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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [136v] (277/502)
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.
4
myself. I have seen the arm before he was imprisoned. It was broken and he
used to wear an iron splint. It is his right arm, and it is broken below the elbow.
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).
Agents reserve cross -examination.
S chedule N o . I. C ase 4. British subjects. Seiad Sadak Ali.
4. Ahmad Ali Inayat Ali, Musalman, 24 years, Fakir of Baroda, states
I have known Sadak Ali since I was in the City Jail with him 21 years ago.
For the first 5 or 6 days of his stay there he was all right m both arms used
to draw water, pull the punkah, and all ordinary work. One night about 8 p.m.
the Sarkari
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.
came and took him away. He was brought back at 10 or
11 p.m . and was put into a separate cell. We, prisoners, were instructed to hold
no conversation with him, or we should get two dozen lashes. He was calling out
as if in pain, but I did not ask him the reason of his grief, as I was _ afraid of
beino- flogged. I was for 20 or 22 days afterwards m prison, with Seiad Sadak
Ali. & He pointed to his arm as if in pain. I do not know what injury had happened
to his arm. I was in prison on a charge of murder. I was sent to Kaira with two
others and was there tried. They were hanged I heard, but I was acquitted.
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).
Agents reserve cross -examination.
Extract of letter from Capt. G, B, Hancock, to the Secretary, Baroda
Commission, dated 20th December 1873.
" J remember the case of the Camel Contractor Seiad Sadak Ali. It was
referred to me for report by Colonel Shortt, and I made a summary of the ac-
" counts (in English), resulting in favour of the Contractor, to some small amount.
" Colonel Shortt did not accept my finding, and subsequently continued the
f( investigation of the case himself, deciding eventually against the Camelman.
" At the time of inquiry before me, I remember no mention of the Contractor's
" arm having been broken, or of other torture having been practised upon him 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).
officials, and it formed no part of his complaint."
Statement of SurgeoiirMajor G. E. Seward,
Residency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India.
Surgeon, Baroda,
1873,
I have this day examined the right arm of Seiad Sadak Ali Maddat Ali, and
having heard the statement which he made yesterday before the Resident read
to me, I am of opinion that the manner in which the fracture is said to have
taken place has been truly set forth. Both the radius and ulna have been frao
tured. There has evidently been a subsequent suppuration. The bones are
widely disunited, and the effect of any surgical operation to remedy this state of
things would be doubtful. The arm is perfectly useless, unless with the aid of
mechanical appliances, and even those would lend but an imperfect use to the
member.
The above having been read over to Dr. Seward, he acknowledges it to
be correct,
(Signed) R. PHAYRE, Colonel,
Resident.
Dr. Seward appears before the Commission and after re-examining the
arm, states; I am of opinion that the injury to Sadak All's arm could not
have been done by the bite of a camel, on the ground that a camel having two
rows of teeth, there would have been an extensive cicatrix on both sides of the
arm; and 2nd, that if the force had been sufficient to fracture the arm, the bones
would have been broken on both sides, that is, at the point of impact with the
About this item
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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