Gandhi and AnarchySankaran Nair, C. (Chettur), Sir
History
Gandhi and Anarchy
Sankaran Nair, C. (Chettur), Sir
Gandhi, Mahatma, 1869-1948 -- Political and social views; India -- Politics and government -- 1919-1947
During the last week news of numerous murders and forcible conversions
came from another quarter also, Mannur near Aniyallur and Kadalundi
railway station in Ernad taluk. This place also is only 14 miles away
from Calicut. Every train to Calicut was carrying with it daily hundreds
of refugees during the last week. If there were ten thousand refugees
fed by the Relief Committee last week, it must have fed fifteen thousand
this week. According to the statements given by them there must be at
least fifty murders and numerous cases of conversions and house-burning.
Can you conceive of a more ghastly and inhuman crime than the murders of
babies and pregnant women? Two days back I had occasion to read a report
given by a refugee in Calicut. A pregnant woman carrying 7 months was
cut through the abdomen by a rebel and she was seen lying dead on the
way with the dead child projecting out of the womb. How horrible!
Another: a baby of six months was snatched away from the breast of his
own mother and cut into two pieces. How heart-rending! Are these rebels
human beings or monsters? From the same quarters numerous forcible
conversions are also reported. One refugee has given statement that he
had seen with his own eyes that the heads of a dozen people were being
shaved by the rebels and afterwards they were asked to recite some
passages from the _Quran_. This he witnessed from a tree. I wonder what
is the authority of some people who contradict the news of murders, and
forcible conversions of Hindus. Let them come here and test the veracity
of these statements for themselves.
'Yesterday another report of murders came from a place very near
Kottakal. The report says that eleven Hindus (males and females), were
murdered by the rebels.
'A fortnight ago fifteen dead bodies of Hindus were seen under culvert
on the road between Perinialmanna and Melatur.'
Will you not be sick of these stories of murders? All these reports
are, as far as possible, proved also to be correct.
Words fail to express my feelings of indignation and abhorrence which I
experienced when I came to know of an instance of rape, committed by the
rebels under Chembrasseri Thangal. A respectable Nayar Lady at Melatur
was stripped naked by the rebels in the presence of her husband and
brothers, who were made to stand close by with their hands tied behind.
When they shut their eyes in abhorrence they were compelled at the point
of sword to open their eyes and witness the rape committed by the brute
in their presence. I loathe even to write of such a mean action. I thank
God that my family and relatives reached safe at Calicut without being
dishonoured by these brutes, though we sustained serious loss of
property and the loss of four lives (two servants and two
relatives,--More afterwards). This instance of rape was communicated to
me by one of her brothers confidentially. There are several instances of
such mean atrocities which are not revealed by people. _New India 6th
Dec. 1921._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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