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prosecution is instituted by the police. People are
in the habit of rooting up the plant for fear of
prosecution. The police will step in if the plant
is allowed to grow big enough to be used for smok-
ing. Even if the plant is not cared for, the people
will pluck it up fearing that the police will inter-
fere when it is found growing near the houses.
This is the action the police take in Dibrugarh
and Lakhimpur, I cannot speak about other dis-
tricts. The wild plant used to grow in Assam
before the ganja shops were established.
Question 20.—By ganja we understand the im-
ported drug, by bhang the plant that grows in
Assam. The Assamese did not smoke ganja in
former days. In my youth the practice was very
uncommon. Now the Assamese are learning to
smoke to the number of about two per cent. of
the population. The classes who are thus learning
to smoke are the Cacharis, the Ahoms, and the
Brahmins and Kayasths. There are Doms and
Haris in the country, but I do not see them smok-
ing. The latter class are prohibited by the reli-
gion, as they are followers of their Dehing Gosain.
The youths mentioned in my answer to question
45 are, one a Kayasth and one a Brahmin. The
people who are taking to the drug live mostly in
the towns and the neighbourhood of the shops.
In Dibrugarh and Chabua and Rajabheta, about
three miles from Dibrugarh, smokers are to be
found. The fakirs and monks used to take the
drugs from the wild plants before ganja was
introduced. For the most part the foreigners now
use it. I don't know of the hemp plant being
produced in the hills. As a wood contractor I
deal with Miris and Abors, and from that I know
they do not grow ganja.
Question 35.—I should be glad to see the drug
prohibited in Assam. The wants of the coolies
should not be regarded, because the Assamese con-
tract the habit through association with them, I
do not think the coolies would object to the prohi-
bition. The users of ganja would not take to
opium, because the progress of civilization tends to
make people avoid that drug also. I am aware
that the Assamese use opium largely. But I
do not think they would take opium any the more
for ganja being prohibited, because ganja was
never used in this country. The coolies would
take to rice liquor. They take it already in
addition to ganja, and they would confine them-
selves to liquor. Liquor would be better for
them than opium or ganja since they want a
stimulant. By liquor I mean rice beer and coun-
try rum. The latter is the Government excise
liquor.
Question 45.—The Kayasth was 28 years of
age, and the Brahmin 18, when they became in-
sane, They knew English and were very promis-
ing. The Brahmin learnt to smoke from an up-
country, i e., Hindi-speaking fakir, who used to live
at his house. He died a year ago after being mad
for ten years. The Kayasth youth was appointed
Sub-Overseer in the Public Works Department and
sent to Manipur. He learnt to smoke ganja there,
and became insane and was brought home to
Sibsagar, He lately came to Dibrugarh, where
I saw him. His servants, who were in Manipur
with him, said he had gone mad from smoking
ganja, and his father brought him from there.
He is constantly repeating "Bom Mahadeo," an
invocation used by ganja-smokers, and he carries
a bael fruit in his hand.
I know another case of an Assamese who smoked
ganja with Hindi-speaking fakirs and has become
half-cracked. These are all the cases I know.
Question 53.—The cooly I refer to in this
answer was a Sonthal. He was kept in jail for a
week to see if he was insane, and then he was let
go and sent back to my garden. That was more
than five years ago, I discharged him soon after
his return, the period of his contract having ex-
pired.
He was never tried for attempting to
kill his wife, because no one prosecuted him.
The man who beat his wife was prosecuted, but
the charge was dismissed. He was subsequently
punished for another offence. The pensioned
sepoy was living near my house, and so I know
he was an inveterate ganja smoker. After smok-
ing he would always get excited, his eyes would
grow red, and he would quarrel with his wife.
He was an Assamese of Mangaldai of the Raj-
bangshi caste.
Other coolies would beat their wives, but not so
often or so rashly as these men would do.
Governmant of India Central Printing Office.-No. 79 F. & C. D.—8-10-94.—1,512.