peration continues with unabated vigour, even after my arrest,
the Government must imprison others or grant the people's wish in order
to gain their co-operation. Any eruption of violence on the part of the
people even under provocation would end in disaster. Whether therefore
it is I or any one else who is arrested during the campaign, the first
condition of success is that there must be no resentment shown against
it. We cannot imperil the very existence of a Government and quarrel
with its attempt to save itself by punishing those who place it in
danger.
HIJARAT AND ITS MEANING
India is a continent. Its articulate thousands know what its
inarticulate millions are doing or thinking. The Government and the
educated Indians may think that the Khilafat movement is merely a
passing phase. The millions of Mussalmans think otherwise. The flight of
the Mussalmans is growing apace. The newspapers contain paragraphs in
out of the way corners informing the readers that a special train
containing a barrister with sixty women, forty children including twenty
sucklings, all told 765, have left for Afghanistan. They were cheered
_en route_. They were presented with cash, edibles and other things, and
were joined by more Muhajarins on the way. No fanatical preaching by
Shaukatali can make people break up and leave their homes for an unknown
land. There must be an abiding faith in them. That it is better for them
to leave a State which has no regard for their religious sentiment and
face a beggar's life than to remain in it even though it may be in a
princely manner. Nothing but pride of power can blind the Government of
India to the scene that is being enacted before it.
But there is yet another side to the movement. Here are the facts as
stated in the following Government _Communique_ dated 10th July 1920:--
An unfortunate affair in connection with the Mahajarin occurred on
the 8th instant at Kacha Garhi between Peshawar and Jamrud. The
following are the facts as at present reported. Two members of a
party of the Mahajarins proceeding by train to Jamrud were detected
by the British military police travelling without tickets.
Altercation ensued at Islamia College Station, but the train
proceeded to Kacha Garhi. An attempt was made to evict these
Mahajarins, whereupon the military police were attacked by a crowd of
some forty Mahajarins and the British officer who intervened was
seriously wound
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