1930-09-13 — Page 6

SEPTEMBER 13, 1930.

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, SATURDAY, VERDICT IN LOK MA CHAU INQUIRY.

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1.G.P. IN WITNESS-BOX: SEARCHING QUESTIONS" BY JURY AND CORONER,

MURDER AND SUICIDE BY DALIP SINGH.

The Jury returned the following verdict at the close of the Lok Ma Chau inquiry at the Central Magistracy yesterday,

We find that Mrs. Madgwick and Ro, Chujja Singh, were murdered by B543, Dalip Singh, by shooting, and that Dalip Singh committed suicide by shooting himself. We do not find that Dalip Singh had any legitimate grievance, nor could the police authorities from his demeanour be expected to anticipate his, subsequent' actions--

We find that the Indian police inside the 'Station were lacking initiative in handling the situation which called for prompt medures. We find that there was delay in entering the Sta- tion after the arrival of reinforcements, but the frequent changes in command mitigate the responsibility of any particular officer.

We recommend that at all outlying Stations a European officer should always be present at the Station. even if this involves augmentation of the European staff.

We wish to record our sympathy with the relatives of the victims of this tragedy.

In the course of the afternoon, the Inspector General of Police, recounted the history of previous cases of Indiana running amok, and at the same time gave some interesting details of to the man's complaint. The the career of Dalip Singh. He was closely cross-examined" as Jury also asked the IG.P. whether the delay in entering the Station was justified, and, after hearing Mr. Wolfe, they found there was "undue delay."

‘INDIAN POLICE LACKING IN INITIATIVE.”

Giving evidence, Hon. Mr. E. D. C. Holis, Inspector General of Police, stated that since 1897 there had been four cases of Indian con

He said atables running amok. that no proper records were kept prior to 1919, the year in which he took charge.

In 1897 a Sikh constable ran amok and fired, at an Inspector at the Central Police Station. He missed the Inspector and was after wards shot down.

On January 8, 1903 at Hunghom, ehot and an Indian constable wounded another Indian, who was subsequently invalided in 1820. In this instance also, the constable who ran amok was shot 'down.

On July 15, 1918, an Indian con- stable ran amok at Tai O Station. He shot and killed the officer in charge, Sergeant Glendenning, and on fire, then set the Station eventually shooting himself.

Coroner In consequence of these cases has any regulation been pass ed to prevent the recurrence of these affairs?

Witness: It is quite impossible

four lots of kitchens, etc. More- over, we would require separate. sergeants which would complicate matters as regards discipline,

Problem of Different Sects. You must have a Sikh sergeant and a Mohammedan sergeant, and it one falls sick the other would bave to take charge and might get Wo gim into conflict with the men. to keep the members under their own officers as far as possible; at- large stations we have them mixed. At Central we have both Sikhs and Mohammedans."

Do you think that, if it was possible for you to keep a mixed force, it would be any protection against such occurrences -I don't think so

The particular people running amok appears to bo sikhs-It is unfortunately so.

Would the presence of another sect be a safe-guard-I think, no. All depends on the next officer in charge in the absence of the Euro- pean Bergeant, that is the Indian sergeant who has to act very to make provisions of this kind.quickly, to size up the situation and Either we have to trust the men

make his dispositions. with weapons or we must not give them any weapons at all. The nature of their duties require that they should be armed when on duty."

Coroner: This especially applies to outlaying stations 1-Yes. In this connection I may say I was the first to arm the Chinese. They were not armed with revolvers be- fore. I presume formerly they were not considered efficient or trust worthy. One of the reasons why I armed them was on account of Berious "butbreaks of armed rob beribs with pistols.

Only One Chinese Abusad Trust.

The old armed robberies "up till the middle of the Great War were practically confined to the use of knives. The other kind of weapons One Chinese were rarely used.

only abused trust as regards serious misuse of bis weapon. It is re- corded that a Chinese shot and wounded an Indian constable in the stomach.

1.

When Was Last Shot Fired? We have the evidence that he had been dead four or five hours.-Ho might have been dead four or five hours, but he might have been dead three hours. From the statements made to me at the time, shots were fired as late a 9 o'clock. I think it was Sergeant Youe's evidence,

Coroner: Sergeant Youe said that an Indian appeared at 7.30 p.m. but not a single shot was fired later from the Station.

I.-82

Hon. I.G.P.: In any case I per- sonally expected to take all-night to get into the Station. that I had to get in before daylight or lose a lot of men, and my men absolutely exposing them to danger were so drawn up that it would be

when daylight came. I, therefore, had the whole night before me, but after I had been there three quarters of an hour and several times flashed by light into the Station windows and got no re-. sponse I came to the conclusion that the, best thing to do was to At this time investigate further. no shot had come from the Station for two or three hours.

You arrived on the seene at 10.30 Coming to the facts of this case, p.m. The point. I am getting at is-were your subordinate officers you are, of course, conversant with all the statements made. Do you justified in the delay which they consider the Lance-Sergeant in the caused. Mr. Sparrow was there at Station in any way carried out thee and Mr. Burlingham at 6 duties that fell on him during the consider they were justified as episode -He carried out his duties otherwise they would be exposing men to grave risk and might easily. up to a point. As soon as the alarm sounded he saw that his men incur further casualtica before a were armed but he failed to guard suficient time had elapsed to make the charge room. He only guarded it reasonably probable that the his own room. Knowing as he must man was dead... have done that B543 was upstairs he should have made it impossible for B343 to get downstairs again."

Attack by Pirates Recalled.

It could not be known for certain right up to the moment you enter. ed whether Mra. Madgwick or B9 were dead. Even under the cir cumstances.

Got Him in a Cage

Witness: It seems to me that

In answer to another question by the Coroner witness said that he received the news at 7.45 p.m. to Central Police Station and gave at his house at the Peak. He went instructions to the European emer- gency unit to get out the bullet proof vests and the Thompson gun and to meet him at the 0.05 ferry

I may say that the Lewis gun was formerly kept upstairs in the It single Europeans' quarters. was decided the gun would be there was so little to gain and so better cared for and would be much to lose by entering. Once more easily accessible if kept in

we got him in the cage the ques the Charge Room. That was why tion of actually getting him was

All the the change, whs made.

another matter. My fear was that frontier Stations in the New Ter he would get outside and do ritories are surrounded by barbed damage. So long as he was inside Coroner: Had the Indian mem-wire and a constant guard is kept the cage it was reasonable to de- bere of the force any particular wing to the uncertainty of attack liberate before risking further lives instructions as to what to do in from the border. This arrangement to get right into the Station. the event of one of their number dates from 1913 when the old Cheung running amok 1-No, your Worship. Chau Station was attacked by This occurs so rarely that no special Pirates and several Indian members instructions have been given. The of the force lost their, lives: That circumstances vary greatly in all is also why the alarms in Stations these cases so that one set of in-are fixed and alarm duties are prac structions would hardly suffice. tined every week. The arms and ammunition are in custody of the Would the Asiatic members of the force know that if one of their station guard who, in the absence own people ran amok like this and of the European officer, can issue

Chau at 10.30 p.m. All lights had started either to commit murder the anus if an attack comes to Kowloon They got to Lok Ma Coming to July 21 it would ap- to be put out and they had much or is committing"murder that he could be shot down at sight ?-That pear that there was a responsible dificulty in getting up to the would be known. In the instruc officer, Mr. Sparrow, on the spot Station. On arriving it took him some little time to find out how tions for the use of fire-arms it is between five and six o'clock. The

D.S.P. was there by 8 o'clock. No the men were disposed. Mr. Wolfe definitely laid down that if a man fires at you you certainly may fire attempt seemed to have been made then described how at 11.50 p.m. back. The instructions are more to get into the Station until you they entered and carefully, search- complicated but that point is quite arrived and that was shortly after ed the building from room to room.

11 o'clock Have you any com- At the conclusion of this part clear. Where anybody fires at a police officer you are entitled to ments to make on that situation 1-

I can only state that bad I arrived of his evidence, witness stated:-— fire at him.

very much earlier I should have I can only add that if the D.S.P. got there and had casualties with- hesitated to rush the Station had entered the Station before I myself.

out actually getting in or even if he had got in, I should have been certainly dissatisfied. I may add also that I listened very tactfully when I was near the open gate of

..

It is a matter of common know ledge that the Indian Army, es- pecially a large unit or battalion, is very often made up of different types of Indians, the Mussalmans and the Hindus. They are, so to speak, set off one against the other. It appears at Lok Ma Chau you have Bikhs only We have an time I arrived the cordon had been the compound and again when I

For what reasons? Well, the Station was surrounded by police and I knew B543 could not escape which was my main care when I first received the report. By the

identical arrangement in the Police drawn very closely round by the was under the windows from the forco as in the army. But for the D.S.P. and I drew it still closer by north side for sounds from the satisfactory administration of the getting the men right under the Station, But none whatever reach. Station and also to keep down' ex building. I should like to make it ed me, I could hardly have done penses you must, especially in small quite clear that the medical evi that in daylight and I am certain stations in the New Territories, dence appears to show that 643 that had Be heen alive and groan- find it extremely difficult to run WAS supposed to have, committed ing I would have heard

Coroner: There is still this a Station satisfactorily if you suicide at 7 o'clock or even before. divide the Indians into Mussalmans Well, that is after all, I take it, point. It was not known for certain and Sikhs. You would have to get more or less, guess work In the that either Mrs. Madgwick or B9 separate kitchens, bathing and nature of things, it must be were dead -No. It was known Latrine accommodation: That nothing else. I doubt if the that B543 was in there waiting with extremely difficult owing to having medical officer would be prepared not only trifle but possibly a Lowis Europeans and Chinese in the Sts to say if a person has been dead | gun.

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