Vol. 17, Part I · pages 211–215

186 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES The District Magistrate, however, refused to see the members of Satyagraha Committee and turned them away with a chit stating that he will remove those who will start Satyagraha at the door of the Pujari. It is not for me to say whether such a conduct on the part of a District Officer is wise. What I wish to point out to Your Excellency is that if the attitude of the Collector is to prevail, it will immediately provoke a conflict between the Government and the Depressed Classes. Our real contest is with the touchable Hindus and I have been avoiding every circumstance which would leave the touchable Hindus out and make the Satyagraha a matter between Government and the Depressed Classes. Indeed this could have been done on the first day by our refusal to make Satyagrahis stand outside the barricades and insist on forcing through the Police guards for seating them next to the temple gates. This we did not do simply because we did not wish to make it a fight between ourselves and the Government. But it would be inevitable if the Government to depart from its original intention of remaining impartial by permitting the Pujari to permit to use his private entrance as a public passage and thereby be a party to the frustration of our object. Under no circumstances can we permit this new stunt of the Pujari and tolerate his rendering our Satyagraha futile even if it brought us into conflict with Government. I am writing this to inform Your Excellency of the situation as it is developing and to give a chance for the reconsideration of the attitude of the District Magistrate before of the Satyagraha Committee addressed to me and also a copy of the chit sent to them by the District Magistrate with which he turned them away when they called upon him, I have seen the place myself last Saturday and I am quite convinced that the fear expressed and the danger to the Satyagraha which is apprehended are real. I beg to remain, Your Excellency’s Most Obedient Servant, (Sd) B.R.Ambedkar.” 1 1: Khairmode. Vol. 3; Pp. 321—323.

187KALARAM TEMPLE................ENTRY MOVEMENT Second letter:— “BHIMRAO R. AMBEDKAR, Damodar Hall Parel, M.A., Ph. D., D. Sc, Bombay-12. Bar-at-law, 11th April 1930. Member, Legislative Council, Bombay. To, His Excellency the Rt. Honourable Sir, Frederick Sykes, P. C, G. C. I. E., G. B.E.,K. C.B.,C.M.G., Governor of Bombay, Bombay. May it please Your Excellency, The Government of Bombay must have received a report from the District Magistrate of Nasik on the riot that took place there between the touchables and the Untouchables on the 9th instant. I feel it necessary to submit to Your Excellency my reversion of the riot. Origin of the Riot :—According to the practice of the Kala Ram Temple at Nasik, the Rath (carriage of the God Ram) was to be taken out in the procession through the city. I was asked by Inspector Karnik (one of the Police Officers on duty at the Kala Ram Temple) what attitude I proposed to adopt the connection with the Rath procession. I told him that if equal treatment was accorded to Untouchables I had no objection to the Rath being taken out and I also specified the nature of the equality of treatment. I had stipulated for stating that I would insist upon two things— (1) That the Untouchables will participate in dragging the Rath alongwith the touchables, and (2) the Untouchables will offer Puja to the Idol in the Rath. Mr. Karnik then left and turned with the District Magistrate. The District Magistrate told me that my conditions were accepted by the touchable Hindus and that the touchables would bring the Rath to the main door of the temple

188 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES and after they had dragged it for 10 feet from the gate the Untouchables could join, and together with the touchables join carrying by holding the rope fastened to the Rath, and questioned me whether I had any objection to the Rath procession, to which I replied ‘I had none’ and in order to help the cause of peace I went out of my way to sort out about 50 out of a 5,000 Untouchables and told them that they alone want to take part in the dragging of the Rath. Accordingly the Rath was brought out to the temple gate by the touchables. But the touchables who wanted to decieve both the Untouchables and the Police Officers did two things— (1) the touchables held the rope so close to one another that no room was left for the Untouchables to join in, and (2) the touchables instead of stopping the Rath at-the temple gate, as previously agreed to, began to run away with it so as to give no chance to Untouchables to catch the rope and participate in carrying the Rath. This menacure to violate the most important condition in the agreement naturally enraged the feelings of the Untouchables. But the immediate cause of the fight was the action of the Police Sepoys a great majority of whom were Caste Hindus, they at once started to assualt those Untouchables who were struggling to hold a bit of the rope. The fight was started by the Caste Hindu Police who openly took the side of the touchable Hindus. The batch of 50 Untouchables was thus subjected to an assault from two-sides. The touchable Hindus who had held the rope were brushing them away and preventing them from taking a position near the rope and when the Untouchables were struggling to take a position the caste Hindu Police were charging with their batons and butt-ends of their rifles. Seeing their men assualted in this way the rest of the Untouchables followed the Rath with which the touchables were running away at a terrific speed. Seeing that the crowd of the Untouchables pursuing the Rath had come very near it, the touchables abandoned Rath on the road and went to adjoining field and began to throw a volley of stones on the crowd of Untouchables who were standing on the road. The road was lined on one side by barbed wire and on the other side by cactus, and consequently the Untouchables could not

189KALARAM TEMPLE................ENTRY MOVEMENT escape from the volley of stones as a result of which many of them were injured. The peaceful conduct of the Untouchables is evidenced from the fact that there is not a single casualty reported from among the touchable Hindus. Extent of the mischief done :— The crowd of the touchable Hindus when they were dispersed from the Field wherefrom they were throwing stones went to the camp of the Satyagraha Committee, pulled down the tent, smashed bicycles of volunteers, stoned the motor belonging to one of the members of the Committee and stoned the women who were in the charge of the kitchen and caused injuries to small children straying about. From there it went to the bank of the river where they found some Untouchable men, women and children who could not leave the bank of the river and join the main body of the Untouchables at the temple gate on account of the fact there was no one to take charge of their bullocks and carts, they were brutally assaulted, their belongings were burnt and some were thrown into water. According to the information given to me this attack resulted in the death of one man. Very little help was given to these unfortunate Untouchables on the bank of the river. The main body of the Untouchables could not go to their rescue because they were stopped from moving from their place and the police cordon was placed around them and as most of the Police force was engaged in keeping custody of the main body of the Untouchables at the gate, very few were left to give aid to those Untouchables who became victims to the attack on the bank. Attitude of the Police :—I must, however, guard myself against creating the impression that I have any complaint to make against the Police Officers. On the contrary, I have not the slightest hesitation to say that they have done their duty. I wish particularly to mention the names of Inspectors-Shelke, Nagarkar and Karaka for their splendid work in the most trying circumstances arising out of the Satyagraha. My complaint is against the Sepoys who took sides and who exhibited their caste prejudice by assaulting respectable Untouchables in a most wanton fashion. Their names and numbers will be submitted to their superiors and I trust Your Excellency will direct disciplinary action against them.

190 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Policy of District Magistrate :—I regret to say that I was not satisfied with the policy of the District Magistrate in connection with the Satyagraha of the Untouchables. In my last letter I had informed Your Excellency how a private door of the house of the Pujari was being used by the public as an entrance to the temple and how our Satyagraha was being frustrated thereby. The District Magistrate did not pay any regard to our contention and on the Ramnavami Day not only allowed the public to use the private entrance of the Pujari in complete disregard of our contention but prohibited our Satyagrahis to sit as usual at the adjacent public way the barricade from which was removed to provide exit to the touchable Hindus entering by the private door. As a result 18 Untouchables out of 300 who offered Satyagraha were arrested on the Ramnavami Day. After the riot of the 9th, the District Magistrate proposed to me that I must stop the Satyagraha or else he will withdraw the Police. His proposal was considered by the Satyagraha Committee and was rejected and I think rightly. Nothing could be a greater disaster to movement of the Untouchables than the stopping of the Satyagraha at this juncture. The touchable Hindus would gain the impression that any slight use of the force is sufficient to crush the movement of the Untouchables. Under the circumstances I or Satyagraha Committee can allow such an impression to go round. Only on this, if on no other account, we must continue our Satyagraha. Regarding the withdrawal of the Police, I wish the Government of Bombay to realise fully the implications thereof. To my mind it means that the Government is not willing to use the power it has under its command to help people who are struggling for their rights to win them. Such a power is good for nobody and the Depressed Classes may then be justified in joining hands with those who are speaking for a change. I hope that the Government of Bombay will give proper directions to the District Magistrate on this point. I learn from the ‘Times of India’ of today’s date that the District Magistrate has promulgated an order under Section 144 Cr. P. Code