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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [184r] (372/502)
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.
II
confess that they were concerned in the alleged crime of poisoning Tatia
Powar, whereas there is reason to believe that no crime was committed, Tatia
Powar having died from the effects of his own intemperance.
11. Upon this point, in paras. 9 and 10 of the original report which the
Resident made to Government, No. I, dated 25th March 1873, the Maharaja
is stated to have said as follows :—
"That a few days ago a confidential body-servant of his own, whose par-
ticular occupation it was to prepare his food, and provide him with drinking
water, &c., had died suddenly after an hour or two's illness. That he felt very
much startled and shocked at this, in consequence of the man's relation to
himself as a confidential servant, and he even began to doubt whether it was
not the commencement of some " fitur fusad " (these were the words used)
against himself, and consequently that he set his best men to make enquiries,
sifting the matter generally, and ascertaining the cause of death, which if
caused by poison was to lead to the most strenuous efforts being put forth to
discover the murderers. The result of his enquiry was that 8 men, some of
whom belonged to his own household, were apprehended, and shortly after
confessed their crime in having mixed arsenic with the food of the deceased."
<c 10. His Highness was at first advised to hang them all, but this he said
he declined to do, as he wished to see what information could be obtained from
them in regard to their object, &c, &c."
12. It will be noticed as a most material circumstance that neither did
the Maharaja in his original account to the Resident, nor did the complainant
Lakshmi in her deposition before the Sir Foujdar, make any allusion what
ever to the fact that the deceased Tatia was said to have made to his sister
a dying declaration to the effect that he had been poisoned by Daji Kamati.
13. These circumstances go to confirm the evidence of the Borah Nuru-
din, and of the accused Ghanu's sister, to the effect that at first no suspicion
was entertained that Tatia Powar had been poisoned. It will be also remem
bered that the chief accused, Daji Kamati, at his first examination on Mon
day, March 17th, denied all knowledge of the alleged crime, and gave what
appears to be a very probable explanation of the cause of the deceased's death,
and it is only in his second statement after the flogging scenes in front of the
Foujdari of which we have recorded evidence, that Uajiwas induced to crimi
nate himself and several others ; and it is upon such evidence and such alone
that the whole case rests as submitted 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).
.
14. In conclusion, the Resident would submit that, following so closely
as this case did upon the suspicious deaths in prison of Raoji Master, Ghanu
M'agh, Malharba Shelki, Govindji Naik, and Bhao Sindia, the orders of Go
vernment conveyed in their letter. No. 1-T, dated April 23rd, 1873, were,
under the circumstances, not only natural, but absolutely necessary in the
interests of humanity and justice.
15. These orders were duly communicated 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).
, and informa
tion was called for on certain points named by Government. Six months
elapsed before any reply was received, and then only after a reminder. That
reply not being considered satisfactory by Government, the Resident received
orders to bring the case before the Commission, in pursuance of which
instructions he applied 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).
for the proceedings in the case.
16. These though repeatedly asked for were not given until the case was
actually called on before the Commission, and then the Resident had neither
time nor opportunity to examine them, and they were returned 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).
after the Commission had done with them.
17. It is, however, important to note that the Sir Foujdar, consistently
with the actions maintained 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).
throughout the whole case since
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