Bombs in Bengal

THE alleged discovery of a “live” bomb, some revolvers and catridges and a quantity of nitric acid in a house in Dakshineswar near Calcutta and the arrest of 9 persons who are alleged at the time to have been living in that house has given rise to a bitter and animated controversy between certain Indian and certain Anglo-Indian journals as to the true meaning of the incident. The Indian journals have more or less openly asserted that the placing of the bomb and the arms in the house may have been in all probability the work of police agents. In support of the assertion they point to the fact that this discovery took place almost on the morrow of the all-Bengal demonstration of protest against the detention of Babu Subhash Chandra Bose and other internees. If the Police wanted to make out a case for the continued detention of these men how could they do it better or more effectively than by a discovery of this kind? The Anglo-Indian journals have stoutly denied the allegation and strongly condemned the attitude of mind which bring such accusation against police agents without a scintilla of positive proof in support of it. In truth the accusation is not one which can be either proved or disproved without a regular, independent and impartial enquiry, for which there is no hope in the present conditions. No one can say that either revolutionary conspiracies or spies and agents provocateur have been unknown in this country during the last two decades. The existence of both was established in the past not only in courts of law but to the satisfaction of all reasonable and impartial critics; and there is nothing wrong in the assumption that what happened once may happen again.