Provincial fortnightly report (Madras) — Communists, students and collective fines

                                : 3 :

        Distribution of objectionable pamphlets and affixure of
posters are still reported from a number of districts. In
Bellary district some persons were arrested distributing leaf-
lets said to have been issued by the A.I.C.C. Bombay. Cyclos-
tyled pamphlets were found pasted up in a town in Ramnad Dt.
[struck-over word] that the Police had disgraced two Congress women volunteers
by taking away their good clothes and giving them bad ones
instead. On investigation the allegations were found to be
baseless.

        COMMUNISTS.- The Communists celebrated Unity Week from
1-11-1942, organizing processions and meetings. Mr.Mohan Kumara-
mangalm was the chief organizer in Madras and though his
speeches were designed to call for national unity in face of
the menace from the Axis powers he made some intemperate
attacks on the policy of the Government in dealing with the
Congress. In Malabar district a meeting was held where a
Communist speaker made an attack on Subash Chandra Bose and
the Forward Bloc. There are some indications in this district
that the Communists, irritated at Congress propaganda which
accuses them of being suborned by the Government, are trying
to get the Muslim League followers to their side. A secret
meeting of Communists is reported to have been held in Trichi-
nopoly, but nothing is known of their deliberations. Unity
Week was celeborated in certain other Districts also especially
Guntur, Salem and Coimbatore, but as reported already in spite
of Anti-fascist professions, the Communists have done little
tangible to help the war effort. In Trichinopoly they are
obtaining signatures for mass petitions to be sent to the
Viceroy for the release of the congress leaders.

        STUDENTS.- There was a partial strike in the American
Mission and Madura Colleges in Madura on 2-11-1942 to protest
against the arrest of 2 students in connection with the recent
acid-throwing at a Police Inspector. The strike lasted only
one day and everything is quiet now. Two of the ring leaders
in the Madura College have been dismissed.

        COLLECTIVE FINES.- Collective fines have been imposed in
the following cases during the fortnight.-
                                                        Rs.
                West Godavari       ...             30,000
                Kistna              ..              10,250
                Kurnool             ...              1,000

The total amount of collective fines imposed so far is Rs.8,94,250.
[struck-over word] Realisation of the fines is proceeding satis-
factorily. A sum of Rs.1,200 was collected in Ongole in Guntur
District without difficulty. In Mannargudi in Tanjore District
out of a fine of Rs.50,000 only about Rs.526 remain uncollected
[remainder of the sheet obscured]