Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-06-13
MASSACRE DUE
TO CRUELTY AND INJUSTICE
Commission of Inquiry Calls for housekeeping in Pun
jab District of India, Where Official Incompe-
tence and Brutality Caused Natives to Rebel
As II will


tBy Associated PrcsA.l
! NEW YORK, June IA strong
arra!snment Of the administration
of the Punjab district. in India. In
connection with the troubles in the
spring % 1919. including the massa-
/ ere ut Amritsar. characterized as IA
calculated piece Of inhuman!ty." is
contained in the report OF the com
in!ss!oners appointed by the PunJab
subcommittee Of the Indian national
I Congress TO Investigate tho disorders
and their cause. Full copies of this
/ report have now reached this coun-
try.
/ Cablcd reports Of the findings Of
/ the commission showed that i; had
recommended the recall Of Lord
Chelmsford. the Niccroy. the rclicv
! ing OF Sir Michael O'Dwyer. the lieu
teuant-govcrnor OF the Punjab. Of
any responsible Office under the
! crown. the demot!on OF General X.
I T. II. Dyer. commander in chief OF
/ the British forces in India. and OF
/ other British and Indian officials In
| volvcd in the troubles. as well as
/ the repeal OF the Objectionable Row
! .att act. which ostens!bly was enact
( ed for the suppression OF sedii!on.
I General Dyer has since been relieved
Z OF his command by the British gov
I eminent.
| The tex; OF the repor, reveals nu
merous other interesting points made
/ By the commissioners. 80 summing
, witnesses who were examined and
IN formulating the CONCLUSIONS
reached.
ArrniHns PunJub Government.
IVY. nave been Obliged in places
10 use strong language" says the
! commission in the course OF its con-
/ illusions, but wc nave used every
adjective with due deI!beration. If
anything We have unarrated the
i case against the puniab government.
! We recognize that We have no right
! TO exact AN Impossible standard OF
/ correctness from the govern;nent In
! times OF excitement and difficulty.
any oiiicer rs prone TO make mis-
I takes. in spite OF the best intentions
in the world. We recognize. too. that
/ when the country Is on the eve OF
| important changes introduced IN the
administration. and the sovereign has
made an appeal TO the officials and
should say nothing that may be call
culatcd to reiard the progress.
But we feel that It is not posi-
| ole 10 Ignore acts OF atroc!ous in
/ justice on = Wholesale scale by re-
/ sponsible officers. AZ II would not
! be possible. no matter how bright
I
criminal acts OF the people. In our.
/ opinion. il is more necessary now
than ever before that the official
W.. snoHid be be- pIrEed' as vel! as
/ the reforms and making India real
/ lie her goal In the quickest time pos
J s!ble would be well-n!ght impossible
| u both the people and the officials
7 lid not approach il with clean hands
! and clean minds. II. therefore. we
recommend that officials who have
ha oh m. ittc Ion.
/ we do SO. not in v!nd!ctivc spirit,
/ but in order that the administration
/ OF the country may become purified
OF corruption and injustice. Whilst,
| therefore, we believe that the mob
eXcesses in Amritsar and elsewhere
were wrong and deserving OF con-
! the popular m!sdccds have been more
than punished by the action OF the
! authorities
Niceroy Indifferent TO Appeals.
In examining, in detail, the events
| in the different districts OF the Pun
jab. we have refrained from saying
anything regarding the government
Of India 1t is impossible, however,
II not the active participation. OF
| the central government in the OFF,
/ cial action. His EXcellcncy. the Vice.
roy; never took the trouble OF ex-
aiming the peoples case. He ig-
| norcu kilograms and letters from in
d!viduals and public bodies. He in
! dorsed the action Of the Punjab gov
cernment without inquiry. lie clothed
the officials with indemnity in indie
cent haste. He never went TO Pun
jab TO make :. personal inquiry. even
after the occurrences. He ought TO
have known, at least IN May, every
thing that the various official wit
ncsscs have admitted. and yet he
! failed to inform the public or the
! ture OF the Jalleanwala Bagh mas
sacre. or the subsequent acts done
n nnae tb, mari IT. law Whilst we do
iiuliy neglectfui of the interests of
nose VINO were intrusted TO his
charge by His Majesty, we regret
Chelmsford. proved himself ncapa-
BILE of holding the high Office to
which he was called. and we are OF
/ be recalled"
Other conclusions OF the commit
tee were stated as follows:
aDG ssnDs Of Sir he Ru" 6bw ysrs
administration by reason of his stud
led contempt and distrust of the ed
ucated classes. and by reason of the
/ ed during the war, for obtaining re-
cruits and monetary contributions
and by his suppression of public
opinion by gaEEing the local press
and shutting out nationalist news
papers from outside the Punjab.
Natives Lose Confidence In Uritish.
The Rowlatt agitation disturbed
the public mind and shook public
confidence in the good will OF the
| government This was shared by tho
Puntab in fuller measure. perhaps,
made by Sir IT, o 5feSSsa o. Of the the d ae
I Tense OF India act for purposes OF
sitting public movements
The Satyagraha Civil rcsistancc)
movement and the hartal. which was
designed 80 n precursor OF It, whilst
they vitalized the whole country into
activity. saved 1t from more awful
| and more widespread calamitics. by
restraining the violent tendencies
and passions OF the people.
The Rowlatt agitation was not
conceived In an nnti-BritIsh spirit.
conceived and conducted in spirit