India News Wrap-up, Q1/24
Lots for you this quarter...
22 January 1924
A pre-hearing in Chittagong has recommended that six members of the Concerned Citizens’ Coalition be tried on a charge of “Interfering with Government Operations”. The six were arrested in early November after they and other CCC supporters took over the distribution of emergency relief supplies in cyclone-ravaged Chittagong.
The charge can be compared to one of Treason, but without being a capital offence. In recent years, those found guilty of the charge have generally been sentenced to long terms of hard labor.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice remarked, “It’s important that the CCC recognize the rule of law. Allowing an uninformed mob to disrupt a vital emergency operation is a serious concern, and in this case, undoubtedly led to further suffering on the part of those in need.”
An anonymous letter delivered to AWNR commented, “To see six brave souls persecuted for trying to help their neighbours is intolerable; the CCC is determined to see that justice prevails for these men and women.”
The trial date is set for the fifth of March.
29 January 1924
The Indian Navy has confirmed that it will be holding an exercise with elements of the Filipino Navy.
“A Filipino squadron consisting of one armored and three light cruisers, four destroyers, and a target ship will join up with elements of the Eastern Maritime District in the Bay of Bengal in mid to late March”, said the district’s senior naval officer, Vice-Admiral Shibu Hrithik. “They will undertake a serious of simulated engagements in and around the Andaman Islands, culminating with a live-fire shoot against a surplus Filipino destroyer.”
This is the first time that the two nations will have collaborated on a military exercise before, and further suggests that Manila and Hyderabad are moving to strengthen ties between their countries.
13 February 1924
India’s second Antarctic mission is coming to a close. Director Kamal Pashira of the Meteorological Service of India told AWNR, “The camp on Enderby Land is now being dismantled and the personnel are preparing to return to the steamer Sundara. It’s a little earlier than planed, but ice conditions appear to be deteriorating and we don’t want to risk anybody being stranded.”
Pashira said that the season was successful in terms of scientific work. “We gained almost two months of readings, and a joint team from the universities of Columbo and Durban collected marine animal and plant specimens. One thing that we did not do was a geological survey, but we did collect a few random samples along the coast and will consider adding a geological team to next year’s expedition.”
One issue that continues to plague MSI is the lack of a suitable vessel for the missions. “We really need to get a ship with ice-breaking capabilities, and a better configuration for loading and unloading supplies.”
2 March 1924
With little fanfare, India launched its first locally-built submarine this week. The I-2 , building in Mumbai, is a small “Category B” boat, meaning that it will be a coastal defence unit.
“We will be starting a total of four such boats this year”, said Admiral Sanjay Das. “In accordance with our operating strategy, these will be based in the Eastern Maritime District when they enter service.”
The news is said to concern the Royal Navy. Retired Commander Richard Hatchworth, speaking to AWNR from his home in Aden, said, “Obviously, the RN has interests in the region - a relationship with Burma, and the flow of shipping through the Malacca Strait between Sumatra and Malaysia. Adding a local submarine force to the list of potential concerns may require the Crown to base additional assets in the region.”
Cdr. Hatchworth also noted, “The mix of coastal submarines, light surface forces, and, I’m sure, minelaying forces reminds me of how the Italians and Austrians plugged up the Adriatic in the war. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is India’s strategy for the Andaman Sea.”
4 March 1924
There has been a shocking outbreak of violence in Chittagong, where eight police officers were killed last night in a raid on the city’s prison.
The gunfight began at about two in the morning, when several dozen heavily armed attackers - with at least pistols, rifles, grenades, and at least two machine guns - opened fire on the prison’s main gate area. Police returned fire but were over-run, with a number forced to surrender to the more heavily armed bandits. These officers were dis-armed and locked into several cells.
At least a dozen officers were taken to local hospitals with serious injuries; none of the bandits were apprehended, and while casualty figures are unavailable, police say they did hit several.
The fight was over within fifteen minutes, and reinforcements from other police stations arrived to find that the bandits had fled - taking a number of prisoners with them. A letter delivered to ANWR’s Chittagong Bureau said, “The Concerned Citizens’ Coalition took action, as promised, to ensure that justice was done to the six brave men and women arrested on trumped-up charges in November. They have been liberated, and a telling blow has been struck against the oppressive and corrupt local government. We will now wait, with you, to see whether the government seeks harmony or blind revenge.”
20 March 1924
Naval exercises in the Andaman Islands have concluded. A Filipino force led by the armored cruiser Luzon met with an Indian squadron centered on SR Hyderabad for a series of manoeuvres.
“We played out different scenarios for cruiser-on-cruiser actions, which were instructive. The Filipinos brought along a surplus destroyer, which they and we used for target practice before sinking her with torpedoes”, Vice-Admiral Hrithik said from Sittwe.
“We look forward to working with this modest but capable navy in the future, and are discussion possible locations around the Philippines for an exercise at this time next year.”
28 March 1924
Two policemen and three members of the Concerned Citizens’ Coalition have been killed after a gunfight this morning in eastern Chittagong. It appears that the policemen were conducting a routine door to door sweep in a lower-class row-housing unit when they were shot by one or more occupants of one residence.
Police responded in force to the incident, and raided the home just before noon, killing all three occupants. There are witness reports that at least one of the CCC members attempted to surrender but was shot anyway; police have so far denied the allegation.
As private hand-gun ownership is illegal in India, a mystery from earlier this month is how members of the CCC obtained pistols and other weapons used in the prison raid. A source inside the police department told AWNR, “Officers on the scene seized two pistols, a rifle, and four grenades, all of which appear to be foreign-made. I don’t know if the exact country of origin has been determined yet.”
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