07-27-2004, 04:54 AM
Shri Madanlal Krishnalal Pahwa
Shri Madanlal Pahwa, who had exploded the gun-cotton slab on January 20, 1948, was a refugee. He came from a small town called Pakpattan in the district of Montgomery, now deep in Pakistan. He was a witness to the awful events of massacre, loot and arson. Caravans, miles together in length and comprising lakhs of human driven out of their hearth and home, were on their way to truncated India. Madanlal stated his horrible experience in his statement before the Court.
He stated on oath: " We walked night and day. There were men and women of all ages and all conditions. Many could not stand the strain. They-mostly women and children-were left on the road. I reached a place called Fazilka, in Indian territory, and discovered that another refugee column in which my father and other relatives had set out had fared much worse. They had been attacked by Muslim mobs on their way: Only 40 or 50 had survived out of 400 or 500 and even these were in hospitals. My aunt had been killed, more than a hundred girls were abducted, and my father rescued from a heap of the dead."
While in Fazilka, Madanlal saw other refugee columns coming in; one of them he says was 'forty miles long', and in another marched " five hundred women who had been stripped naked.......I saw women with their breasts, noses, ears and cheeks cut........one of them told me how her child was roasted and she was asked to partake of the same.....another was ravished in the presence of her husband who was kept tied to a tree.'
Madanlal had passed his matriculation examination and had served in the Royal Indian Navy as a wireless operator. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1946 after end of the second world war, and had gone back to his home. A few month later, when the Hindus were routed out of his part of the Punjab, he become part of a refugee column.
After his horrifying experience in the refugee column, he finally reached India in the summer of 1947, and went to Bombay in the hope of finding a job. He choose Bombay because Bombay was not new for him; he had been for a time posted in Bombay while in the Navy.
Madanlal was now twenty years old. He was a thick-set, muscular man with dark brown hair and a wine-red smudge of a mustache who was eager to use his hands to make his living. In Bombay, Madanlal found himself shoved into the Chembur refugee camp, which was like a vast scrapheap of unwanted humanity that, for the sake of decency, had to be kept out of sight. Every morning he went out to the city to search a job, even though it was not easy to get a job at that time. However a fellow-refugee took him to Dr. Jain who taught Hindi in the Ruia College. He also was the author of several Hindi books, and was looking for a strong young man who would peddle his book from house to house. Finally, Madanlal was appointed as a salesman. There was no salary for this job, but retain a twenty-five percent commission on the sales he made. The books were not easy to sell. He worked two month as Dr. Jain's salesman and his commission had never exceed Rs. 50.
By this time Madanlal found employment in a factory which was licensed to make fire-crackers. Unfortunately, during his work in fire-crackers factory Madanlal lost the top portion of the index finger in an accident. The finger had got caught in the gears of a turntable when his hand had slipped. His assistant had immediately stopped the machinery, but the finger was wedged between the teeth of two rotary wheels.
Madanlal had to look for a new job, while his finger healed. At this time he met with Vishnu Karkare who devoted himself to help the helpless refugees. Karkare was able to persuade Madanlal to go with him to Ahmednager. He also promised to set up Madanlal in business. In Ahmednagar, Madanlal opened a fruit stall. His business was financed by Karkare. He admired Karkare for what he had done for the refugees in Ahmednagar, and himself become active in all of Karkare's schemes. Madanlal made up his mind to stay on in Ahmednagar because his business was in flourishing condition, and also fell in love with a local girl.
By this time, at least seven million refugee ( Hindu & Sikh )came to India, and more than one million were concentrated in Delhi. Here they discovered that their miseries were far from over. They were herded like cattle in barbed-wire enclosures, and even these enclosure were so overcrowded that those who came after had to live in street and under trees in cold winter.
At first, refugees merely cursed Gandhi, and the other sheep-like leaders of India who listened to his crazy counsels. Then, as they began to wander the streets of Delhi in search of food and shelter, they were horrified to see that, a large number of Muslims were living right in the heart of the city as though by right. There were influential Muslims in the Government, in the services, in the professions, in trade; in short they were everywhere. On the other hand, they (refugees) had not place to live; no food to eat; did not have enough cloth to ware in cold winter. So-called great soul came to refugee camp but not help them or to see them; he came in the camp for the avowed purpose of championing the cause of the Muslims.
Their minds filled out with rage because instead of providing food and shelter for them Gandhi and other Indian leaders were busy to defend Muslims who were living like king in India. On the other hand, they( Refugees ) were kicked out by Muslims from their home Pakistan and was also not welcomed in India. They found both India and Pakistan belongs to Muslims. The refugees were tortured, tired, homeless, helpless and extremely energy towards Indian leaders and Muslims.
It was winter, the cold become extremely severe, they needed shelters anyway, and the government had no intention to give them shelter. The angry Hindu and Sikhs refugees were starting to occupy Mosques and Muslims home to live. This was the only way of making sure of having a roof over their heads on the hard winter months. Even though Indian government did nothing save Hindus lives and properties, it didn't hesitate to show extreme cruelty against Hindu and Sikh refugees to suppress them from taking over Mosques and Muslims residences. That was not all, big surprised was still ahead. By this time, Gandhi announced that he was going to go on an indefinite fast, and he put seven conditions for giving up his fast. Every condition laid down by Gandhi for giving up his fast was against the Hindus & Sikhs as well as against humanity.
Among the seven conditions one condition was that all Muslims who left India, must be taken back, and all the mosques which were occupied by the Refugees should be vacated or got vacated and all Muslims homes which were occupied by Refugee must be emptied at any cost so that the Muslims who had left India could return and live in peace in their own house. However, unfortunately so-called great soul did not mention anything about alternative shelter for poor Hindu and Sikh refugee. The conditions was approved by the Government.
The refugees were shocked to learn about his heinous conditions. They marched to Birla house to voice their protest and shouted slogans "Gandhi-ko marne do. Ham ko makan do. (Let Gandhi die and give us shelter.)
On January 20, 1948, Madanlal, who himself was a refugee, exploded gun-cotton in Birla house to send Gandhi a message that Hindus were angry. The explosion was not aimed at Gandhi it was just a warning. Moreover, to avoid injuries of innocent people the explosive was placed on hundred and fifty feet away from the dais where Gandhi sat. Madanlal was arrested right on the spot, and was sentenced for life.
Torture in Police custody
In Police custody Madanlal was not only harassed, but also subjected to some revoltingly sadistic tortures. According to him, he was pounded on the soles of his feet with a twist of hard rope while questions were fired at him; made to lie on the floor with two legs of a charpoy [string bed} resting on his hands and on his hands and on which a policeman jumped up and down; his sexual organs were played with, abused, prodded and beaten with sticks; and something he came to dread most-he was treated to what he believes was a local specialty, 'the ordeal by ants'. They would hold big red ants in their fingers, infuriate them by spitting on them, and then release them on his naked body.
Shri Madanlal Pahwa, who had exploded the gun-cotton slab on January 20, 1948, was a refugee. He came from a small town called Pakpattan in the district of Montgomery, now deep in Pakistan. He was a witness to the awful events of massacre, loot and arson. Caravans, miles together in length and comprising lakhs of human driven out of their hearth and home, were on their way to truncated India. Madanlal stated his horrible experience in his statement before the Court.
He stated on oath: " We walked night and day. There were men and women of all ages and all conditions. Many could not stand the strain. They-mostly women and children-were left on the road. I reached a place called Fazilka, in Indian territory, and discovered that another refugee column in which my father and other relatives had set out had fared much worse. They had been attacked by Muslim mobs on their way: Only 40 or 50 had survived out of 400 or 500 and even these were in hospitals. My aunt had been killed, more than a hundred girls were abducted, and my father rescued from a heap of the dead."
While in Fazilka, Madanlal saw other refugee columns coming in; one of them he says was 'forty miles long', and in another marched " five hundred women who had been stripped naked.......I saw women with their breasts, noses, ears and cheeks cut........one of them told me how her child was roasted and she was asked to partake of the same.....another was ravished in the presence of her husband who was kept tied to a tree.'
Madanlal had passed his matriculation examination and had served in the Royal Indian Navy as a wireless operator. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1946 after end of the second world war, and had gone back to his home. A few month later, when the Hindus were routed out of his part of the Punjab, he become part of a refugee column.
After his horrifying experience in the refugee column, he finally reached India in the summer of 1947, and went to Bombay in the hope of finding a job. He choose Bombay because Bombay was not new for him; he had been for a time posted in Bombay while in the Navy.
Madanlal was now twenty years old. He was a thick-set, muscular man with dark brown hair and a wine-red smudge of a mustache who was eager to use his hands to make his living. In Bombay, Madanlal found himself shoved into the Chembur refugee camp, which was like a vast scrapheap of unwanted humanity that, for the sake of decency, had to be kept out of sight. Every morning he went out to the city to search a job, even though it was not easy to get a job at that time. However a fellow-refugee took him to Dr. Jain who taught Hindi in the Ruia College. He also was the author of several Hindi books, and was looking for a strong young man who would peddle his book from house to house. Finally, Madanlal was appointed as a salesman. There was no salary for this job, but retain a twenty-five percent commission on the sales he made. The books were not easy to sell. He worked two month as Dr. Jain's salesman and his commission had never exceed Rs. 50.
By this time Madanlal found employment in a factory which was licensed to make fire-crackers. Unfortunately, during his work in fire-crackers factory Madanlal lost the top portion of the index finger in an accident. The finger had got caught in the gears of a turntable when his hand had slipped. His assistant had immediately stopped the machinery, but the finger was wedged between the teeth of two rotary wheels.
Madanlal had to look for a new job, while his finger healed. At this time he met with Vishnu Karkare who devoted himself to help the helpless refugees. Karkare was able to persuade Madanlal to go with him to Ahmednager. He also promised to set up Madanlal in business. In Ahmednagar, Madanlal opened a fruit stall. His business was financed by Karkare. He admired Karkare for what he had done for the refugees in Ahmednagar, and himself become active in all of Karkare's schemes. Madanlal made up his mind to stay on in Ahmednagar because his business was in flourishing condition, and also fell in love with a local girl.
By this time, at least seven million refugee ( Hindu & Sikh )came to India, and more than one million were concentrated in Delhi. Here they discovered that their miseries were far from over. They were herded like cattle in barbed-wire enclosures, and even these enclosure were so overcrowded that those who came after had to live in street and under trees in cold winter.
At first, refugees merely cursed Gandhi, and the other sheep-like leaders of India who listened to his crazy counsels. Then, as they began to wander the streets of Delhi in search of food and shelter, they were horrified to see that, a large number of Muslims were living right in the heart of the city as though by right. There were influential Muslims in the Government, in the services, in the professions, in trade; in short they were everywhere. On the other hand, they (refugees) had not place to live; no food to eat; did not have enough cloth to ware in cold winter. So-called great soul came to refugee camp but not help them or to see them; he came in the camp for the avowed purpose of championing the cause of the Muslims.
Their minds filled out with rage because instead of providing food and shelter for them Gandhi and other Indian leaders were busy to defend Muslims who were living like king in India. On the other hand, they( Refugees ) were kicked out by Muslims from their home Pakistan and was also not welcomed in India. They found both India and Pakistan belongs to Muslims. The refugees were tortured, tired, homeless, helpless and extremely energy towards Indian leaders and Muslims.
It was winter, the cold become extremely severe, they needed shelters anyway, and the government had no intention to give them shelter. The angry Hindu and Sikhs refugees were starting to occupy Mosques and Muslims home to live. This was the only way of making sure of having a roof over their heads on the hard winter months. Even though Indian government did nothing save Hindus lives and properties, it didn't hesitate to show extreme cruelty against Hindu and Sikh refugees to suppress them from taking over Mosques and Muslims residences. That was not all, big surprised was still ahead. By this time, Gandhi announced that he was going to go on an indefinite fast, and he put seven conditions for giving up his fast. Every condition laid down by Gandhi for giving up his fast was against the Hindus & Sikhs as well as against humanity.
Among the seven conditions one condition was that all Muslims who left India, must be taken back, and all the mosques which were occupied by the Refugees should be vacated or got vacated and all Muslims homes which were occupied by Refugee must be emptied at any cost so that the Muslims who had left India could return and live in peace in their own house. However, unfortunately so-called great soul did not mention anything about alternative shelter for poor Hindu and Sikh refugee. The conditions was approved by the Government.
The refugees were shocked to learn about his heinous conditions. They marched to Birla house to voice their protest and shouted slogans "Gandhi-ko marne do. Ham ko makan do. (Let Gandhi die and give us shelter.)
On January 20, 1948, Madanlal, who himself was a refugee, exploded gun-cotton in Birla house to send Gandhi a message that Hindus were angry. The explosion was not aimed at Gandhi it was just a warning. Moreover, to avoid injuries of innocent people the explosive was placed on hundred and fifty feet away from the dais where Gandhi sat. Madanlal was arrested right on the spot, and was sentenced for life.
Torture in Police custody
In Police custody Madanlal was not only harassed, but also subjected to some revoltingly sadistic tortures. According to him, he was pounded on the soles of his feet with a twist of hard rope while questions were fired at him; made to lie on the floor with two legs of a charpoy [string bed} resting on his hands and on his hands and on which a policeman jumped up and down; his sexual organs were played with, abused, prodded and beaten with sticks; and something he came to dread most-he was treated to what he believes was a local specialty, 'the ordeal by ants'. They would hold big red ants in their fingers, infuriate them by spitting on them, and then release them on his naked body.