About 100 Hurs, lodged in Visapur Concentration Camp for over seven years, had requested the British authorities for their release. Due to delay in taking decision, jail break incident took place on June 02, 1922 in which some of the Hurs absconded on the day fixed for Hurs allowing them to visit the bazaar for buying ration.
The long detention at Visapur had resulted severe unrest among Hurs, who at last submitted a joint application of 100 persons to the Governor of Bombay through camp officer on July 02, 1922 requesting repatriation to Sindh. They stated: “For the past seven years we have been honestly doing hard work of cutting out rock. All this labor however has not resulted in improving out lot. We poor people are subjects and children of government and not its foes. An injustice such as we a hundred men have suffered from is unparalleled in the history of British rule in India. We have been transported along with our wives and children to a distant place and put on the hard labor of cutting out rock. It is a pity such a state of things has been possible under British rule, which is reputed to be so just and fair as to give equal protection to all. What is worse is that we are undergoing imprisonment for no definite period of time. An ordinary criminal who is sentenced to seven year imprisonment is relieved of his work and made a Mukadam after a year or two. The government is powerful but our lot has not been improved.”
“Another grievance of ours is that it is not possible for us here to marry as required by our religion, from among our own kinsmen because of limited number of men and women here. Again, we have lost our lands and other property in consequence of our deportation to this place,” the Hurs complained.
The Bombay government forwarded the petition to authorities in Sindh and subsequently sought comments through telegrams sent on August 27, 1922 and August 31, 1922. The Sindh Commissioner Office circulated the petition among District Magistrates of Tharparkar and Nawabshah vide letter September 15, 1922, which was responded in November 1922. W. P. Cowie, the then District Magistrate of Nawabshah in his letter dated November 08, 1922, stated that the Hurs on being sent to Visapur had arranged for care of their property by their relatives or others and that no complaints have yet been raised on this point. He however favored Visapur Hurs saying that their release is dependent not so much on their behavior but on the whim of some officer. “Those at Visapur are forced to do most uncongenial labor and are without hope of returning to Sindh,” he stated pointing out fault of the system of dealing with the Hurs. He suggested retaining Visapur camp as ‘threat’ and that sending certain number of Hurs there but more often exchanging them with others.
The District Magistrate of Tharparkar also gave same report about land and other property of Hurs saying that most of the Hurs had no lands and they had sold livestock at the time of deportation. Only three Hurs – Durani Hingoro, Ali Sher Shah Syed, Attal Bihan and Nabi Shah had land. Durani’s land is being looked after by his son, Ali Sher Sha’s land is given on sharing basis, Attal’s land is looked after by his brother while a respectable person Faiz Mohammad Junejo looks after the land of Nabi Shah.
About the issue of marriages, he stated that female Hurs of marriageable age are at present in the Visapur camp. If there are no suitable matches in their small community at Visapur, they must seek for alliance in Sindh. According to him the suggestion regarding increase in the number of repatriated Hurs is adopted, would solve the question of marriage.
C. H. Brierley, Settlement Officer, Visapur Camp, in a report to Inspector General of Prisons, Bombay Presidency, Poona on June 03, 1922 stated: “While on my way to the settlement to distribute doles shortly before 5 O’ clock last evening, I received a message that five Hurs (single men) had escaped from the Pimpalgaon village where they had gone for purchasing food etc. from the weekly bazaar.
On February 12, 1923, the Bombay Government in a memorandum to Sindh Commissioner said that: “Government is of opinion that the policy in regard to the treatment of Hurs in the settlement requires some reconsideration. It is desirable that the Hurs should have something to work for some hope that good behavior will result in remission of their punishment and early return to Sindh. This will involve a more liberal arrangement for sending well-behaved Hurs to Sindh.”
As the delay in consideration of petition was irritating and no decision was taken yet on the joint application of Hurs, an incident took place on June 02, 1922 in which some of the Hurs absconded on the day fixed for Hurs allowing them to visit the bazaar for buying ration.
C. H. Brierley, Settlement Officer, Visapur Camp, in a report to Inspector General of Prisons, Bombay Presidency, Poona on June 03, 1922 stated: “While on my way to the settlement to distribute doles shortly before 5 O’ clock last evening, I received a message that five Hurs (single men) had escaped from the Pimpalgaon village where they had gone for purchasing food etc. from the weekly bazaar. This concession to selected bachelor Hurs was recommended by my predecessor Mr. Hall on December 02, 1919 and sanctioned by Head Office on December 09, 1919. It was practice during my predecessor’s time to send selected married Hurs out un-escorted on a single pass. Although there was apparently nothing against this procedure, I didn’t consider it quite satisfactory, and as safeguard, introduced the system of sending both married and single selected Hurs out on bazaar days in charge of Muccadums – each Muccadum being responsible for five Hurs only, their names being noted on a pass. On this occasion three separate batches (15 Hurs in all) were sent out, as usual, in charge of three Muccadums. Three Hurs appear to have broken away from one of the Muccadums and two from other. A policeman on horse was rushed to the Pimpalgaon to make inquiries. He then proceeded to in the direction of Ghargaon and Belwandi, where it was ascertained from a villager that five Hurs had been making their way. Another horse-rider was dispatched to search the Hurs in entire area up to Belwandi. A policeman was sent to look at 5.30 evening train and to warn railway station authorities while two policemen were sent on foot in the direction of Ghargaon. Urgent telegrams were dispatched to the Railway Sub Inspectors of Police Dhond, Manmad and Poona; and subsequently to the District Superintendents of Police Ahmed Nagar, Nasik, Poona, Khandesh and Tharparkar. The policemen returned at late hour with no further news of the runaways.”
The report further says that three Muccadums sent in charge of the batches had nothing to offer in defence except that in the crowd their parties got broken up, and some time elapsed in searching the village for them. “I think, in place of keeping them together they allowed the Hurs in their respective charges to scatter on pretext of making purchases, and thus played into their hands. There was no connivance shown by any of the Muccadums but undoubtedly slackness,” he writes informing that he had suspended three Muccadums and kept them in Settlement.
On July 17, 1922, the Settlement Officer, Visapur Camp in a letter to Inspector General of Prisons, Bombay Presidency, Poona reported that he has stopped entirely the weekly bazaar leave of bachelor Hurs and none of them is kept open at night. However, it does not apply to married Hurs, who are allowed as usual a few hours leave to go in small parties under escort to the Pimpalgaon village for making purchases. But such leave is granted only on Sunday instead of Friday, which is not the weekly bazaar day. They are kept open at night. He informed that after the escape of five Hurs and suspension of three Muccadums, none of the inmates is willing to take up the vacant appointments.
(Continues)
Click here for Part-I
Click here for Part-II
Click here for Part III
Click here for Part IV
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Excerpts from the prize-winning research-based book ‘Hur – The Freedom Fighter’ authored by Nasir Aijaz (Published by Sindh Culture Department in August 2015)
