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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [47r] (98/502)
The record is made up of 1 volume (249 folios). It was created in 1 Nov 1873-14 Feb 1874. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
3
The following day she was again summoned, and threatened with a re
petition of the same treatment. As she still refused to confess, the Vahivatdar
ordered the room to be cleared, and the door closed, and beat her himself with a
small stick. She would not however confess, and was again removed to jail, one
of the
sepoys
Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank.
offering to get her released if she bribed him, but still using insolent
and threatening language to her.
The following day, under the promise of being released, and the terror of
further torture, she made a false statement, when she was released on bail.
2. The
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
Agent states that immediately the case was brought to the
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
's notice by the Resident, the Vahivatdar was suspended, and a close and
searching enquiry instituted, which is still in progress. In the event of the charge
being proved, a most exemplary punishment will be inflicted on the Vahivatdar.
He subsequently informed the Commission that sufficient evidence had not
been adduced to warrant a judicial conviction, but that as there was reasonable
ground for the presumption that the complainant had been treated with violence,
the
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
had decided to dismiss the Vahivatdar and the
peon
A low-ranking infantryman, orderly or assistant (South Asian context).
named by her ,
as having so ill-treated her, and to declare them also unfit for re-employment in
the Gaekwar's service. The
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
also had ordered Us. 200 to be paid to the
complainant as compensation.
3. The Resident, in his final statement, dated 6th January 1874, comments
on this case, and observes that there is habitually a failure of justice in such in
stances, where the chief criminals are high officials in the
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
's service; that
the Resident has repeatedly brought to the
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
's notice the notorious beha
viour of this Vahivatdar, but that his representations have received no attention
whatever, he being a protege of the Sir Foujdar; that he has served in several
districts, in all of which numerous complaints have been made against him, and
he is stated to have been dismissed by the late Chief, and declared ineligible for
further service. The Resident adds his conviction that torture is systematically
employed by the chief officials in all the Baroda Mahals, and that the crime is
winked at by the
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
.
4. The Commission having heard the statement of the complainant in this
case, who appears to be a respectable and truthful woman, has no doubt that she
was subjected to ill-treatment of the shameful character deposed to by her,
though her statement has not been supported by evidence before it, to render it
complete for the, le gal c onviction of the Vahivatdar. The course proposed by the
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
for adoption towards the Vahivatdar, who is clearly a most unfit person
for employment in so responsible a post, appeared to the Commission to be hard
ly satisfactory or adequate to so atrocious an offence, but the Maharaja took occa
sion, on the members paying His Highness a farewell visit before leaving Baroda,
to inform the President, that, on further consideration of the circumstances, he
had decided to sentence the Vahivatdar to 2 years' rigorous imprisonment, and
to forbid his further employment in his service.
The case being thus disposed of, the Commission can only record its opinion
that it furnishes a horrible instance of the abuse of power and the suffering to
which respectable people are liable, directly consequent on the employment by the
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
of unfit and untrustworthy men in such responsible posts.
I V. Case No. 44.—Complaint of one Kasiram Ambaram of Sidhpur in Patan.
This case has been included in this group, in consequence of its having been
referred to by the Resident, as one of violent personal ill-treatment by the then
Foujdar of Patan, one Nalchand, of one Andra Sundra of that district, and his
wife, both of whom are stated to have been severely flogged by the Foujdar's
order, and to have died in prison, from the ill-treatment so received. The com
plainant, Kasiram, has not, however, attended, and the case has not been inquired
into.
About this item
- Content
Report of the Baroda Enquiry Commission on the administration of the government of Malharrao, Gaekwar of Baroda. The Commission comprised Richard John Meade (President), Edward William Ravenscroft, Mumtazul Dowlah Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. Faiz Ali Khan, Colonel Alfred Thomas Etheridge and Thomas Duncan Mackenzie (Secretary).
The report comprises a letter from the members of the Baroda Enquiry Commission to the Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department presenting their report on the results of the proceedings and submitting copies of correspondence, reports and statements relative to the enquiry (ff 5-19):
Appendix A, Part I
- Schedules I-III: Complaints and grievances against the Gaekwar's Government from individuals and groups (ff 21-78).
- Appendix B, Schedules I-III: Cases of complaint and grievance which the commission did not look into during the enquiry (ff 79-81).
- Appendix C: Letter from Colonel Richard John Meade, President, Special Commission of Enquiry on Baroda Affairs, to Colonel Robert Phayre, Resident at Baroda, 1 November 1873 (ff 82-83).
- Appendix D: Translation of an amended notice issued by the Resident to complainants desirous of appearing before the Baroda Enquiry Commission (ff 84-85).
- Appendix E: Schedules presented to the Commission along with Colonel Phayre's introductory statement regarding them. (ff 86-131).
- Appendix F: Letter No. 1128 of 1873 from Colonel Phayre to the President, Baroda Commission regarding the cases already submitted to the Commission, the List of undisposed petitions to be attended to by the Resident which could be used as additional cases if required and the statements that he had yet to make on cases under enquiry by the Commission (ff 132-133).
- Appendix G, Schedule I: Statements from witnesses with cross examination statements from the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). on behalf of the Gaekwar and statements from the Resident as to the accuracy of the information provided (ff 134-229).
Appendix Part II (ff 231-245)
- Letter from James Braithwaite Peile, Acting Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Kattywar [Kathiawar] to T D Mackenzie, Secretary, Baroda Commission, 13 December 1873 regarding papers requested by the Commission and informing them that the outstanding paper will be forwarded as soon as they are received. Enclosed with the letter are a memorandum from Peile for reconstitution of His Highness the Gaekwar's Contingent in Kattywar, 13 December 1873 and Rule for the guidance of the Officers and Kamdars appointed to the Contingent of Horse of His Highness the Gaekwar, serving in the various Tributary Mahals according to treaty.
- Letter from Peile to Mackenzie, 6 January 1874, forwarding a report and returns received from Colonel Walker, Superintendent to the Gaekwar's Contingent in Kattywar and stating that he does not concur with the Colonel's opinion. Enclosed with this letter is a letter from Colonel Chamberlen William Walker, 30 December 1873, providing the information on the Contingent requested by the Commission and enclosing an extract of the Contingents annual report for 1871 and a statement of the men within the Contingent on duty under officials paid by Talukdars etc, 06 March 1872.
- Letters from John Whaley Watson, Acting Political Superintendent Pahlanpur [Palanpur], Captain Henry Nicholas Reeves, Acting Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. Rewa Kanta [Rewa Kantha] and Major Philip Harrison Le Geyt, Acting Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Mahi Kanta [Mahi Kantha] to the secretary of the Baroda Commission 19 December 1873 to 9 January 1874 reporting on the Gaekwar's contingents serving within their districts and commenting on numbers of men, pay and conditions. The letters all refer to enclosed returns, but only the return for Mahi Kanta is included in the report.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (249 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main sequence of foliation consists of a small pencil number in the top front right hand corner of each folio enclosed in a circle.
There is also an original sequence of foliation which consists of larger pencil numbers also in the top front right hand corner of folios, however the sequence is not consistent and some of the numbers may be filing references rather than foliation numbers.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- Mss Eur F126/78
- Title
- 'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:248v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence