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5.—Penjudged and prejudiced as the matter has been from the first under a misapprehension of the circumstances, 38 set forth by intcrested parties before the Captain Superintendent, it has been unfortunately further prejudiced by certain cases that have cropped up recently against men of the type of Gunda Siugh, but your Petitioner unflinchingly believes that his condurt in the matter of the alleged transaction with Da Rocha will hear thorough investigation, and that he also confidently believes that be will come out of that inquiry without the slightest tar or tarnish on his character, and that he will be saved from the ignorainy attaching to a dismissal.
6. Your Petitioner, therefore, earnestly proys that, taking all the circumstances respeerfully urged by him in this and the previous Petitions, your Excellency will be graciously pleased not to condemin a servant of the Crown in the position of your Petitioner vahewiffat that your Excellency will be pleased to appoiar an independent Commission of Inquiry to formally investigate the conduct of the Petitioner in the transaction attributed with Da Rocha, and to act on the Report of the Commission. Your Petitioner cannot but entertain an honest belief that euch an inquiry will prove him not guilty of my brouch attributed to him of any of the Rules and Regulations, in fixos at the time the alleged transaction was said to bave raken place, for the general government and discipline of the Police.
7.—Or, if the appointment of an independent Commission of Inquiry be deemed inexpedient by your Excellency, your Petitioner humbly prays that your Excellency will be pleased to review, on the grounds urged by him, your Excellency's decision as to the distoissal of the Petitioner from the Police Force, or to so far modify your Excellency's decision as to grant to your Petitioner the pension honestly accruing to him after almost the service of a lifting, and to which your Petitioner ventures to say in this Petition also hardly any member of the Indian Police Force can now lay claim.
8. And Your Petitioner will ever pay, de, de.
Dated this 24th day of April, 1897.
UTTER SINGH,
LATE INDIAN SERGEANT-MAJOR
HONGKONG POLICE FORCE.
SIR,
Hongkong, 4th Junc, 1897.
On behalf of myself and the signatories I have the honour to forward the enclosed Petition, respecting the case of Ex-Sergeand-Major Utter Singh, of the Police Force, which I beg you will please place before His Excellency The Governor for his favourable consideration.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most chedient servant,
E. PABANEY.
To
THE HONOURAKLU
J. H, STEWART LOCKHART,
COLONIAL SECRETARY.
To
His ExcHDENCY
SUR WILLIAM ROBINSON, K.Ü.M.G.,
GOVERNOR AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE COLONY or Hoseкong AND ITS DEPENDENCIES AND VICP-ADMIRAL OF THE SAME
THE HUMBLE PEIPSION OF TITE UNDERSIGNED INDIAN BRITISH MERCHANTS, TRADERS AN OTHERS RESIDING IN THE COLONY OF HONGKONG.
SHEWETH:-
1.--Your Petitioners aro Indian Merchants, Traders and loyal subjects of Her Majesty Queen of Great Britain and Empress of India, and carrying on business in Hongkong and elsewhere.
2---They have known Utter Siugh, late Indian Sergeant-Major of the Hongkong Police Force, for a number of yenra, and have every reason to believe that as a Police Officer he has served Her Majesty the Empress in the Hongkong Police for upwards of eighteen years, and bas during that time by his good conduct deservedly earned the respect and confidence of all his superior officers, as he has done of your Petitioners, and that your Petitioners could not but feel gratiñed that such eonchnet deservedly secured him the promotion, in 1895, to the highest rank the Indian section of the Hongkong Police Force could aspire to, that is to the rank of Sergeant Major.
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3-Your Petitioners heard with great regret that on the 3rd day of December, 1896, the sixt Dr Singh was. distaiszed from the said Police Force by the Honourable the Captain Superintendent of Police for an alleged brunch of the Police regulations, and that he was thus not only deprived of the pension and gratuity that lead accrued to him after many years of hard and faithful service, but that also the ignomiay of'n dismissal was inflicted on him.
4.--Your Petitioner believe that the circumstances which led to the dismissal of Utter Singh were an alleged implication in some mouep-leading transaction, said to have transpired some three years ago, and that being implicated, as. alleged, in such transaction was and is against the regulations of the said Police Force.
5-Your Petitioners are informed that all the circumstances attaching to the alleged may lending transaction have been daly set forth in representations made to your Excellency by Etter Singh, bat your Petitioners extremely regret that the redress which the sued Utter Singh seeks, on the plea of not guilty, hae boca absolutely denied to him. Your Petitioners further regret that, beyond a certain informal procedure of inquiry adopted by the Captala Superintendent of" Police, Utter Singh was never definitely informed of the exact nature of the charges made against hing, and your Petitioners,, therefore, respectfully submit that he had not had those opportunities of treating those charges as could have thoroughly exculpated him in the eyes of his superior officer, though in the informal inquiry reado as to an alleged lending of fifty dollars- some three years ago to one Da Rocha, a telephone clerk in the Central Police Station, it has got filed to come out. most prominently that Da Rocha repeated one story before the Captain Superintenden under that officer's previous inquiry in Oner Singh's absence, but radically subverted it whou confronted with him, 20 much so that the Captain. Superintendent was not slow to tas bim severely for so prevaricating. This circunstance cannot but have a double bearing First that. the informal inquiry bad not been sufficient enough for eliciting the facts of the ease, and, secondly, that the safeguards. instrumental in guarding against deliberate prevarication bad been altogeber wanzlag in the Captain Superintendent's informal inquiry.
6.--Your Petitioners will not pretend to shield the said Utter Singh from the just penalty of any breaeb of Police Regulations, but your Petitioners fest that the exceptional severity with which he bas heen condemned and dealt with almost unheard, and the extent of the punishment inflicted on him, have not been fally appreciated by your Excellency, and your Petitioners cannot but regret that that severity is inther enhanced many fold when Utter Singh's prayer for au independent Commission of Inquiry retains altogether unheeded..
7.--Your Petitioners cannot but be aware that under a misapprehension of the circumstances, as set forth by interested parties before the Captain Superintendent, Utter Singh's ease has from the first been prejudged and prejudiced, and that it has been further prejudiced by certain aspects of the Sikh charceristics that have cropped up against them. in some of the cases that were recently heard in the Supreme Court. But your Petitioners beg to observe that, on the whole, the Sikhs are not so very black as they are painted. That they are not exempt from certain tailings your Petitioners can hardly gainsay. They have, as Sir Lepel Griffin, a former Lieut-Governor of the Phajauk hes described them, as keen a knowledge of the value of money, and as great a love of saving as the Scotch." But that they are dignified, furtificate that goes froin- auber, and orderly men, obedient to, discipline, and devotedly attached to their officers is also a the very same cinost authority.
8.-Your Petitioners have alt aitang observed that Ctter Ragh, like nato many others in the Police Force of this Colony, is a type representing the latter characteristics, and though possibly he may go under the former category as well, still your Petitioners believe that that being a trait common to many natione is to bar to a prayer for fair hearing on the true merits of his individual case, and that, therefore, your Petitioners venture to approach your Excellency with a very respectful prayer that your Excellency may be pleased to review your decision in Utter Singh's case, and to grant that redress. and that justice to him which the merits of his case, in conjunction with the consideration of his long and faithful service- of nearly eighteen years, entitle him to as a servant of the Crown,.
And Your Tetitioners will ever pray, &c.
HONGKONG, 31st May, 1897.
E. PADANEY.
F. D. SETNA.
B. I BATTIWALLA.
P. N. DHALLA,
S. D. MuseH GE..
A. B. TALATI,
D. D. TALATI.
E. D.. KOTWAL.
C. B. MoWRAWALLA,.
C. A. CAMPOODIN.
Cyt. Es KM.
A G. BOERAL
M. M. C. JUNATY..
T. K. KAKAJIWALLA,.
H. M. S. Esmalt.
ABDUOLA JOOSABROX.
P. C. PATELL.
C. M. BESANIA.
NAQROJET BIFOCAJ FALBARA,
RUSTONY BUMONJEE,
H. RUTTONABE,
PASTONJEE NAVARHOY..
M. WASUREWALLA,
DADY MD. IMNORANA.
D. J. PURAR.
E. HEPTOOLLA, GÅNTIFY,
S. ADIOLCADER BORRAL..
RG VANIA.
8. M. ALLIRHOY.
F. RAVIM.
TYER MOTABHOY,
JAFFERBROS . YEBALL...
D. F. TORONY
P. M. SETUNAY
J. Debash.
M. M. MEUTA,
J. M. CANA.
H. M. H. NAZ...
M. HOOSEN.
M. M. TACKEY.
C. E. MENTA
B. S. MEUA.
P. M. VELVAN.
H. A. SHIRAZEE.
E. EGRAUIMI..
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