246
Note (on records of cases submitted by MR. WARD) by the Commission, appended
to Mr. Ward's evidence.
1. Empress vs. Hanif Shaha.—The accused was a
ganja smoker and visited the shop of the deceased,
a ganja vendor. The former had a knife in his
hand, as he had been eating fruit. An altercation
arose between the two, in the course of which the
deceased struck the accused with a split bamboo,
on which the accused stabbed him in the abdomen
with the knife. "It is certain," says the Judge,
"that it was Betal Ali who had first struck the
accused with the split bamboo; and it was then
that he wounded him with his knife." The
prisoner was sentenced to five years' rigorous
imprisonment on 30th June 1892.
2. Empress vs. Isahaq Shaikh.—The accused
Ishaq Shaikh had injured his child and was pro-
secuted for his act. The following extract from
the judgment in the murder case shows both his
character and how that case arose: "His conduct
towards his little daughter shows how cruel he is.
His daughter, a little girl of five years, brought to
her father more tikas than he wanted; and this
enraged him so much that he assaulted her brutal-
ly; and the assault was such that she got her leg
broken and got wounds on different parts of her
body. A complaint was made against the accused
on the 23rd December. His wife, father-in-law
and Kadar Khan gave evidence in that case; and
this enraged him so much that he contemplated
the plan of aiming at the life of his wife. He had
left his father-in-law's or had been compelled to
leave it; and when he was in his sister's, he saw his
wife go to the privy, and there he went and attack-
ed her." He was interrupted and fought with
those who interrupted him; and in the course of
the fight he killed Kadar Khan. There is no
mention of ganja. The man was sentenced to
transportation for life on 28th February 1894.
3. It is reported that the record in the Pubna
case has been destroyed, as the man was released
by the High Court.
90. Evidence of BABU MATHURA MOHAN SIRKAR, Inspector of Police, Jhenida,
District Jessore.
1. My knowledge is confined to a few districts
in Bengal, and what I have acquired is from my
own experience and conversation I had on the
subject with several persons.
2. Besides the three narcotic articles named here,
there is another kind of ganja preparation used
among the Khottas, up-country men, living in
Bengal, called majum, prepared with sugar. I
know of no other kind of ganja sold in market.
3. Ganja grows luxuriantly in almost all the
eastern districts of Bengal, and in other parts
also it grows, but not of superior quality. Part
of Pabna and Rajshahi are the two districts where
it is abundant.
4. Wild siddhi, called buna bhang, is common
in almost every place where the soil is moist.
5. As far as I know, where there is little
moisture of soil and the climate is mild, it tends
its growth.
6. Wild bhang almost grows densely where it
finds sufficient moisture.
7. I know of no place in my province where
any kind of these narcotics is cultivated, but wild
bhang is in use by men where it is not found in
nearest bazaars.
10. Sometimes it is found that ganja plants
grow spontaneously near the resort of ganja smok-
ers from the seeds thrown about, but care then
tends its luxuriant growth and makes it bear
flower, but not of that superior quality as sold by
vendors. These smokers do not regularly culti-
vate it, but simply take care of the plant or plants
to allow them to take its natural growth.
12. I do not suppose that wild hemp can be
cultivated for the ganja production, and I never
saw it cultivated.
14. No.
15.
Majum, a kind of hemp preparation with
sweets, and khatta with gur, are used, as it is said,
by Khottas, for eating.
16. I never saw or heard even of ganja and
charas being ever prepared from the wild plant.
Bhang can be prepared from the hemp plant
wherever grown, though it may not be of the
same superior quantity.
17. Majum and khatta, both preparations of
hemp, are both made and used generally by the
Khottas, Agarwalas, and Banias. A few Bengali
lads use them occasionally also.
18. Dampness, as it is said, is the cause of
deterioration of bhang; and to prevent deterior-
ation, wild bhang is kept suspended on beams or
kept far above the ground in air and light to be
kept for about a year, after which it loses its
effect.
19. Ganja and charas are generally used for
smoking.
20. Men of all classes smoke ganja and charas.
The sadhus, holy mendicants and their followers,
some of the lower class of people who commit
offences at nights, and those who follow the pro-
fession of singing in all localities, are found to
smoke them.
21. Both flat and round ganja are preferred
according to taste.
22. Charas, which is called Nepali charas, is
chiefly used, but if Nepal produces charas or not,
I do not know.
23. I never saw or heard of bhang being
smoked. It is only, as I know, drunk.
24. Ditto. Men of all class drink bhang. The
imposition of high duty on liquor, which made
rise of its price, has made several men of middle
class, who cannot afford to buy liquor, to drink
bhang in consequence.
25. The rise of the price of liquor has rather
increased the number of bhang drinkers and
ganja smokers.
26. Among the ganja smokers and bhang
drinkers—
(a) 1/2 are habitual moderate consumers.
(b) About 1/4 habitual excessive consumers.
(c) " 1/8 occasional moderate consumers.
(d) " 1/8 occasional excessive consu-
mers.