PETITION BY LABOUR UNION
According to, The secret abstract of Intelligence for the year 1924, Jammu and Kashmir Archives, File No. B of 1924, In July 1924, when the members of the Salary Commission paid a visit to the Silk Factory, the labourers struck work and sat in front of the factory. Factory director asked them to go to their work and to allow the members of the above Commission a chance to inspect the same but all warmth proved in vain. The labourers demanded immediate redressal of their grievances. The members of the Commission returned and all the labourers went to Hazuri-Bagh, Srinagar where, after due consultations, they went to Gupkar to approach the higher authorities for redressal of their grievances.
They assembled in the Hazuri Bagh, Srinagar and went in a procession to represent their grievances to Residency in Kashmir, where they were intercepted by the police. These workers then sent a petition, to the Chief Minister in which they complained that instead of being increased, their wages had been decreased. The workers also demanded an increase in their wages. Ravinderjit Kaur reports the petition in his book, Political Awakening in Kashmir, Ravinderjit Kaur, pp.133, ‘’By the direction of the late director and by the governor of His Highness Maharaja Sahib Bahadur and his Ministers, our daily rates had been increased up to four annas and now owing to the famine and scarcity of all the things we were in great hope that we shall get progress in the rate as deceased In-charge Director was making efforts about this.
Nowadays when public coolies are getting high rates and all officers and common servants of the State are granted allowances by the state for the famine, we are the unlucky employees of the Silk factory to whom Instead of increasing, the rates decreased by the present ln-charge director, for which we submitted him a request, he answered that. “ I will beat you,if you come to my office, for this case, and I will close the factory forever… If the state does not decide our case, we shall be obliged to leave the work of this factory praying for your long life and prosperity.”
PERSECUTION OF LABOURS
According to, National Achieve of India, Foreign Department, Political,1924, No.19.(2) ’’On July 19, 1924, the District Magistrate was told at Gupkar,Srinagar by the Member of Commerce and Industries, that the situation had grown very serious in the silk factory and had actually resulted in the breach of peace in the form of assaults being committed on sericulture officials and that their lives and property were in danger. District Magistrate, Kashmir to the Resident in Kashmir,21st July 1924. , As the situation was reported to be critical and the attitude of the labourers threatening, immediate steps were taken by the District Magistrate, Mr.Glancy and the other members of the Council to clear the factory of the labourers without making arrests. Consequently, military troops were ordered to be moved to the Silk Factory. The Colonel Commandant was requested to place the Infantry and the Cavalry in immediate charge of the factory so that the labourers might not further mischief. According to, Ghulam Hassan Khan, op.cit.,p.88.,The police under the charge of Pandit B.N.Koul took possession at the entry gate of the factory as well as the filatures, where the labourers had now entered and were raising slogans “Down with Pandit T.C. Wazir, the then assistant filature officer. On 20th July, before 6 o clock, twenty-five persons out of twenty-seven were arrested quietly and without any demonstration. Out of those arrested, twenty-one were taken to the Central Jail, in Srinagar, and only four were put in custody at the Shergarhi Police station. Out of those arrested, twenty-one were taken to the central jail, in Srinagar, an only four were put in custody at the Shergarhi police station.
VALLEY WIDE DEMONSTRATION AND MASSACRE
In the morning, a crowd of two thousand labours assembled opposite to the Sher-Garhi police station and demanded the release of their leaders. According to report submitted by Deputy Director, Sericulture to the District Magistrate, Kashmir, 19th July, 1924, National Achieve of India , Foreign Department, Politi- cal, 1924, No. 19 (2) : Prominent processionists who took part in this agitation were Ahad Butt, Mohammad Butt ,Kabir Butt, Kadir Dar, Lassa Shah, Shaban Butt, Khaliq Butt, Ismail Sofi, GaffarWani, Kadir Sheikh, Kadir Butt,Rehman Butt, Wali Khan, Saif Baigh, Aziz Hajam, Mohammad Khan, Sultan Dar, Aziz Hajam, Nura Wani, Rahim Wani, Noor Din, Ali Pare, Salaam Dar, Noora Dar and Mubarak Shah. According to, Kaur. Ravinderjit, Political Awakening in Kashmir, New Delhi 2001,pp.116 and Jammu and Kashmir Archives, File No-82/M-92of year 1924, The Governor and the Revenue Minister were the men who have ordered the marshall to kill the young poor boy. The cavalry troops I order to disperse the mob using force which resulted in the death of ten labours and twenty were injured. The wounded were taken to the Mission hospital by the people and corpses of those killed were taken in a lorry by the sepoys. The entire city was handed over to the military. According to, Kaur Ravinderjit, Political Awakening in Kashmir, New Delhi 2001, p.114.,’’The people were ordered to keep the peace. Mirwaiz Moulvi Ahmad Ullah Shah, Mirwaiz Hamadani, Munshi Assad- Ullah, Mirza Ghulam Mustafa, Khawaja Shah Naqshbandi, Dr.Abdul Wahid, Budhe Khan, Mohi -ud-Din Kawoosa, etc. were instructed to see that the peace and order were maintained by the Muslims ‘’.
KASHMIRIS MUSLIM SOUGHT BRITISH INTERVENTION PANDIT MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNMENT
According to, National Archive of India, Foreign Department, Political, 1924, No.19 (2), The Muslim population of Srinagar sturdily objected to the action of the authorities and send a number of telegrams to the viceroy expressing their resentment against the government. The telegrams read: “Kashmiri silk Factory Musalman coolies approached of bribery of Hindus. Instead of consideration about thirty imprisoned, rest marshaled out. Deaths yet unknown, wounded about sixty, Maharaja tries to hush up the whole case, kindly soon relieve from tyranny.” (Sic) Kaur. Ravinderjit, Political Awakening in Kashmir, New Delhi 2001,pp.115 reports another memorandum which reads, Musalmaan of Srinagar respectfully invite your excellency prompt attention to ruthless and most inhuman charges of cavalry amongst the innocent armless and quiet workers of the Silk Factory including children aged eight to ten years at the instance of callous hearted Governor and Revenue member culmination of the show of brute force has been reached ,terrorism Is the order of the day. Here Musalmaans are panic-stricken. They earnestly implore your excellency to deliver the long agonizing poor but loyal Muslims of Kashmir from present dire calamity.
BRITISH GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDED IN- DUCTION OF MUSLIM IN MANAGEMENT:
According to, G.H. Khan, Freedom Movement in Kashmir, New Delhi 1980, p.87, After the trouble was over, the British Resident desired some of the educated workers of the silk factory to be promoted to posts of responsibility. The Resident in Kashmir in its letter to the political secretary to Government of India wrote,“the situation is well in hand and no further trouble is likely to occur. But it will be desirable that effective steps would be taken to remedy any real grievances and to promote some of the educated Musalman workers to posts of responsibility.
DEMAND FOR INQUIRY AND CONDEMNATION
Kaur Ravinderjit, Political Awakening in Kashmir, New Delhi 2001, p.113. On August 5, 1924, the secretary of Muslim Kashmiri conference in its telegram to the Resident in Kashmir expressed. Distressing news about Srinagar disturbances caused widespread alarm. Muslim Kashmiri conference requested the appointment of the inquiry committee immediately consisting of officials and non-officials including conference representative to investigate and report into causes and results of disturbances. The local Khilafat Committee Lahore summoned a HISTORY 09 THURSDAY 02-AUGUST-2018 Follow us on : www.facebook.com/kashmirpen editorkashmirpen@gmail.com kashmir_pen www.kashmirpen.com public meeting in this connection on August 13, 1924, under the Presidentship of Gulam Mohiud-Din Qasuri. The meeting was attended by the thousands of people. The meeting had been held to sympathize with the labourers of the Silk factory of Kashmir who died in the agitation. The committee condemned the action of the government and demanded the appointment of a commission of inquiry to investigate the real causes of the affairs and circumstances to open fire on peace-loving and innocent labourers.
MEMORANDUM TO LORD READING
Kashmiri Muslim submitted a representation to Lord Reading, the then viceroy of India who visited the state in 1924. The signatories of the memorandum such as MirwaizAhmaddullah, Mirwaiz Hamadani, Mufti Sharif-ud-Din, Saad-ud-Din Shawl, Hassan Shah Jalali, and Khawaja Hassan Shah Naqshabandi. The memorandum contained the demands as follows:
- The grant of proprietary rights of the land to the Muslim peasants that were forcibly snatched from them.
- The proportionate representation of the Muslims in the state council according to their population.
- The grant of adequate representation to the Muslims in the state services in order to give to them effective representation. In future, all vacancies are made available to them, and in case the Muslims were requisite qualifications were not locally available, the opportunity should be made available to the outsider Muslims of the adjoining states till such time as the local talent was available.
- The appointment of an important tribunal to inquire into the complaints and to award punishment to weird out corruption from state services.
- The appointment of the Muslims on the important posts of the governor, superintendent of police, Assistant superintendent of customs and in case the Muslims with requisite qualifications were not available, the Englishmen be appointed on these posts.
- The appointment of a tribunal consisting of at least two judges, one of whom was to be an English to conduct the trial of the labourers of the silk factory13.
- The liquidation of the department of shali (un- husked rice) and the removal of restrictions on the import of food grains and restriction of food rationing to the poor people in Srinagar in order to reduce the burden of the peasants who were to pay the revenues in the form of shali.
- The appointment of the Muslims or the English expert in education, the introduction of compulsory free primary education, the appointment of the more Muslim teachers, inspectors than the Hindu and the grant of scholarships to the Muslims for acquiring higher education in India and abroad.
- The abolition of the forced labour and its replacement by the contractual labour.
- The restoration of the land of their respective owners from whom it was illegally seized.
- The appointment of an elected legislative assembly for drafting a constitution for the state and the grant of adequate representation to the Muslims in it.
- The grant of contracts, particularly those relating to forests, roads, and construction to state subjects national in general and to the Muslims in particular.
- The restoration of mosques and religious properties to the Muslims, which was hitherto under the control of the Government and, thus, protection from encroachment by the non-Muslims.
- The appointment of a board consisting of the Muslims to administer the funds spent on the repairs of Jama Masjid and other historical shrines.
- The appointment of a commission composed of the European officers to inquire into the grievances of the Muslims concerning the Zuljinnah procession, the incident at Khangah-i-shah Hamadan and those relating to Islamabad and Baramullah. The state Resident was responsible for the plight of the Muslims as their rights were insecure and trampled down by the local authorities.
PUNISHMENT TO SIGNATORIES
According to, Raghwan, G.S, The warning of Kashmir, Allahabad 1931, p.63.:- The signatories of the memorandum such as Mirwaiz Ahmad- dullah, Mirwaiz Hamadani, Mufti Sharif-ud-din, Saad-ud-din Shawl, Hassan Shah Jalali, and Kha- waja Hassan Shah Naqshabandi were taken to task. The Government exiled Khwaja Saad-udDin shawl to Rawalpindi on the ground of treason. According to, Handa, R.L, History of freedom struggle in princely states, pp.249-250,“The expulsion of Khwaja created a considerable reaction and much resentment among the Muslims and they sent another representation to the Viceroy.’’
The Government dismissed Noor Shah Naqashbandi, a Tehsildar on the charges of intrigue. The Jagir of Hassan Shah Naqshabandi was confiscated, Hassan Shah Jalali, the secretary of the group was deported. The punishment given to the participants to the memorandum aroused outrage and antagonism within the state and outside it.
According to Extract from the confidential diary of the Superintendent of police, Kashmir province, period ending 4th April 1925, File. NO-G/102 of 1924-25, State Archives Repository, The punishment given to the participants to the memorandum aroused outrage and antagonism within the state and outside it. The Youngman’s Muslim association, Jammu held its annual conference on the 7th March to 9th March 1925. The persons who attended the meeting were Hassan Nizami of Delhi, Moulvi Azamatullah of Lahore and Moulvi Mohd of Kashmir. The meeting condemned the action taken by the State Government against the memorialists.
The Anjuman-i-Kashmiri Musalmanan, Gujranwala, criticised the State Government for its action against the memorialists. Similarly, the Youngmen’s Muslim Association of Gujarat ex- pressed its anger and regret at the action of the State Government. According to, Kaur. Ravinder jit, Political Awakening in Kashmir, New Delhi 2001, p.114.,’’ In the meantime, on 23rd September 1925, Maharaja Hari Singh succeeded to the throne after the death of Maharaja Partap Singh. Immediately after his accession to the throne, the young Maharaja started taking independent decisions. He lifted the ban on Saad-ud-Din Shawl and permitted him to return home, the jagir of Naqshbandi was restored and the ban on the other memorialists was also lifted.’’
According to, Tarikh-i-Hurriat-i-Kashmir, Vol.I,p.72; ‘and, The Ranbir, August 23, 1927,’On his return in 1927 Saad-ud-Din Shawl was given a hero’s welcome by the people of Srinagar.
Dr. Eshraf Zainulabideen can be reached at zainlala69@gmail.com
