द इण्डियन स्ट्रगल / भारतीय स्वाधीनता संग्राम (नेताजी सुभाष चन्द्र बोस - ऐतिहासिक विश्लेषण)

DEFEAT AND SURRENDER 305
During the period of 1933-34 while the Congress proceeded
from step to step in the direction of surrender, the Govern-
ment was able to strengthen its position in other directions as
well. In January 1933, judgment was finally delivered in the
long-drawn Meerut Conspiracy Case, and out of thirty-one
accused, twenty-seven were sentenced to various terms of
imprisonment. About this time the leader of the Chittagong
revolutionaries, Mr. Surjya Sen, who had successfully
evaded arrest for three years, was captured, and after a trial
before a special tribunal, was hanged together with another
comrade. In February and March, there was trouble with
some of the independent frontier tribes. But with the
assistance of the friendly Afghan Government of King Nadir
Shah and with the help of aerial bombing, the Government
were able to cope successfully with the menace. After the
publication of the White Paper in March, the Assembly
passed the following resolution moved by Sir Abdur Rahim,
the leader of the opposition:
'Unless the proposals for constitutional reform are
substantially amended in the direction of conceding greater
responsibility and freedom of action to the people's
representatives in the central and provincial spheres of
government, it will not be possible to ensure peace, content-
ment and progress of the country.'
The Government, it is hardly necessary to add, had no need
to feel embarrassed at this milk-and-water resolution.
There was some amount of public agitation over the ill-
treatment of political prisoners. For instance, in the Nasik
Jail on October 27th, 1932, Mr. Amritlal Morarji, a political
prisoner who had been given bar-fetters, was taken to a cell,
beaten by five jail-officials with batons and lifted up and
dashed down till he became unconscious. There was intense
indignation, when the news saw the light of day and Govern-
ment had to order the prosecution of the jail-officials respon-
sible for the incident. Likewise, in the Amraoti Jail in the
Central Provinces some political prisoners had been severely
assaulted on April 22nd, 1932. Agitation and inquiry went
on for about a year. Ultimately, on March 1st, 1933, the
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