Evening star., 1946-02-24
British Fight Night Long Bottle
With Rioting Bombay Civilians;
3-Doy Casualties Put at 1,750
Soldiers Open Fire
On Sureing Mob in
Northern Suburb
BY the Assoeiosed Pres,

BOMBAY, Sunday, Feb. "a
Two hundred persons were killed
or injured during a night of
rioting and clashes between
British troops and civilians
which subsidized only in the pre-
dawn hours today after soldiers
opened fire on surging mobs In
the Dadar suburbs area of
Northern Bombay.
Police said many of the nights
casualties were fatalities and that
many bodies were still in Bonn
bay hospitals awaiting removal to
morgues. The unofficial casualty
list, not including the nights toll,
for the three days of bitter street
fighting included $50 dead and well
over 1900" injured.
Gunfire and street rioting were
confined almost entirely to north
ern sections of the city during the
night and elsewhere Bombay was
quiet.
The latest outbreak came after
Mohandas K. Gandhi had appealed
to Indians to end this thoughtless
orgy Of violence" and after the sur
render yesterday morning OF In
dian sailors whose mutiny on Thurs
day had touched off disorders here
and in other cities.
Field Pieces Mounted.
Several hundred troops were
rushed into the Dadar area yes
terday and field pieces were mount
ed. The suburb was described as
tense after a textile mill and
train were set on fire.
Crowds had seized control of
4-square-mile area in Northern
Bombay, where the main riotinp
had moved from the downtown Sec
ton.
One unofficial estimate placed
yesterdays casualties at IS killed
and $50 injured, not including Q
contables killed and so police in
jured.
British troops and police fired on
the rioting crowds more than a
dozen times. Sympathy strikes. in
which 100000 workers took part,
were called here and in Calcutta.
A British communique last night
said additional army forces had been
brought into Bombay.
Heavy firing was reported yester-
day evening in the mill area, encom-
passed for the first time in the cur
few, which is in effect from 7:30
pm. until $50 am. Police said cur
few violators would be shot on sight.
Appeal Made at Poona. 4
Gandhi, spiritual leader of mil
lions of Indians and advocate of
passive means to gain Nationalist
goals, issued his appeal at Poona.
"Mutiny ip the navy and what is
following are not in any sense of the
term non-violent," he said.
Let it not be said that the Indi-
ans of the Congress (party) spoke
to the world of winning swaraj
(home rule) through non violent
action and belied the words in ac-
tion-and that, too, at a critical
period of her life"
Last nights communique said the
ships aboard which the Indian sail
ors mutinied were being demobilized
and small arms removed without
incident"
The striking seamen remained
aboard the vessels, and were being
issued rations, the communique ad-
ded. Surrender was denoted by rails
ing black flag, in accordance with
orders of the naval commander,
Vice Admiral Sir John Godfrey.
An examination of the Castle Rock
Barracks ashore, where barricaded
sailors fought long rifle duel with
British troops, showed one Indian
sailor. killed and two wounded, the
comnunique added. Previously an
escapee had reported that 200 NUT
ineers were killed in the fun fight.
No Mass Punishment.
The surrender of the sailors both
ashore and af1oat, estimated at 12,-
900 men, took place at 900 am
yesterday.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, presi-
dent of the Indian National Con-
gress, said he had received assur-
ance from the British commander
in clSef in India, Gen. Sir Claude
Auchinleck, that there would be no
mass punishment of the sailors and
(see BOMBAY, Page A-5.)