548
him. He called out; and his father came up.
In the subsequent fight, the father had his arm
broken. The man that struck that blow was
sent to jail for three months: the others were
fined. There was no evidence that the men were
intoxicated or that they had been smoking to
excess.
2. Bartola case No. 9.
In this case, the accused Latua, a garden
coolie, branded his wife, pursued her and her
mother (who lived next door), and then attempt-
ed suicide by hanging. His plea was, that his
wife was unfaithful. The woman and her father
stated that he was constantly beating and ill-
treating her, and charging her with unfaithful-
ness, though naming no particular person. She
was a girl of 15 who had just reached puberty
after being married to this man for four years.
Ganja was not mentioned as the cause of the
offence; but the Jemadar who cut the man down
said: "Accused is a ganja-smoker and takes li-
quor also. I had got smell of ganja in accused's
mouth when I reached the rope from his neck."
A fellow coolie says: "Accused is a very bad
man. He has got a very bad temper.** Accused
smokes ganja, but not much or too frequently."
No other witness was asked about ganja or men-
tioned it.
15. Evidence of MR. J. RIVETT-OARNAO, District Superintendent of Police, Cachar.
51. I have no reason to think that the propor-
tion of habitual moderate consumers of ganja is
larger among the criminal classes than any other
class.
I believe that the moderate use of ganja has no
connection with crime.
52. I should say that the excessive use of ganja
is proportionately more common among persons of
bad livelihood than among the law-abiding class,
It is a fact that the term ganja-smoker (in the
sense of an excessive indulger) has come to be re-
garded as synonymous in police usage with bad
character.
53. I have a distinct impression that excessive
indulgence in ganja does excite to unpremeditated
violent crime. I cannot call to mind at present
any particular instance of this, but I am pretty
certain that I have met with several cases in the
course of my 16 odd years' experience as a police
officer.
54. I think not.
55. Ganja by itself is, I believe, not so used
and would not, I think, cause complete stupefac-
tion. I have an impression that bhang is occasion-
ally used by professional poisoners, but the propor-
tion of cases in which any of the hemp drugs or
admixtures thereof were used for these purposes
would be small compared with those in which, say,
dhatura, for instance, was used.
16. Evidence of MR. E. MUSPRATT, District Superintendent of Police, Lakhimpur.
51. I think a very small proportion of bad
characters take any of these drugs. The moderate
consumption of these drugs has no connection with
crime at all.
52. The excessive use of these drugs has no con-
nection with crime.
53. The excessive use of bhang does occasion-
ally incite to violent unpremeditated crime; but
such cases are very much fewer in number than
those caused by excessive drinking of intoxicating
liquors.
54. I can call to mind no such case.
17. Evidence of MR. W. D. ABERCROMBIE, District Superintendent of Police, Sylhet.
51. The large proportion of bad characters are
not ganja consumers. Ganja has no connection
with crime.
52. When a man is convicted of an offence, I
have heard it said "Oh, he was a ganja-smoker,"
as people often give as a reason for crime com-
mitted in England "he was a drunkard." But
how many people are there who smoke ganja or
drink who are not criminals ?
53. None.
54. No.
55. No; dhatura is used in such cases. I know
of no such case.
18. Evidence of MR. E. C. S. BAKER, District Superintendent of Police, Cachar Hills.
51. There are very few villages in these hills
which use siddhi or bhang, and then only in very
small quantities, None.
52. Excessive use unknown in North Cachar,
53, 54 and 55. No.