Press opinion on the Hunter report

PRESS opinion on the Hunter Commission report has followed much the same line as the report itself. Just as in the case of the latter, all the Indian members are on one side and all the European members on the other, so in the case of the former, most of the English papers, whether in India or England are on one side, and most of the Indian papers are on the other. Among the first, the only exceptions, though even these do not go far enough, are the Westminster Gazette, which urges the punishment of the officers and civilians who have been justly censured, and says that much in the report suggests that the Government of India needs a good deal of over-handling, the Star which is of opinion that General Reginald Dyer’s conduct (in Amritsar) was a crime and a blunder, and the Manchester Guardian which declares that the majority report’s censure of General Dyer is mealy-mouthed, describes the crawling order as a monstrosity and hopes that the question of bombs in civil disturbances will be fought out in principle. The London Times and the Times of India, which at one time appeared to take a just and sane view of the situation, now approve of the majority report which has cast all justice and sanity to the winds. Among the Indian papers, the only exception is the Indian Mirror, the editor of which was brought to the Punjab at Government expense to see things for himself, which, in this case, only meant through official eyes. All other papers are united in condemning the majority report as shockingly wrong in most things, absurdly inadequate even where it is not wholly wrong.