Report on the Administration of the Punjab and its Dependencies, for 1919-20 to 1923-24 (bounded together)

· 1921 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

14 PUNJAB ADMINISTRATION REPORT.

2Station (which was sacked), and other Europeans with diffi-

3culty rescued from death at the hands of the crowd. Post

4_ offices were looted or burned, and finally the gathering was

5dispersed by the fire of the police. At Gujranwala violence

6was not indulged in until the 14th April, when attacks were

7made on the telegraph and telephone wires and the mob was

8fired on by the police while attempting to destroy the main

9line. Subsequently, the Post office, tahsil, English church,

10~d4k bungalow and district court were burned: and order

11was not restored until 3 aeroplanes arrived and employed

12-bombs and machine-guns to scatter the crowds. The

13disorder which showed itself in the town of Gujranwala

14spread extensively in the Gujranwala District, outbreaks.

15- occurring in 14 different places and including attacks on

16Europeans and on the railway and its communications. In

17Gujrat a mob which had made anattack on the Mission

18school and headquarters railway station had to be dis-

19persed by fire, while one or two comparatively minor outrages,

20such as the derailment of a train and cutting of telegraph wires,

21were reported. In the Lyallpur District also damage was done

22to Government property and railway communications. In

23other districts there were sporadic outrages and incidents,

24many of them in cantonments or at important points on the

25main lines of railways. In some cases the railway staff

26which had grievances of its own took a hand in fomenting

27disturbances or organizing strikes. From the 17th April

28the most serious manifestations practically abated,.

29although wire-cutting took place as late as the 2nd May.

30The declaration of war by Afghanistan six days later imported

31a new element of uncertainty into an improving situation.

32By the 11th June martial law had been withdrawn from all

33areas except the railways: and this exception was abolished

34on the 25th August.

356. For the trial of offenders by Commissions three

36martial Jaw ordinances were promulgated. In addition,

37minor offences under martial law were disposed of by

38officers (mostly military) exercising summary powers and

39known as Area officers, or by civil officers. On the termina-

40tion of martial law tribunals were appointed under the

41Defence of India Act to try the more serious remaining cases.

42A large number of persons were sentenced by the courts to-

43various terms of imprisoument, but during the summer the

44Local Government took occasion to modify a-considerable

45proportion of the sentences, and towards the end of the year