'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [‎130v] (265/502)

SCHEDULE No.
* I can fully endorse this opinion as ap
plicable to my own experience. I
need every possible effort to have busi
ness cases settled amicably and equit
ably but to no purpose.
R. P.
f With regard to Girass rights, Lieut.
Stace/R.A., who has during the past two
seasons been inquiring into the claims
of guaranteed Girassia's has reported to
me^ that the system of compelling wit
nesses to give evidence favourable to
the Gaekwar Government and pro tanto
destructive of the rights of Girassias,
by imprisonment and other forcible
means^ is habitually employed 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). .
A case lias recently been brought to notice by
Captain Keeves, Yad No. 2320, dated 27tli Sep
tember 1873, in which a Wanta subject was
kept in prison for a year and a quarter 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). before being surrendered for trial; and
when tried by the Political Assistant he was
found not guilty of any offence.
No reply has been vouchsafed to the Resi
dent's yad ; which is dated 15th October
last.
Colonel Barton's opinion.
JVote. —This flat denial of perfectly true allega
tions is a most serious matter. Vide the case of
the two Joonaghur girls, and others in which
deliberate false statements have been made.
Captain Reeves's Report resumed.
The Sirdars Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. , and indeed all the upper classes of
the Baroda State fare the same, even relatives
of the family.
General circumstances of each case.
Note. —^The Resident in 1873 charged
the Gaekwar Government as follows; -
1. Oppression of certain British and
foreign subjects in the administration
of justice.
2. Discontent of the Sirdars Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. , Silledars,
Wuttundars, J agheerdars, Thakores,
Ryots^, Kolees^ &c., as dangerous to the
peace of the country.
I regret to report that the attitude assumed 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).
u officials forbids any hope of the slightest intention or en-
a deavour on their part to act in a spirit of conciliation^ or
" even of common fairness, in the innumerable cases pending
a between 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). and the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. *
" The Wanta inhabitants are treated with severity and cruelty;
" their crops have been impounded with or without protest;
u they are carried away, imprisoned, and fined at the will of the
" local authority. The fgiras's rights of the Talookdars are
withheld ; the payments of settled hucksfrom the local trea-
" suries are'made irregularly ; and difficulty and delay are ex-
" perienced by the recipients in obtaining their rights. Wanta-
" lands are encroached upon, and all suggestions for a settle-
" ment are evaded. Demands for surrender of individuals
" accused of committing offences in Rewa Kanta limits are^ as a
" rule, not complied with, and are generally met by counter-
a charges. The acts of local officials, however arbitary or
" illegal, are upheld and justified, and any representations from
" this Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. are either treated with contempt or denied
" pointblank.
" In short, business is at a standstill, or rather unrestrained
" oppression and tyranny are practised towards the Rewa
" Kanta subjects by the Baroda local officials. Redress is un-
<( attainable, and were it not that those dependent on this
" Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. are held in check and that retaliation is not allowed,
" the whole border country would be in a state of anarchy.
" The only means of redress open to this Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. is to repre-
" sent each individual case to the Resident and to request
Xl his assistance. Each case is prepared by my local subordi-
(i nates as carefully as possible under the circumstances, and
" is forwarded through the Resident 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). . Months
" elapse before o.ny reply is received, and the usual answer is
" a flat denial of the complainant's allegations.
" 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). never lose an opportunity of snubbing one of
" the more powerful Rewa Kanta chiefs, or oppressing and
" encroaching upon the rights of the weaker ones; and in this
" term all Girassias and Bhayads of Thakores are included,
" nor, as far as the records show, have any attempt been made
" to check the Gaekwar and his advisers in this course ot
u policy * * *
" In a word, it must sometimes appear to people as if the name
of the British Government as a controlling and paramount
power in this part of Gujarat did not exist."
The Resident respectfully invites the attention of the Commis
sion to Colonel Barton's report that more than a year ago
"business is at a standstill; that unrestrained oppression and
tyranny were practised towards Rewa Kanta subjects by the
Baroda local officials; that redress was unattainable; and that
were it not that the Rewa Kanta people were held in check the
whole border country would be in a state of anarchy. Com
pare* this and other passages of a similar purport with mar
ginal note and the specific instances brought forward.