I had deputed Mr. Colton, Superintendent of Police, and Babu
Ambikanandan Singh, Sub-Divisional Officer to take up a position
opposite the Congress office and to arrest the ring leaders and the most
truculent of the volunteers as it did not appear to be safe to allow
them to remain at large, specially as fresh volunteers continued to pour
into the city. Those selected were marched down under an escort to the
Jail....
The procession was accompanied by noisy music and the usual shouts of
non-co-operation were raised. He (Chaudhari Athar Ali) refused to go
before the Deputy Magistrate as requested but mounting the steps of the
Congress office delivered a speech. After reciting certain words from
the Qoran he addressed the crowd, and in a loud voice, declared that
this tyrannical Government or tyrannical race (both versions are given)
should be destroyed. The crowd, which was in a state of fanatical
frenzy, replied, "_Amin_, it will be destroyed immediately". He exhorted
the crowd to "become volunteers, enrol volunteers and fill the
jails--victory to Islam". The cry was taken up by the crowd. Seeing that
the speech was causing great excitement, the Deputy Magistrate directed
the police to produce him before him. He refused to go to the jail in
the _Ekka_ provided by the Deputy Magistrate, but insisted on going on
foot, taking a circuitous route at the head of the procession of 500 or
1,000 men. He stopped the procession at various places and at these
halts the usual _jais_ were raised. The police were abused and
Government servants were called dogs and pigs. On this day ten
volunteers were arrested. On this date also there was the same commotion
in the city, but the number of volunteers decreased.
Throughout the four days the volunteers created disturbances. It was
obvious that the movement was entirely a Mahomedan one. Not a single
Hindu volunteer appeared. The Mahomedan volunteers and the crowd which
cheered them on were filled with religious enthusiasm and hatred of the
British Government. The intention of their leaders apparently, was to
provoke the Police to acts of violence against them, and also to prove
that they could insult the Government official with impunity, and were
not afraid to go to jail. The following remark made in jail by Nawab
Ali, an ex-vakil, a few minutes after his sentence, in the presence of
two magistrates and a large number of pleaders, is significant. "By
imprisonment people would get accustomed to the horrors of jail. By
shooting they would learn to bare their breasts to rifle shots and
bayonets. Men ready to be shot should now be enlisted." The accused have
been convicted.--_The Pioneer January 20, 1922._