Their main activities were directed to stirring up religious fanaticism.
In mosques, in bazars mendacious stories were told regarding the
bombardment and desecration of the Sacred Places of Islam. They were
told that Hindu and Mahomedan women had been outraged and that medicines
issued from dispensaries were mixed with wine and that the fat of cows
and pigs was used in the manufacture of cloth. There was boycott and
intimidation to prevent foreign cloth sellers from importing any more
cloth, and to force them to sign a pledge not to do so. This went on
until November and the beginning of December when the picketing of
schools started. That is a typical report from a district which takes
very little to set it ablaze. What has recently happened there you have
already read in the papers. There are many other instances which strike
me, but there is one typical instance from Etawah. There is a fair which
has been held there for many years. It was picketed. People were
prevented from coming in by open intimidation and finally attempts were
made to blacken the face of a Maulvi on his way to the Islamia High
School, of which he is manager. I can multiply these instances, and, if
any member of the Council wishes to know the representations which were
received from these districts, I am perfectly willing to let him see the
reports in order that he may satisfy himself as to what the real
condition was.
Pandit Radha Kant Malviya: Will the Hon. Member read the report from
Allahabad.
Sir Ludovic Porter: We had a report from the Commissioner of Allahabad,
on whose judgment I place great reliance, just before we enforced this
Act. He expressed his reasoned opinion that if we allowed matters to
drift any further, there would be a widespread disaster. He also stated
that from information he had received, the whole camp of non-co-operators,
in Allahabad were particularly cheerful with regard to the outlook, and
they thought great developments in their favour were shortly going to
take place. Well that was our position. As to the nature of this
non-violent non-co-operation, we had no delusions.