate exciting cause. The brick story bears a suspicious resemblance
\nto the incident which set Sir Bampfylde and his Gurkhas rioting officially at Barisal; but it is likely enough that a few individuals may have shown their feelings towards the Nawab in an offensive way. However that may be, it seems certain that the
\nmore rowdy elements of the Mahomedan population broke into lawless riot, attacked Hindus wherever they found them, broke
\ninto shops and private houses and brutally assaulted students, pleaders and other respectable Hindus, attempting even in some
\ncases to enter the women’s apartments.
\n\t<\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\tOnce begun, the affair followed familiar lines. As in Mymensingh, it commenced with an orgy of lawlessness on the part of ignorant low-class Mahomedans inflamed by the Nawab’s antiHindu campaign. As in Mymensingh, local authorities would not at first interfere, although appealed to by Hindu gentlemen,
\nand confined themselves to academic arguments as to the genesis of the outrages. As in Mymensingh, the Hindus, taken by surprise and denied the protection of the law, fell first into a panic and only afterwards rallied and began to organise self-defence.
\nAt Comilla, however, they seemed to have acted with greater promptitude and energy. The disturbances continued for three
\ndays at least; but by that time the Hindus had picked themselves together, the women were removed to a safe place where they
\ncould be guarded by bands of volunteers and the whole community stood on the defensive. Two or three collisions seem to have
\ntaken place, in one of which, possibly, Mr. Cursetji was roughly handled, in another a Mahomedan shot dead. By this time the
\n    <\/span> <\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\tPage \u2013 217<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tCommissioner had realised that the policy of non-interference
\nadopted by the British authorities, was leading to serious results which they cannot have anticipated. The military police were
\ntelegraphed for and other measures taken which came at least three days too late, since the mischief had been thoroughly done.
\n\t<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tDivested of exaggeration and rumour, we fancy the actual facts will be found to amount to something like the above. We
\ndo not for a moment believe that the Hindus took aggressive action without serious and even unbearable provocation, any
\nmore than we believe that the riot was planned or ordered beforehand by the anti-Swadeshi section of the Mahomedans. We
\ntrust that the usual mistake of instituting cases and counter-cases will be avoided. If the Comilla nationalists wish the facts of the
\ncase to be known let them draw up a statement of their version with the evidence of the persons assaulted for the enlightenment
\nof public opinion. The time ought to be now past, in Eastern Bengal at least, when appeal to the British courts could be either
\na remedy or a solace. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t <\/p>\n

\n\tPage \u2013 218<\/font><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bande Mataram { CALCUTTA, March 15th, 1907 }   The Comilla Incident   The Comilla affair remains, after everybody has said his say, obscured by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-06-07-bande-mataram","wpcat-54-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2709\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}