Serious Row Among Local Sikhs as to Control of Gurdwara; Five Men Injured in Faction Fight: The Versatility and Career of Gajjan Singh For some time past there have been minor troubles among a branch of the Sikhs in Shanghai—those who attend the Gurdwara situated in the Hongkew district just outside of [the "Settlement, and the position seems to have come more or less to head on Sunday when between two factions interested in that establishment there was something after the nature of a free fight. Five Sikhs were injured in the process, one! very seriously, hig skull having been fractured. The police are making inquiries into the case, but at the. time of writing no arrests have been made.
The history of this quarrel is of such a nature that a short account of it may serve to enlighten those liar with the causes of these! quarrels which from time to time find an echo in prosecutions in the British Court, together and declined to admit him. Then physical trouble began, in the course of which the five Sikhs were insured, ineliding the man. who received a fractured shall and who: is now in the General Hospital, Gajjan Singh's Career To realize the seriousness of the situation it is necessary to go into the career of this man Gajjan Singh, jhe secretary who will not demi¢ office according to the statement of the Majha Sikhs, His name has Been before the public on several Occasions, and it was only a very few months ago that it was mentioned in the British Court. Om that occasion a Sikh was sent to prison on a charge of shooting at and wounding another Sikh, and part. of the evidence was that the offence was committed because of a row with the same Gajjan Singh.
Malwa and Majha It is unnecessary to go into all the differences which in India bring different classes of Sikhs into conflict, and it will be sufficient to state that the two principal bodies of these here are the Malwa and the Majha Sikhs, A number of both these branches of the Indian community adhere to the Gurdwara in Hongkew, possibly to the number of 150. Other Sikhs attend the Police Gurdwara in Gordon Road, but with that establishment we are not con-
A working arrangement was long' since arrived at as to the control of this Hongkew Gurdwara, and it is roughly that the secretary shall be a Malwa Sikh for one year and for the succeeding one the post will be held by a Majha Sikh, Occasion. aly the exact rotation may not be followed, but this the general principle. It was because of the refusal of the Present Malwa secretary to vacate office that the trouble of Sunday afternoon oceurred.
The Trouble Breaks The first intimation that the] Municipal Police of the state of affairs was when at 3.20 p.m. on Sunday a badly wounded man arrived; at North Szechuan Road Police Station. As goon as possible, after his account of the trouble had been received, all available foreign and Sikh police were to Gurdwara, and there they found that the Malwa Sikhs were lined up fon one side of the compound, the Majha Sikhs on the other, apparently waiting for an opportunity to get at each other. The strong hand of the police prevented what seemed to be an ble collision, ani one that would probably have had serious results, for all the men were armed with heavy brass-bound ichs. A watch was kept on their movements, and after a couple of hours they quietened down and finally dispersed.
The reason for the fracas which had taken place a short time before was given as follows. The secretary of the Gurdwara was Gajjan Singh, a Malwa Sikh, and as his term of office had duly expired, a Majha committee set about electing one of their number as secretary. This man was Fauja Singh, but apparent ly when he went to' assume office Gajjan Singh collected a few friends This secretary of the Gurdwara }who is so reluctant to quit offic, has had an interesting career. Shanghai. About 1919 the Sikhs Tointed out to the Municipal CounciP that there were absolutely no educational facilities for their. children in Shanghai, and the Councik asked for the services of a teacher from the Educational Department of India. Gajjan Singh was selected, and arriving here, he conducted lass for Sikh children as a depart ment of the Thomas Hanbury School. In the course of time rumours reached the ears of the authorities regarding certain political activities of his, and he was asked to resign in 1923. Then followed the publica. tion under his auspices of the Hind Jagawa," a newspaper of thoroughly seditionist character which the Indian authorities pro scribed from entry into the country. Gajjan Singh made an appearance: in the British Court, his newspaper and printing plant were confiscate, and he was bound over.
A Man of Versatility In his early days in Shanghat Gafjan Singh is understood to have declined attendance at the Gurdwara, but after losing his job first ay schoolmaster and then as editor, he began to take part with enthusiasm inthe doings of the Hongkew institution, and ultimately became secretary. It was while he was javting in this capacity that evidence was given in the course of a Sikh case already mentioned to the effect that Gurdwara funds were being used not for religious but political This apparently is part of the complaint which a branch of the Sikhs have against his continuance in the capacity of secretary. There appears to be no doubt that a new secretary has been properly appoint ed for the Gurdwara, but how to get him installed into that office seems to be beyond the genius of its members. The physical argument, as is shown by the proceedings of Sunday, proves stronger than the Jogical, and it may be feared that any attempt to put the new secretary into office is only likely to lead to further trouble. At the same time the continuance in office of Gajjan Singh is certain to prove equally prolific of strife, if) not more so, but as the Gurdwara is outside the Settlement the problem Presents great difiulty in its handing. accept the decision of my Govern ment. Accordingly I have teleszaphed to the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs at Shanghai asking him to withdraw my motion for a hearing which I filed previously so as to be in accord with the structions from the judicial authorities. I learn that at the last hearing the lawyer for the plaintiff inquired whether my absence was Cue to the high official position I hold and whether I occupy such a position as to be above the law. In answer thereto, I want to declare emphatically that, as a citizen of the Republic of China, I duty to abide by the law on account of my high ofteial position there are more reasons why I should obey the law to the letter in order to set an example for others, but the law that I deem it my duty to obey is Chindse lew and not the law of a court, the legal status of which is under dispute, The order which I will obey is the order of a legal court establish-fed under the law of the Chines Republic and not the order of court which is under the control of the Shanghai Body. T have given considerable attention to the question as to which law should obey, the law of my own country or the law of the Mixed Court, the order of the Ministry of Justice or the order of the Mixed Court. I have concluded, in order to protect the national rights of China, that the only course for me to adopt is to accept the decision of the Supreme Court and obey" the instructions of the Ministry of Justice. Any other step will Lead the ess of judicial rights, an" essential attribute of a sovereign government, and would be an insult the high dignity of the Chinese Nanking, July 25, 1928, y"*
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.