Gandhiji Abandons Prayer Meeting

No incidents have been reported from the Beliaghata area up to 3 pm today. Yesterday there was a case of arson and looting in the area and a bomb explosion. A short while after Mahatma Gandhi had arrived at his new residence, shouts of “Suhrawardy go back” were heard at the gate. The crowd had stopped the car by which Mr H.S. Suhrawardy, chief minister of Bengal, came. With the help of the police, the car entered the compound and Mr Suhrawardy quietly came near the room where Mahatma Gandhi had already settled down and was attending to his correspondence. Unlacing the shoes which he left outside, Mr Suhrawardy entered Mahatma’s room. Mahatma Gandhi greeted him with laughter, “What are those boys shouting for outside?” …

As Mr Suhrawardy sat down in front of the Mahatma, groups of women with folded hands entered the room for ‘Darshan’. Mr Suhrawardy, looking towards the women, said: “Ask your brothers to be peaceful.”

The demonstrators, who were between the ages of 15 to 20, swelled in numbers. Prof Nirmal Kumar Bose, Mahatma Gandhi’s secretary, approached the crowd and asked them to maintain peace and place before Mahatma Gandhi their grievances. The demonstrators refused to hear the pleadings of Prof Bose.

On hearing loud noises at the gate, Mahatma Gandhi asked Dr Dinshaw Mehta, who was now with the Mahatma to go and find out what the people wanted. After discussion with some of the demonstrators Dr Mehta and Mr Khitish Das Gupta brought in about half-a-dozen young men to Mahatma Gandhi.

The young men, who were excited, volleyed Mahatma Gandhi with numerous questions like: “Why did you not come to us when fire was raging in Hindu homes after August 16 last year?” “Why don’t you go and settle down in the Collotola and Park Circus areas where large number of Hindu houses are lying vacant and ruined.”

Mahatma Gandhi explained that they should remember that from August 16 last year up to this day, the whole political structure of India had changed. He was in Calcutta only on his way to Noakhali to be there lest anything happened in that district. He had postponed his departure for Noakhali because Mr Suhrawardy had flown from Delhi only to say that Calcutta was a raging fire and he (Mahatma) should pour a pot of water on it. He thought that by staying on here he could do a lot for the Hindus of Noakhali. He never was an enemy of the Hindus but to him Hindus and Muslims were the same, brothers, and he wanted as much the Muslims to started living in their homes again as the Hindus.

Mahatma Gandhi also said to the boys that he wanted not only the Muslims to settle down in their homes, but also the Hindus in their homes, which they had left as a result of the disturbances. The deputationists listened patiently but their excitement was not quietened and Mahatma said “Your head is now hot, I will make it cool.”…