Sixty -Sikh and _Mohammedan warders of the Ward Road Goal have been dismissed, and an agita-for arrested in the grounds of H.M. Consulate-General, as the result of dissatisfaction arising over the promotion of a Havildar.
The trouble started on June 27, at 6 am. when the 60 warders refused to go on duty, giving as their reason their dissatisfa: tion at the promotion of a certain Havildar to the rank of Havildar-Major. They considered that another Havildar should have been promoted. These 60 warders are mostly junior men, with less two years' service, and represent a small fraction of the gaol strength: there are in all some 300 Indian warders, The Superintendent of Gaols, M:
Sims, promptly paraded thers warders'and talked to them. His words had little effect, so Captain Kennedy, Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Indians, was called in. He talked to them length, also without effect, Major Gerrard, Commissioner of Police, also came along and- talked to them. The men presented number of alleged grievances besides the promotion of the man they did not fancy.
'The men vere told that their grievances would be thoroughly considered, but that they must first} go back to duty. 'This they would not do. They were given every chance, and the time in which, to return' to duty extended to 6 p.m., but they failed to turn up, and the services with the Municipal Gaol staff automatically ended at 6 p.m. on June 27, Mr. A. P, Blunt, Superintending Gonsul, had talked to ths men for two hours in the afternoon, when they all went to H. M. Consulate-General to obtain "justice at the hands of the British" Raj", Dut his words also had small effect.
At 6 p.m, the men left the Consulate grounds, There was no disturbance, the men behaving them-ives perfectly. However, they spent the night at the Gurdwara and there listened to agitators, and did not consider the words of [the various people in author ity who had talked to them. On June 28 they again appeared at the Consulate to try to get their grievances attended to.
'The men once' more sat round it in a perfectly orderly manner. However, there were two or three me leged to be well-known agitators, and having no connection with the police or gaol staff amonget 75 the crowd, and one of them' was said' to have told the crowd to rush the consulate and burn it. As a result a warrant was sworn out, and shortly after 11 a.m. Bur Singh was arrested by D. S. Ross of the Indian Section, C.'T. D., for inciting some 40 men to burn the Consulate-General, contrary Article 79 of the China Grders in Counci Just before Bur Singh was arrested, Captain Kennedy paraded the 40' warders on the Lawn to one si of the Consulate-General, and M: Blunt addressed the mex, through the Indian Interpreter of H..M. Court, speaking as follows:
"There are many good men among you. Instead of doing your duty, you have neglected your duty, and instead of obeying orders, you have listened to agitators and have betrayed the trast reposed in you by the Council and the communi You have come to this Consulate intent upon intimidation and forcible persuasion, and have defied your superiors who at all times have your welfare at heart.
must tell you that. you have all been dismissed the Force, the honourable force to which you be-Jong. Those of you who have pensions will lose them, together:
whatever honours you possess. Your pay will be given to you within two or three days, when your connection with the Force will automatically cease. T make no promises, but we will try to arrange your passage back to your country, but, apart from that, you must leave Shanghai within a few weeks. low you must all go back to the Gaol, surrender your arms, kit, Jand any' other Municipal property jin your possession, and await what-fever orders are issued before you eave Shanghai for gocd. If any one of you atiompts.to agitate, either now or before you: leave Shanghai, he will be dealt with.
"The British Government are tired of agitation. The man who has been primarily responsible for this agitation on your part has been arrested, and will be dealt with, and if you do not leave these grounds within half an hour, you will be dealt with. I urge you to leave peaceably, Go!"
To the credit of the men it must be said that they made no attempt to do any damage, and also left the Consulate grounds peace ab! Whether the presence of a riot squad from the Reserve Unit and extra policemen stationed round the consulate grounds had any bearing on this attitude or not cannot be said, but actually there was no unseemly behaviour.
The men walked out of the grounds within two or three minutes of Mr. Blunt's address, the great majority of them walking over the Garden Bridge towards the Ward Road Gaol.
All the men returned to the Gaol, as instructed, and turned in their kit to stores, leaving as private citizens. There was no trouble of any sort, and the men behaved quite well, probably realizing that they were slightly foolish in doing what} they did. The whole affair was purely domestic, and apparently has' no political significance.
In H. M, Police Court on June 20, before Mr. C. G. O. Anderson, Acting Registrar, Bur Singh was charged under Article 79 of the China Order in Council (1925) with having, June 28 incited 40 Municipal Goal warders to burn H. M. Consulate-
General if certain' demands submitted to H. M. (Consul-General were rejected.
Mr. Victor Priestwood, Assistant) Crown (Advocate, prosecuted; the defendant was not represented. Mr. B.S, W. Winter, Assistant Municipal Advocate, watched the proceedings} on behalf of the police.
Outlining the case for the Crown, Mr. Priestwood said: "The circum: stances which led up to the arrest fof the accused were as follow: On Friday last certain Sikh warders in the Municipal Goal expressed dissatisfaction at the promotion of a certain Havildar Major. Various} senior members of the Shanghai Muneipal Police endeavoured to induce them to return to their duti However, they elected to strike, and eventually came to this Con-[sulate, where they saw the Consul-(General. They were then told that! if they did not go back to their] work they would be dismissed.
"Although it was understood that they would return to their duties at 6 pam. that day, they failed to do, with the result that they were dismissed. Despite their having been so dismissed, they came again to the Consulate grounds, where they collected on the grass outside the building. They were quite peaceful. The accused had; nothing to do with them and he was not a warder. As far as is known, he was entirely unconnected with "their complaint. [He seas heard to say that if the Consulate Idid not do as the men wished they' would burn the Consulate. That} was a statement on which action Jhad to be taken and he was rested by Actg, Det, lins, D. B. Ross".
Act: Det. Ins. Ross, fence of arrest, said that when rested the defendant had made no statement beyond saying, "You can take me where you like."
At this stage of the proceedings, defendant shouted from the dock that he wanted legal assistance. Mr. Priestwood said that in fairness to the defendant he would raise no objection to an adjournment. Mr. Anderson accordingly adjourned the proceedings.
second Sikh named Sapuran Singh was brought before Mi Anderson later in the morning, this time on a charge of distributing, seditious literature on Bubbling Well Road on June 29.
Det. Ins. Ross said that he had! seen the accused standing at the corner of Mohawk and Bubbling Well Roads with a bundle of leaflets in his arms, He was handing: them to both foreign and Chinese pedestrians. Several British sold-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.