The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-06-18
SCORE OFFICIALS } IN INQUIRY ON PUNJAL TROUBLE Commission Asks Recall of ' Army Men and Officials
 of State. Claim Examination of
 Public Case Neglected Massacre Described As Cal culated Piece of h.
 humanity.

New Ork, June II---A SIIOhS ar + raignment of the administration of i the Punjab district in India in con- tnection with the troubles in the l q spring of 1919, including the massa- l ere at Amritsar, characterized as "a 4 Calculated piece of innumanity," is contained in the report of the com nissioners appointed by the Punjab subcommittee of the Indian Nation al Congress to investigate the disor ders and their cause. Full copies of , this report have now reached this country. e CabIed reports of the findings of the Commission showed that it had z recommended the recall of Lord Chelmsford, the Viceroy, the reliev- ffng of Sir Michael O'Dwyer, the lieu tenant governor of the Punjab, of any . responsible office under the crown, the demotion of General R. E. H. . Dyer. commander-in-chief of the British forces in India, and of other . British and Indian officials involved in the troubles, as well as the re- peal of the objectionable Rowlatt act, which ostensibly was enacted for the suppression of sedition- General z Dyer has since been relieved of his command by the British govern ment.
 The text of the report reveals nu- merous other interesting points made q by the Commissioners in summing up the evidence of more than 1.7Oo witnesses who were examined and in formulating the conclusions reached
 We have been obliged in places Ito use strong language" says the Commission in the course of it's con- clusions, 'tbut we have used every adjective with due deliberation. If anything we have underrated the case against the Punjab Govern ment. We recognize that we have no right to exact an impossible stan dard of correctness from the Gov ernment. In times of excitement and difficulty, any officer is prone to ] make mistakes, in spite of the best intentions in the world. We recog- . nize, too, that when the country is on the eve of important changes in- , troduced in the administration, and the Sovereign has made an appeal to the officials and the people for CO., operation, we should say nothing that may be calculated to retard the pro- gress.
 But we feel that it is not possible to ignore acts of atrocious injustice on a wholesale scale by responsible | officers, as it would not be possible, y-ro matter how bright the future !. might be, to ignore the criminal acts of the people. In our opinion, it is more necessary now than ever . before that the official wrong should be purged as well as the peoples. ' The task of working the reforms and making India realize her goal in the quickest time possible would be well | nigh impossible, if both the people and the officials did not approach 1t with clean hands and clean minds If, therefore we recommend that of- ficials who have erred should be brought to justice, we do so, not in vii, ictf order the administration of tho 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 condemnation, we are equally sure that the popular misdeeds have been more than pun : ished by the action of the authori- ties.
 "In examining in detail. the events in the different districts of the Pun jab, we have refrafned from saying (. anything regarding the government of India. It is impo ossible, however, to ignore or slur over the inaction, if not the active participation of the Central Government in the official ac- tion His Excellency, the Viceroy never took the trouble of examining the peoples case He ignored tele- !, grams and letters from individuals
 
 action of the Punjab Government without inquiry He clothed the of fcials with indemnity in indecent haste He never went to Punjab to make a personal inquiry, even after the occurrences He ought to have known. at least in May, everything that the various official witnesses have admitted, and yet he failed to , inform the public or the Imperial Government of the full nature of the { Jalleanwala Ragh massacre, or the subsequent acts done under Martial Law Whilst we do not think His Excerency was wilfully neglectful of the interests of those who were en- trusted to his charge by His Majesty we regret to say that His Excellency Lord Chelmsford. proved himself in capable of holding the high office to which he wass called, and we are o1 opinion that His Excelency should be recalled"
 Other conclusions of the commit tee were stated follows:
 '-The people of the Punjab were in censed against Sir M O'Dwyers ad
 ministration by reason of his studied contempt and distrust of the educat ed classes, and by reason of the crue and compulsory methods, adoptes during the war, for obtaining re cruits and monetary contribution
  ion by gaggins the local press an; shutting out nationalist newspaper from outside the Punjab.
 "The Rowlatt agitation disturbed the public mind and shook publi
 confidence in the good will of tn
 government. This was shared b, fhe Punjab in a fuller measure, per haps, than elsewhere, because of tn
 use made by Sir M- O'Dwyer of tn
 Defence of India Act for purposes O
 stfffng public movements.
 'aThe Satyagraha (civil resistance
 movement, and the hsrtal which wa
 designed as a precursor of it, whils
 they vitalized the whole country int
 activity, saved it from more awfu
 and more widespread calamities, b
 restraining the violent tendencies an
 passions of the people.
 '~rhe Rowlatt agitation was nc
 conceived in an anti British spirf
 and the eatyagraha movement wa