Chachaji

Sharma: Mr Jauhar, you were attracted to Sri Aurobindo, then why did you take part in 1942 movement? What exactly did you do in this movement?

Chacha Ji: My life with Sri Aurobindo had just started at that time. Before that I had never heard the names of Sri Aurobindo or the Mother or of Sri Aurobindo Ashram. I was fully involved in the political movement not out of any motive but, as an ‘offering’, to work for the Motherland— right from my school days, during the Martial Law in 1919. As I was so much involved in the Congress and in those years, 1940-41 or 1942, I was also a member of the Provincial Congress Committee. And now as this movement was so strong and so impressive—the “Quit India movement”—I said: “I must offer myself, whatever I can do.”

Although there was some sort of struggle that was going on in my mind, but when a movement comes you can’t resist it. It comes like an invasion.

And when the movement started, the 30 or 40 persons who were working in the Congress during those days had collected and held a meeting at a secret place somewhere in Narendra Place, as far as I can remember, to decide about the movement in Delhi.

But as the meeting started, they found that Mrs Asaf Ali had not yet come and she was missing. So I was directed to bring her before they could start the meeting. I went to her house to search for her and bring her. I could not find her.

And I came back. From the distance I saw that a number of policeman were there. They had already come to know about that meeting. And those people who were the Congressmen in Delhi had been arrested.

So only three persons were left, for one reason or the other—myself, Mrs Asaf Ali and Jugal Kishore Khanna. And whatever was done in Delhi was entirely conducted by the three of us.

And we carried on like this for about three months. Jugal Kishore Khanna was not usually with us. He used to hide somewhere else. And the other two of us were together. Somewhere, somehow or the other, we used to meet. But Mrs Asaf Ali had to sit alone the whole day without movement, so she was naturally very frustrated the whole day.

She would always be waiting and waiting for me. Whenever I would come in the evening—and I would come smiling and laughing, then at that time she would be so much annoyed: “How could you laugh? And how could you smile? The whole day I have been waiting, and...”

The whole day she would be frightened and tense— that some C.I.D. people might come and arrest her. And there were actually some days when I had to change her place twice or thrice in a day. Otherwise, there was usually hardly any place where we could stay for more than two or three days. That was the maximum.

All the time we had to change the place...how many places we were forced to go! And once you enter somebody’s house—who was either my relation or friend or a Congressman you can’t get out. And that person is certainly more frightened than us! And he wouldn’t like us to stay. But he can’t do anything. When once you have come he couldn’t even dare to inform the police because he was never our enemy. But he was always frightened that if police comes to know that he had given us shelter like this, his position would be very awkward and very, very difficult. So we had passed all these days like that.

The Daring Encounters with the Police

Then suddenly one day (very seldom I used to go to my house) I went to my house at Central Lane, Babar Road. And I was informed that two persons were standing outside. They were C.I.D. people in plain clothes.

Unfortunately, my wife’s younger sister, who was hardly 11 or 12, told these people that I was inside. So they informed the police.

In the meantime, I went out from the back door. And I found two other persons standing there to catch me. But I was so young that I slapped and kicked them off and threw them away. They did not have much courage. So I slipped away in my car.

When I slipped away in my car, first of all, I went away to my ‘country house’ near the Qutab Minar, which is now Sri Aurobindo Ashram. It was not constructed in those days. But still we had one or two rooms and a hut. Mostly I used to live there. This place was seven miles from my house. And my driver was there.

Now that these people had come to know and were after me and might arrest me, so I wanted to take the driver from that place and slip away towards Mathura and Agra from that side. In the meantime, Rai Sahib Gopal Das and the C.I.D. people had already been informed that my car had gone that side. They followed me. I did not know that anybody was following me. As soon as I reached my house and turned through the agricultural land towards the house someone came from the front. They were following me. Coming from the front with a pistol they stopped my car and asked me to come out. So I came out. The names I came to know afterwards. One was Rai Sahib Gopal Das, Additional Superintendent of Police and other was Mr Jain, Inspector of Police. Mr Jain was holding the pistol and Rai Sahib Gopal Das went on saying:

“Shoot him. Shoot him at once! Shoot him. Shoot him at once!” In the meantime, they came closer to me and told me, “You are arrested.” I said: “Alright, if I am arrested let me put my car in my garage and then I will accompany you.”

Meanwhile they tried to manhandle me. They caught hold of my shirt, which got torn from the neck, and the struggle and scuffle started. I caught hold of Mr Jain’s hand which was holding the pistol and knocked him down and I wanted to snatch the pistol but Mr Jain with his teeth bit my hand. And Rai Sahib Gopal Das went on beating me with his stick.

In the meantime, my driver came out and reached there. He caught hold of Rai Sahib Gopal Das and gave him a good beating.

Meanwhile I overpowered Mr Jain and snatched his pistol. Then both of these people came with us into the house and practically we locked both of them inside. And they were there in the hall which is now meditation hall. It was under construction at that time.

Now Rai Sahib Gopal Das was out of breath and begged of me to give him some water first, so I gave him some water. Then he begged of me that they should be released. And he said that he came from a very high family and his service was at stake. Then he fell at my feet scores of times and begged and begged and begged and begged of me to give back the pistol and let them go. I said: “For what purpose? If I want to arrest you?”

After those three months of hectic movement, I was tired. And after all I had to be arrested ultimately, then why should I not adopt the Gandhian way of being arrested by surrendering myself to the police, I thought.

We had a gentleman’s agreement that I will go to my house, take my bedding and then I will go to my office at Connaught Circus and will give some important instructions to my people as I was going to be arrested. He gave his word of honour. I drove in my car and they followed.

When we reached my house there were two lorry-loads of policemen standing there with Pandit Sita Ram, Deputy Superintendent of Police as the head. So as soon as I got out of the car he caught hold of me. But Rai Sahib Gopal Das said: “We have given him our word of honour. Let him go to his house and then we can take him.”

I went into my house, my wife and my younger brother Mr Gurubaksh Lal both sat with me in the car. Then I took my bedding and went to Connaught Circus.

When I reached my Connaught Circus office another two lorry-loads of policemen were standing there with guns and pistols and all that. When I started to enter my office there were already about three thousand people collected there and there was again a scuffle. And in the meantime the situation became a little out of control, the entire public came on the scene and my wife and myself were dragged into and out of the verandah by the people.

And when the situation became out of control…perhaps then the magistrate ordered that I should be shot dead. So somebody pointed a pistol at me and was trying to shoot. But in the meantime the police surrounded me and caught hold of me and put me in the lorry.

My cousin Sardar Khushdev Singh tried to argue with these people. He was also put in the police van and was taken. He and I were taken to New Delhi police station.

Mr R.G.Mellor, the Superintendent of C.I.D., was responsible for all this.

When we reached the police station he beat my driver very severely, and then he started beating me. But I told him: “We are handcuffed but my legs are free and I will knock you down with my legs…I don’t care for my life. But if you behave like this, the way you have beaten my driver…” So he gave me one or two kicks.

And after this I told him: “If your country were in the same condition as my country is and if you were behaving in the same manner in which we are behaving to get our country free what would be your position?” This probably brought a little sense to Mr Mellor and he was a little silent. Then we were put into the cell.

The whole night my bedding was not allowed in. My food was not allowed in. I was not allowed to go to the toilet. And the whole night I was there.

In the morning, to my surprise, people started coming to see me in the cell. And there were scores and scores of English people, and mostly English ladies because perhaps in newspaper headlines it came that the Additional Superintendent of Police was beaten by some person, so perhaps they wanted to see who such a person was. They came out of curiosity. During the day, whatever was going on in Mr Mellor’s office in the New Delhi police station, was reported to me by one constable or the other, because all the constables were against Rai Sahib Gopal Das. He was said to be a bad person, and the police staff did not like him.

Then I was informed that instead of telling the true story they were making a case against me of ‘attempt to murder’. I heard that they went to my house at Mehrauli Road (Sri Aurobindo Marg), which is Sri Aurobindo Ashram now, and they arrested all my servants and workers including my carpenter, Sardar Niranjan Singh. They brought the ‘big sticks’, carpenter’s saw, hammer and all those things, and they made a story that they were likely to be killed by us.

Meanwhile, it was reported to me by a policeman that a doctor had come and Rai Sahib Gopal Das had taken off his shirt and his vest and put it on the table and with the saw scratched his back and brought out a little blood. And with that blood the vest and the shirt were dampened... blood was put on these in good quantity. Then a certificate was taken to the effect that we were trying to cut him. This was reported to me.

And they never mentioned the way they had arrested me or the scuffle that took place or the way I snatched their pistol.

After two days I was sent to the central jail as an under-trial prisoner and there, of course, I was taken in handcuffs. I was under quite difficult conditions. My food used to come from my house. But otherwise I had to use jail clothes and each and every thing was given there. After a few days my bedding and clothes were also allowed. I was still an under-trial prisoner and there was no punishment given by the court.