Vol. 17, Part II · pages 536–540

511POONA SATYAGRAH completely annihilating them politically they want to cover it by committing the worse crime of misleading the British Parliament and the British Public by a misstatement of fact that a large majority of the Scheduled Castes are with the Congress. It has been established in the primary elections that the Scheduled Castes Federation alone commands the support of the Depressed Classes in spite of the many obstacles thrown by the Caste Hindus in its way. In their anxiety to appease the Congress and win it over for their own ends the Cabinet Delegation have quietly let the Depressed Classes down to whom all these years they have pledged protection and safeguards. I am prepared to submit to any finding by any impartial international tribunal as to whether the Scheduled Castes follow Dr. Ambedkar or Mr. Gandhi. Surely the Cabinet Delegation have not fallen a victim to the latest stunt of Mr. Gandhi in staying in Bhangi Colonies. I am rather tempted to say that the whole thing was a Prearranged affair between Mr. Gandhi and the Cabinet Delegation particularly Sir Stafford Cripps.” 1 II NAGPUR-SATYAGRAHA “Jai-Bheem” my name, “S.C.F.” my Caste, “Dalitsthan” my abode Sensational answers by C. P. Satyagrahis 243 members of the C. P. Scheduled Castes Federation including 6 women and 9 boys were arrested on 12th September 1946. Following their demonstration when the Central Provinces Legislative Assembly met to discuss the Provincial Budget in detail. The demonstrators adopted a novel method of answering the questions by Police Officers while their charge sheets were being prepared. They stated that “Jai Bheem” was their name, their caste was “Scheduled Castes Federation” and “Dalitsthan” was their residence. 1 Jai Bheem, August 13, 1946, P. 8.

512 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Arrests mounting 262 persons were arrested on the 13th in connection with the Scheduled Castes Federation’s demonstrations. The arrested persons include 14 women and 9 boys. One demonstrator evaded police pickets, but was later arrested in the outer verandah of the Assembly Building when he was found loitering in a suspicious manner. 203 Arrests on the 4th September Members of the Scheduled Castes Federation in Nagpur continued their Satyagraha on the 4th September for the second day on the seven roads leading to the C. P. Assembly Building. During the day 203 men and 20 women courted arrest having been stopped by the Magistrates and police officers from going towards the main entrances of Assembly building. All men and women who were arrested will be summarily tried for violation of order under Section 144 Cr. P. C. which is in force in Nagpur prohibiting taking out processions without licence. Eighteen minor boys who joined the Satyagraha were let off. Some of the men earned their small beddings to use the same in jail. Most of arrested men raised slogans accusing British Government and Congress Ministry of betraying interests of Scheduled Castes and praising Dr. Ambedkar, our leader. 1 III LUCKNOW SATYAGRAHA U. P. Scheduled Castes Fight for Their Rights Police Lathi Charge on Peaceful Satyagrahis Rajbhoj and Tilakchand Arrested The Satyagraha started by the U. P. Scheduled Castes Federation took a serious turn when the Caste Hindu Policemen behaved indecently with the Untouchable women Satyagrahis. Conseuent 1: Jai Bheem, 16 September 1946, P. 7.

513POONA SATYAGRAH on the inhuman treatment towards the Satyagrahis in general and the women Satyagrahis in particular by the Congress ministry in Power Mr. Rajbhoj, the General Secretary of the All India Scheduled Castes Federation took up the lead of the Satyagraha movement and was arrested on the 18th April Mr. Tilakchand Kureel, President of the U. P. S. C. F. was also arrested. The news regarding the Satyagraha we had published in our last issue under U. P. S. C. F. Satyagraha diary. Here is a brief day to day report of the above Satyagraha. April 14th, 1947 148 Satyagrahis were arrested with three leaders namely Dadasaheb Fullidasji, working committee member of the S. C. F. and Municipal Commissioner of Cawnpur, Mrs. Fullidas and Mr. Totaram, the President of the S. C. F. Women Satyagrahis entered into the Assembly chamber and made the working of the Assembly impossible for more than 15 minutes. The ladies were insulted, and fists were used to oust the ladies by the Caste-Hindu police. The bangles of the ladies were broken. The enraged women Satyagrahis slapped some of the intruders who were insulting them. The ladies went there with babies in their arms to offer Satyagraha. This news has been blackout completely by the Caste Hindu Papers in Lucknow. In this clash two women were injured. Mr. Rajbhoj addresses the Satyagrahis April 17th, 1947 The Satyagraha of the Scheduled Castes Federation of the U. P. entered into fourteenth day. One big batch, numbering one hundred, hailed from different districts, i.e. Jhansi, Agra, Hamirpur, and Lucknow, and 20 women Satyagrahis, with babies in their arms, courted arrest. While proceeding towards the Council House, the Satyagrahis were detained at Hussainganj and later on they were arrested. Before the starting of the Satyagrah, the Satyagrahis were addressed by Mr. P. N. Rajbhoj, the General Secretary of the All India Scheduled Castes Federation at the Satyagrah camp in Ahiaganj under the presidentship of Mr. Tilakchand Kureel, the Chairman of the U. P. S. C. Federation. In the course of his

514 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES speech, the General Secretary narrated the pathetic and heart-rendering stories of social injustice by the Caste-Hindus under the direct nose of the Caste-Hindu Congress Ministry upon the innocent and the age-long-tyrannised Scheduled Castes people in the Hindu Villages. Quoting the instances of the inhuman tyranny, he told the audience that four people have been burnt in Aligarh district, 12 poor Scheduled Castes men were shot down in Meerut district, a number of houses were set on fire in Hardoi District and Jalwan District. Not a single day passes when these unfortunate Scheduled Castes people were not kicked or killed by the Caste Hindus. Still no M.L.A. of the Untouchables who claimed to represent their own community people did raise any voice in the Assembly. Their tongues have been sealed for ever. How a slave like Untouchable could speak against their tyranny of their own Hindu Masters? Any word from them might deprive them to get a seat in a Brahminic Swarga (Heaven). The number of M.L.A. was twenty. Still there was no voice against the inhuman treatment of Caste Hindus. The other day, the speaker continued, the women demonstrators from the Scheduled Castes were insulted and thrown away by the Hindus Congress Ministry police. A number of them were injured. Still no news appeared in the Caste Hindu paper. No action was taken against the offenders by the higher authorities. No M. L. A. of down trodden community moved any sort of adjournment motion in the Assembly. That was all the result of the “Poona Pact”, which gave the joint electorate system in place of the Separate Electorates system to the Scheduled Castes who saved the life of Mr. M. K. Gandhi from his mischievous fast unto death in 1932. Time was a great factor. It would prove the justice before the educated world. Had any Caste. Hindu woman been assaulted by the same police, the Caste Hindu newspapers would have created a great habub and they would have moved the Heaven and the Earth. The population on the Scheduled Castes people in U. P. was more than 33 percent Scheduled Castes People are represented in no Govt. Services in U. P. No representation in the Executive, Judiciary and in Educational departments. The condition of the

515POONA SATYAGRAH Scheduled Castes in India is worse than the Negroes in America and Jews in Germany and Palastine. The question was not concerned with a few only but it was concerned with crores of Untouchables in India. Concluding his speech he quoted the message of Dr. Ambedkar. He explained to the public that “The Scheduled Castes must resolve that in a Free India of the future they would be a ruling race. They should refuse to continue to play a role of subservience or accept a position in which they could be treated as servants to masters. Tilakchand And Rajbhoj Arrested April 18th, 1947 Today the Satyagraha was in it’s fifteenth day. Mr. Rajbhoj, the General Secretary of the All India Scheduled Castes Federation, courted arrest with seventy five Satyagrahis hailed from Agra, Aligarh, Cawnpur, Tundala and Lucknow. The arrest of the chief Dictator Mr. Tilakchand Kuriel last night by the Government at Satyagrah camp encouraged the Scheduled Castes people in Lucknow and in the whole of the province. Hundreds are pouring into Lucknow to court arrest before the Council house. Even the ladies are not lagging behind the male Satyagrahis. There are instances where the Untouchable mothers are sending their sons, the sisters, are sending their brothers to court arrest. Before the arrest Mr. Rajbhoj appointed Badalooram Sonkar from Cawnpur as the 2nd dictator of the Satyagrah of the U. P. in Lucknow. Prior to his departure for courting arrest before the Council House, he gave the following message to the Scheduled Castes of the U. P. in particular and all over India in general. “I may say that the treatment of the Australian Bushman by the colonisers that of the Negroes by the klu klux klan and of the Jows by the Nazis is less heinous than the sufferings of the Scheduled Castes who were subjected to in the name of religion caste and the like by the Hindus. It is nothing but a slow poisoning to us.