Despite recommending repatriation of Hurs by the IG Prisons of Bombay Presidency, the Sindh officials were reluctant to receive Hurs and called for continuing deportation.
As the 41 Hurs of Visapur Concentration camp didn’t take part in strike, the British authorities began considering their repatriation to Sindh. The Inspector General of Prisons, Bombay Presidency in his letter dated August 26, 1922 had suggested repatriation of all the 41 Hurs (40 Hurs, as one of them – a Muccadum was hammered to death), however, as per policy and rules, the Bombay government sought the opinion of Sindh officials and again the Commissioner of Sindh sent a letter dated September 15, 1922 to Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sindh and also circulated it among the District Magistrates for soliciting their opinion. The D. I. G. Police, Sindh D. G. Ommanney vide a letter dated September 16, 1922 responded positively agreeing to the proposal of repatriating 41 non-striking Hurs from Visapur. He viewed that it can be considered locally where they should be placed. “It might be a good thing if at any rate some of them were not sent to a settlement but allowed to return to their villages and ordered to report to their police station once a week and to report any change of residence. He said the government might order that these 41 men should be sent back to their own districts, and in the meantime the District Magistrates and District Superintendents of Police concerned can be consulted as to their fate. DIG Police however apprehended that Settlement Officer will not agree to take any of the Hurs into his ordinary settlements. He suggested allowing 20 percent of the Hurs to return to Sindh and advocated continuing the system of deporting the Hurs out of Sindh. He described giving up this system as a ‘great mistake’.
Despite recommending repatriation of 41 Hurs from Visapur by the IG Prisons, Bombay Presidency and no objection by DIG Police Sindh, no decision could be made by the authorities for over a year, as the district authorities of Sindh were reluctant to receive Hurs in such a large number.
Lt. Col. R. M. Dalziel vide a letter dated October 28, 1922 submitted a list of ten Hurs to the Commissioner of Sindh requesting for issuing orders as to where these Hurs and their families should be sent. The ten Hurs included Alu son of Pariyo Mochi, Balu son of Piru Bhanojo, Alam (Alim) son of Bahram Shar, Suleman son of Ibrahim Khaskheli, Yaru Shah son of Laikdino Shah, Lukman son of Ismail Shar, Lallu son of Rakhio Sinhro, Dadlo son of Jurial (Jurio) Nizamani, Jiando son of Sajan Wasan and Jundo (Jhuro) son of Mangio Khaskheli. These names were circulated among District Magistrates and the response from Thar & Parkar was that Lukman and Jundo had already been repatriated to Sindh as a reward for abstaining from strike. The District Magistrate objected return of rest of Hurs except three namely Balu, Lalu and Dadlo.
The District Superintendent of Police, Nawabshah however in a letter through District Magistrate stated that eight Hurs Alu, Alim (Alam), Suleman, Yaru Shah, Lukman, Dadlo, Jiando and Jhuro had been deported to Visapur on December 12, 1915 and during the period of over six years they maintained a good record. They bear good character at present as will be seen from the roll forwarded by Settlement Officer Visapur. He did not object to return of these Hurs to Sindh informing that Lukman and Jhuro had already arrived at Mirpur Khas. He however suggested eight other names of Hurs from Jalalani camp for deporting to Visapur in exchange that included Kamal son of Makhan Hajam, who was transferred from Sanghar camp in 1914.
A month earlier on September 28, 1922 the Settlement Officer of Visapur had sent the list of ten Hurs with their age, villages and family members. Four of the Hurs were married and were there since December 14, 1915. Seven names were same while three others – Mohammad son of Gamu Mahar, Arab son of Fakiro Kori and Atal son of Samano Bihan. No action was taken on this list.
On February 07, 1923, Dalziel wrote to Commissioner Sindh forwarding a list of Hurs and informed that eight names were there in the list however he added the name of Mohammad son of Gamu who bears good character and had influence at Visapur over the inmates. “Mohammad Gamu is a man who has had his lesson and has seen that it does not pay to kick against the pricks, and that if sent to Sindh, his influence would be good and will advise others not to commit any act which would result in deportation to Visapur.”
The list he forwarded also included the name of Wariyam Khaskheli son of Bachu Badshah among Kamil son of Mataro Bihan, Mubarak son of Badal Mahar, Nabi Shah son of Shah Mardan Shah, Lakhmir son of Bahram Shar, Haroon son of Bahram Shar, Dadlo son of Sajan Nizamani, Durani son of Sumar.
The correspondence between the officials of Sindh and Bombay continued even in late 1923, when a shortlisted names of 19 Hurs were sent to Commissioner of Sindh by Visapur Settlement Officer through a telegram dated September 21, 1923.
The 19 Hurs, who according to telegram remained loyal during the strike, were: Alu son of Pariyo, Alam son of Bahram, Arab son of Fakiro, Suleman son of Ibrahim, Yaru Shah son of Laikdin Shah, Abdul Wahid son of Gul Mohammad, Barocho son of Maluk, Dinu son of Ramu, Hashim son of Umar, Imam son of Sawan, Khair Shah son of Jiwan Shah, Kasam (Karam) son of Imam Bux, Manthar son of Kadu, Mangan son of Tamachi, Mohammad Esuf (it could be Yusif) son of Abdullah, Mangal Shah son of Bhopo Shah, Sanghar son of Mehro, Wahud (Wahid) son of Lall and Yakub son of Walidad.
This list was also circulated among District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police for seeking their opinion and objections soon as it was received. In response to it, Mahmud Shah, the District Superintendent of Police, Mirpur Khas, through a letter dated September 25, 1923 raised serious objection stating that all the Hurs mentioned in telegram had a very dark record in the Hur Settlement at Sanghar and were picked ‘criminals’ with exception of Mohammad Usif who was only a boy at the time of his deportation. Surprisingly, the police official contradicted his own words about Usif saying that ‘Usif was deported because he was the local head of a most dangerous section of the Hurs and that section had to be disorganized. The police official submitted names of 11 Hurs for release describing them as ‘less dangerous’ than others. They were Arbab, Suleman, Abdul Wahid, Dinu, Hashim, Imam, Khair Shah, Karam, Mangal Shah, Wahid and Yakub. He opined that it would be most unsafe to release the other eight Hurs just at present.
After receiving such comments, the Sindh Commissioner office recommended repatriation of only 11 Hurs from Visapur and as a result, C. H. Brierley, Superintendent and Settlement Officer, Visapur informed the Home Secretary, Bombay Presidency that vide a letter dated October 09, 1923 that 11 Hurs along with wife of Arab, a wife, son and a daughter of Khair Shah and wife and a son of Kasam (Karam) were transferred to Sanghar Settlement of Thar & Parkar district under police escort.
In 1924, the Sindh Commissioner Office had sought report/comments about 37 Hurs of Tharparkar district that were lodged at Visapur Camp. The District Superintendent of Police Mahmud Shah submitted report with comments on each Hur and sent through District Magistrate. He had classified the Hurs according to which 18 were dangerous whose repatriation was suggested to be delayed; 10 were of middle class and only nine were ‘not dangerous’ whose repatriation could be undertaken. The names appearing in the report were almost same discussed in this chapter.
The approval for release of some eight Hurs from Nira Projects Settlement was also given by the Bombay Presidency in 1925. In a letter dated January 14, 1925, J. A. Shillidy, Deputy Secretary to the Government of Bombay Home Department, informed the Criminal Tribes Settlement Officer, Dharwar that with reference to his letter dated December 17, 1924, the approval has been given for the release of eight Hurs from Nira Settlement on probation. Four other Hurs namely Shah Ali son of Rahim Khan, Obhayo son of Allah Bux, Allu son of Pariyo and Maji son of Landu were also allowed to return vide a letter dated April 01, 1925 issued from Sindh Commissioner office.
On March 30, 1926, Mr. J. B. Irwin, the Assistant Commissioner of Sindh, Karachi informed Criminal Tribes Settlement Officer, Dharwar that in his letter dated January 17, 1926, the Commissioner has approved return of released Hur Obhayo son of Dosu Mochi to his village on the condition that he will report himself twice a year to the Mukhtiarkar, Shahdadpur, who is probation officer. In a letter to Assistant Commissioner, the District Magistrate Nawabshah informed that out of five Hurs released on probation, one Obhayo son of Dosu Mochi belongs to his district and his residence is at village Nichayo Bhanujo, Taluka Shahdadpur, and he need not to be placed in a Settlement and be allowed to remain in his own village. He also showed no objection to release of Ak son of Madad Ali and Bachal son of Ghalu but endorsed the views of District Superintendent of Police who raised serious object to release of Bachu Shah son of Jivan Shah saying that his physical weakness is not likely to debar him from tutoring other Hurs and teaching them modus-operandi of ‘Hur Crimes’.
The Judicial Department of Sindh Commissioner Office, Karachi vide a letter dated June 09, 1927 conveyed the Criminal Tribes Settlement Officer, Bombay Presidency the approval of release of 16 Hurs whose names he had submitted vide a letter dated December 15, 1926. The names are Mir Khan son of Madad Ali Khan, Alam son of Jani, Hamal son of Alam, Laloo son of Sobjo, Sathi son of Sabu, Sathi son of Pandhi, Tanwar son of Hafiz, Punhu son of Khamiso and Sartaj son of Abdullah, all of Nawabshah district, and Allahnu son of Shadi, Fakiro son of Khanu, Manthar son of Kadu, Mitha son of Jado, Mohammad Ali son of Dosan, Imamu son of Mohammad Khan and Jani Shah son of Wadal Shah, all of Tharparkar district. It was stated that the latter two Hurs are to be released after some time while the name of one more Hur will be communicated on receipt of reply from District Magistrate.
In some of the correspondence, the officials also discussed the Hurs who had escaped from Settlements at different times. Mr. J. B. Irwin, the then District Magistrate of Tharparkar in a letter sent to Criminal Tribes Settlement Officer, Bombay Presidency in June 1929 that two Hurs Gagan and Badal were deported to Visapur in the year 1913 from Sanghar and Khipro Talukas respectively. They escaped from the settlement in 1922 and were arrested in 1927. They were then deported again to Shivrajpur.
Probably, the above two Hurs are among those five Hurs of Visapur who escaped in 1922 from the weekly bazaar, and were arrested in Sindh. The escaped Hurs had created panic among Sindh administration after reaching here, while raised the morale of Hurs, which is evident from this report of District Magistrate of Tharparkar submitted in 1923: “None of the repatriated Hurs has so far been found directly responsible for any serious crime but there are clear indications that the Hurs have begun to feel that their community is getting stronger and that they are no longer without leaders.”
“Suleman Wasan and four other ‘notorious’ Hurs who escaped from Visapur last year have been freely moving about among the members of their fraternity in Sinjhoro and Sakrand Talukas of Nawabshah district and in Sanghar Taluka of Tharparkar district. The efforts of police to capture them have been baffled by the attitude of the Hurs who have been fearlessly sheltering the absconding Hurs inspite of repeated warnings from the police,” the report says adding that several Zamindars (loyal to British government) have become nervous and eight of them have applied for protection.
A letter from District Magistrate, Mirpur Khas dated April 17, 1924 reveals that Suleman Wasan and Mitho Hingoro were arrested and deported again.
Hurs deported to Kala Pani (Andaman Islands)
Several Hurs were expelled from Sindh after their arrest and shipped to Andaman Islands where they had been languishing for years or for whole of life. However, their exact number couldn’t be ascertained. It is said that at least 733 prisoners were shipped to Andaman Islands from Karachi in 1868 and it might be that the Hurs also were among them. Thousands of other prisoners were sent there from Calcutta and Bombay. According to Fakir Mir Muhammad Nizamani, one Muhammad Khan Rind of Shahpur Chakar, district Sanghar, had been sentenced to be shipped to Kala Pani (Andaman Islands) for committing a number of dacoities. He was not the Hur but Darya Khan Nizamani, Wasand Qazaq and Rano Wasan, three Hur militants were confined there with him. Muhammad Khan Rind had somehow escaped from the Islands covered with thick forests. The three Hurs too had escaped later and returned to Sindh. Another three Hurs Owais Fakir Wasan and his two companions were also shipped to Andaman Islands in 1895 and nobody knows whether they retuned or not.
During the 1940s, the Lambrick had floated the idea of shipping the Hurs to Andaman, as according to him (his correspondence between December 1944 to 1946 File No: MSS/Eur 208/88) he wished Hurs to be thrown to Andaman Islands like the Russians did to the people of occupied countries by sending them to Siberia and the England used to deport its criminals to Australia.
On 12th April 1945, an Indian high ranking official Colville informed Governor Dow that he agrees his proposal for deporting Hurs to Andaman Islands however the Home Department of Bombay has to decide the matter.
(Concludes)
Click here for Part-I, Part-II, Part-III, Part-IV, Part-V, Part-VI
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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)
