द इण्डियन स्ट्रगल / भारतीय स्वाधीनता संग्राम (नेताजी सुभाष चन्द्र बोस - ऐतिहासिक विश्लेषण)

276 THE INDIAN STRUGGLE for non-co-operation and the leaders of the Jamiat soon found themselves in prison. This decision of the Jamiat considerably strengthened the position of the Nationalist Moslems, who had all along been an integral part of the Congress, and of the Moslems of the Frontier Province who were going through the worst form of official repression. Nevertheless, the odds were against the Congress. In Bombay, which had been the storm centre in 1930, Hindu-Moslem riots broke out in May and dragged on for nearly six weeks. Owing to this outbreak, the Congress campaign in Bombay suffered a terrible set-back from which it could not recover. In Gujerat, the harassed, persecuted and impoverished peasantry could no longer wage the brave fight of which they could boast in 1930. In the United Provinces, after some months, the no-rent campaign could not make further headway in the face of official repression. In Bengal, more serious than the civil- disobedience movement was the terrorist campaign of the revolutionaries. But though terrorism was a thorn to the Government, it brought untold hardship on the people, since several districts like Chittagong, Midnapore and Dacca were virtually handed over to martial law and the innocent villagers were subjected to heavy collective fines for the misdeeds committed by unknown people. During the year a liberal use was made of fire-arms for dispersing Congress demonstrations. Replying to a question in the Indian Legis- lative Assembly, the Home member to the Government of India, Mr. (now Sir) H. G. Haig stated that in dispersing 'assemblies, firing was resorted to seventeen times in Bengal, seven times in the United Provinces, three times in Bihar and Orissa, once in Madras Presidency, once in the Frontier Province—while in Bombay Presidency the casualties from shooting, were thirty-four killed and ninety-one wounded. In this situation, when the Congress was engaged in a life and death struggle, an unexpected development took place which led to a complete side-tracking of the civil-disobedience movement in the country. That was the fast of Mahatma Gandhi on September 20th, 1932. On March 11th, the Mahatma had written to Sir Samuel Hoare informing him that in keeping with what he had