Mother's Chronicles - Book Six

29

The French League

Ashe, the Collector of Tinnelvelly, was shot at close range on the platform of Maniyachi Railway Station in the same District on 17 June 1911. He later died. Vanchi Aiyer who shot Ashe, committed suicide. On his body was found a letter in Tamil which stated that every Indian was trying to drive out the English and that "3000 Madrasis had taken a vow to kill George V as soon as he landed in the country." Fourteen persons were implicated and went on trial at the Madras Court. The Special Bench, comprising Sir Charles Arnold White (Chief Justice), Justice Sankaran Nair, and Justice Ayling, pronounced its preliminary verdict on 15 February 1912. The judges were unanimous in rejecting the prosecution charge of abatement of murder against the fourteen, so on that count all of them were acquitted. But the three judges differed in their perception on the accusation against the fourteen for conspiring to wage a war against the King. At any rate, what the judges explained in their judgment was that the accused, mainly the first accused Nilakanta Brahmachari, was sent out from Pondicherry, and the conspiracy was hatched from the French territory; they quoted copiously from India,

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British government through its representative in Madras, mounted pressure on the French: nothing short of the extradition of the Indian political refugees would do. The 'Swadeshis' were naturally alarmed. They alerted their French friends in France. There followed quite an exchange of letters between the Ligue Francaise pour la Defense (les Droits del 'Homme el du Citoyen

September 22, 1911

"Minister, Sir,

"Already in the past I drew the attention of your predecessors to the too great condescension the administrative authorities of French India show towards the police and administration of English India. Quite recently, I conveyed to you a complaint from Mr. Srinivassacharya, a British Hindu (waiting for a naturalization), whose letters with the mention 'by French liners only,' are, it appears, arbitrarily opened by the administration of the English Post Office while in transit through English India.

"Some reliable correspondents, themselves notified by telegram, inform me that the English police are at the moment 'more and more interfering.' They may demand, it is feared, the expulsion of Messrs. Ayar [WS Aiyar] and Arabinda Gosh [sic], both members of the nationalist Hindu party, as well as other refugees whose names are not with us.

"Mr. Ayar, who lived in Paris, has always kept in Pondicherry the strictest reserve; he never took part in any plot and there is no reason why he could be troubled, our correspondents assure us. The same is true for Arabinda Gosh, a

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famous writer who is said to have given up all politic activities to confine himself to philosophical and religious speculation."

The president of the League went on to express the hope that the French authorities were indeed not thinking of expelling those having full trust in the hospitality of the French Republic. But in case some of the political refugees had indeed to be expelled, at least not to hand them over to the Anglo-Indian administration; and immediately to give explicit instructions about it to the officials concerned.

Well, the French Minister of Colonies did not tarry (quite unlike our present-day ministers, eh! Indian ministers don't even care to acknowledge receipt of a letter let alone give a reply ...) but sent a polite reply on 18 October, enclosing a copy of the last paragraph of his own letter dated 13 October to the Governor Duprat.

"... In case you would consider it indispensable to order some expulsions, you should however not take the expelled individuals to the British border, but see that they can reach a neutral territory."

Signed: A. Lebrun

However, Lebrun's complete letter to Governor Duprat brings into focus another angle on the subject of 'Swadeshistes.' This was 1911 and the British King, George V who had been crowned the previous year, was on the point of paying a visit with his queen Mary to the 'brightest jewel' of his empire. The French Foreign Office was all of a dither, and surely had talked to the Colonial Ministry.

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Paris, 13 October 1911

"While communicating in your letter n°46 C of 21^st June, various documents relating to Swadeshism, your predecessor [A. Martineau] informed me of his reasons for taking the liberty not to carry out the wishes of the Viceroy of India, who requested searches and seizure of swadeshist documents in the offices of the newspaper Dharman, in Pondicherry.

"I am pleased to inform you that, whatever the nature and importance of the reasons Mr. Martineau put forward, it seems to me inadmissible that the local administration should deny the Anglo-Indian government the assistance it asks in order to check activities that result in crimes and murders of a very dubious political nature.

"The British government would be entitled to blame us for an attitude so contrary to good neighbourly relations and far from circumspect, because of the difficulties we might experience on our own territory on account of Swadeshist agitators.

"I therefore deem it my duty to draw your attention to the necessity of lending the widest support to the British authorities of India in suppressing revolutionary activities that jeopardize our own domination in Hindustan."

By return of post, the president of the French League sent off another missive to the Colonial minister, first thanking him for the instructions he had given to Governor Duprat concerning expulsion of the Hindu nationalists. Then again he expressed his worry at the continued activities of the Anglo-Indian police in French territory.

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19 October 1911

"Minister, Sir,

"Additional information received from credible correspondents, which I take the liberty to communicate to you, will show you that not only is there no need to expel Messrs. Aiyar and Arabinda Gosh and their friends, but that we have to check the intrusion of the Anglo-Indian Police into French territory. Five inspectors and around twenty constables, all belonging to the C.I., surround Mr. Aiyar's house and follow him wherever he goes; I am told there are in Pondicherry town up to two hundred constables. Mr Ayar, in alarm, met the Governor of Pondicherry, who assured him that no decision would be made without thorough investigation.

"However, the constables, scattered all over the town, spread rumours detrimental to the refugees. They say that those Swadeshis cooperate with the party of Mr. Gaston Pierre, teach its members how to make explosives, and make explosives themselves; they allege that the murder of Ashe was prepared in Pondicherry and that one of the accused in the Tinneveli affair is hidden in Pondicherry at Mr. Aiyar's. I understand that all these allegations are false

"Those are, Sir, extremely serious facts: the presence of a large number of British constables in Pondicherry would be dangerous not only for the Swadeshis who sought asylum from the French Republic, but for the security of the town, where they may instigate unrest."

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It was Lebrun who had underlined the words are false besides putting a question mark against them. But promised to keep in touch with the League.

The minister kept his word. He communicated to the League's president that Governor Duprat had assured him the Swadeshis were never harassed by the British Secret Police— "which is momentarily and exceptionally tolerated on our territory owing to the visit of the English sovereigns to India."

Governor Duprat in fact brushed aside the French League's worry and taking liberty with truth gave a clean chit to the Anglo-Indian police.

"... At no time have the Swadeshis suspected by the British Secret Police, which is momentarily and exceptionally tolerated on our territory, really been harassed by that police. I add that the French police, which keep their own watch on the refugees, have not so far informed me of any specific misdeed that could be held against them."

In the same letter dated 10^th January 1912, the governor added that the secret police were to leave the French territory any day now, because "the British monarchs have today sailed to Europe from Bombay."

Well, King George V and Queen Mary left the shores of India after announcing that the Partition of Bengal—the settled and irrevocable fact—was now revoked, and that Bengal was again one, undivided. Everyone in the government heaved a sigh of relief, hoping fervently that now the terrorist menace had no more reason to exist.

At least so thought the French government.

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