HORRORS OF RAWALPINDI

Chronicle (Levin), 19 March 1947, Page 5

HORRORS OF RAWALPINDI

LONDON, Mar. 18. No village in the Rawalpindi district eseaped the fury of the communal rioting, said the president of the Punjab Provincial Youth Organisation, Harbhajan Wingh Ahluwalia, who returned to Lahore from a tour of the district. He tqld Reuter's correspondent that the Noakhali? rfbts- in Eastern Bengal in October, 19,4(5. paled into insignilicance before the butchery and horrors oi Rawalpindi (unotticially reported at 20,000 killed and injured and the Noakhali riots about 100,000. Ahluwalia said Mandra town, 20 miles south of Rawalpindi, was completely wrecked with 110 signs of life visible. More than 10,000 refugees were encamped at Rawalpindi, and in the distanee of 2(' miles between Gujarkhan and Rawai pindi 30 fires burned in villages. The correspondent says many cases of arson tvere reported from Lahore during the niglit. Thirteen sliops vvere burned to the irround.

The evacuation of Sikh and Hindu families from the northwest frontiei province is continuing. Hindus anc Siklis in Peshawar aud the siirrounding villages are refusing to open their sliops for fear of fatal assaults. The authorities had to deliver. specia; rations. Strong foi'ces of British ani. Indian troops still patrol the city streets. The Moslem League Minister for Connnunieations in the Interim Government, Abdur Nishtar, at a pless con ference at Peshawar denied that tluMoslem League liegan the incidents in the northwest frontier and declared that someone hired troublemalcers to give the League a bad name. Thc iwague was tryiug to check the trouble and protect minorities. He demandee an impartial inquiry into the Pesliawai rioting.