Question

Fortnightly Reports of the Home Department (Confidential)

FOR THE FIRST HALF OF MARCH 1930 The rapid political developments in Gujarat are being closely watched here. To what extent and in what directions they will affect political condition in this province, it is difficult to surmise at present. The peasantry is for the moment engaged in harvesting a good rabi; students are preoccupied with their impending examinations. Central Provinces and Berar The arrest of Mr. Vallabh Bhai Patel caused little excitement, except in Congress circles, but a meeting organised by the Nagpur Nagar Congress Committee to congratulate Gandhi on the start of his march was attended by a crowd of over 3000 people at Nagpur. Bengal The outstanding event of the past fortnight has been the start of Gandhi’s campaign of civil disobedience. Mr. J.M. Sengupta has formed an All-Bengal Civil Disobedience Council, and the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee has formed an All Bengal Council of Disobedience. But beyond forming councils, no active steps have yet been taken in the matter of civil disobedience in Bengal. The reports from the districts show that the meetings that have been held excite little or no interest and leave no profound impression on the general population. It is noticeable, however, that ladies are attending these meetings in increasing numbers. Bihar and Orissa There is still little to report regarding Congress activity. There is a good deal of talk about a campaign to withhold payment of the chaukidari tax, but no area has yet been selected for experiment. The arrest of Gandhi is being foretold freely, but it seems quite possible that nonfulfilment of the forecast is upsetting plans. Madras The opening of Gandhi’s civil disobedience campaign has completely overshadowed all other issues. General opinion inclines to regard his march as theatrical and his programme as impracticable, but as he is held in such personal reverence by the Hindu public generally, the possibility of arrest which he seems deliberately to be courting and its effect on the political situation are viewed with considerable misgiving. The 12th of March was celebrated as the day of inaugurating the civil disobedience campaign. In Bombay, the celebrations took the form of saluting the national flag in the morning. Bombay Press Kesari indulged in offensive language and in its usual attitude of blowing hot and cold wrote: “If the Government wants to test the power of Satyagraha, both its action and inaction will cause injury to it. If it arrests Gandhi it will incur the discontent of the nation; if it does not do that, the movement of civil disobedience will go on spreading. We therefore say that if the Government punishes Mr. Gandhi the nation will have won a victory, and if it lets him alone it will have won a still greater victory.” On the other hand, the moderate paper Vividh Vritt pointed out the futility of the movement and opined that it could not achieve the end in view. It, however, reminded the government that repression would defeat its purpose. FOR THE SECOND HALF OF MARCH 1930 Bengal Interest has continued to centre round Gandhi’s march to the sea and the arrangements which he is making to initiate a campaign of civil disobedience. The extremist papers report his doings and speeches at great length and make a great display of the various meetings that are being held throughout Bengal and the resolutions passed thereat. But there is little enthusiasm for the form of civil disobedience favoured by Gandhi … Generally people are waiting to see what happens to Gandhi and the probability is that if any action is taken against him, a spark will be set to much inflammable material in Bengal. But the prospect of any serious conflagration is at present slight. Central Provinces and Berar In Nagpur these meetings were well attended, and most of the schools and colleges were deserted on the 12th March to mark the inauguration of Gandhi’s march. The boycott of liquor shops and the infringement of forest laws appear to be the most probable line of attack. Punjab It seems not improbable that organised attempts will be made to break the Salt Law in the Jhelum district; that the agitation relating to the non-payment of the water-tax in Multan will be revived; and that some movement in connection with the National Flag will be started probably at Gujranwala. United Provinces Political activity has undoubtedly intensified during the last fortnight. The Congress party feels that it must do something spectacular to sustain public interest. Enrolment of volunteers, propaganda in villages, preparations for breaking the salt laws on receipt of Mr. Gandhi’s orders are reported from a number of districts. FOR THE FIRST HALF OF APRIL 1930 United Provinces Events have moved rapidly during the fortnight. Apart from political meetings, processions and the enrolment of volunteers, the Salt Act has been openly defied at Agra, Cawnpore, Benaras, Allahabad, Lucknow, Meerut, Rae Bareli, Farukhabad, Etawah, Ballia and Mainpuri. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was arrested at Cheoki railway station early on the morning of April 14 as he was proceeding to the Central Provinces to attend a meeting of the Youth League. He was at once taken direct to Naini Central Jail, where he was tried and sentenced to six months’ simple imprisonment. Bihar and Orissa There have been, or are now materialising, spectacular, but small-scale, attempts at illicit salt manufacture in a few places … Central Provinces In Jubbalpore, Seth Govinddass has attempted to manufacture chemical salt at a cost many times in excess of the market price of clean salt. Madras Considerable opposition was shown at Vizagapatam to the Police when they attempted to seize salt made by boiling sea water, but elsewhere resistance to the seizure of illicit salt has been half-hearted. Bengal In the mufassal efforts have been made to manufacture illicit salt, the main operation areas being the districts of 24-Parganas and Midnapore. Very little salt has actually been manufactured, and most of it has been confiscated and the utensils in which it was manufactured destroyed.

Read the Fortnightly Reports carefully. Remember, they are extracts from confidential reports of the colonial Home Department. These reports did not always accept what the police reported from different localities.

1. How do you think the nature of the source affects what is being said in these reports? Write a short note illustrating your argument with quotations from the above text.
2. Why do you think the Home Department was continuously reporting on what people thought about the possibility of Mahatma Gandhi’s arrest? Reread what Gandhiji said about the question of arrests in his speech on 5 April 1930 at Dandi.
3. Why do you think Mahatma Gandhi was not arrested?
4. Why do you think the Home Department continued to say that the march was not evoking any response?

Answer 1

1. 1. These reports were confidential reports prepared by the colonial Home Department.
   2. They were mainly based on information collected by police and government officials.
   3. Because they were written from the government’s point of view, they often tried to judge whether the Civil Disobedience Movement was becoming a serious threat to British rule.
   4. The reports sometimes underestimated public support for Gandhi. For example, one report stated that meetings in Bengal created “little or no interest” among the general population.
   5. Another report described Gandhi’s march as “theatrical” and his programme as “impracticable.”
      Therefore, these reports cannot be treated as completely neutral. They reflect the concerns and viewpoint of the colonial government.
2. 1. The government knew that Gandhi had become a very popular national leader.
   2. Officials feared that arresting him might create widespread protests and unrest.
   3. The reports therefore closely watched how people might react if Gandhi was arrested.
   4. At Dandi on 5 April 1930, Gandhi himself said that the government had the power to arrest him and his followers but had not done so.
   5. He suggested that the government might be worried about public and world opinion.
      Thus, the Home Department continued to report on the issue because Gandhi’s arrest could have strengthened the movement rather than weakened it.
3. 1. The British government feared that an immediate arrest could turn Gandhi into an even stronger symbol of resistance.
   2. His arrest could have encouraged more people to join the Civil Disobedience Movement.
   3. The government also wanted to avoid creating large-scale public anger and disorder.
   4. British officials were concerned about how harsh action against a peaceful movement would appear to people in India and abroad.
      Therefore, the government initially chose to monitor Gandhi and the movement closely rather than arrest him immediately.
4. 1. The colonial government probably wanted to believe that Gandhi’s movement had limited popular support.
   2. Officials sometimes underestimated the importance of meetings, demonstrations and growing public interest.
   3. Admitting that the march was becoming popular would also mean admitting that the government was facing a serious political challenge.
   4. The reports themselves show signs of growing support, such as large meetings, increasing participation by women, volunteer enrolment, and preparations to break the Salt Law.
   5. This creates a difference between what the officials claimed and what was actually happening.
      Therefore, the Home Department may have continued to describe the movement as weak because of colonial bias and a failure to fully understand the growing mass support for Gandhi.