THE NAGPUR SATYAGRAHA

THE Government of the Central Provinces has issued a belated communique regarding the National Flag campaign at Nagpur, which resembles similar official pronouncements in all its details. As is usual in such cases, the communique attempts to gloss over the actual facts, avoid the real issue and discredit the movement by misrepresenting its real objective. Even though the communique is a lengthy document, it does not furnish any adequate reason for government action. This is what the communique says: “Some misconception has arisen in regard both to the attitude of some residents of the Civil Station, and to the government action. The attempt to take a procession carrying the National Flag through this portion of the Civil Station, where processions have never been taken before, was regarded as a challenge to the Union Jack and an intention to cause annoyance to a section of the loyal residents. What had begun as a hostile demonstration against a section of loyal residents and the government has since been continued as organised lawlessness, while the government has acted throughout with clear knowledge that both in conception and execution the movement is exposed as Civil Disobedience and that the National Flag has been used both as a pretext for lawlessness and as an object of false appeal.” This is all that the government has to say in justification of its action. The ‘head and front’ of the offence of the Satyagrahis, therefore, is that they attempted to take processions carrying the National Flag through a portion of the Civil Station, where processions had never been taken before; and this was interpreted as a challenge to the Union Jack.