INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING THE LINES OF ACTION IN CONNECTION WITH CIVIL RESISTANCE MOVEMENT AT BHAGALPUR

10th December 1941

(1) The first point to be noted in connection with this movement is that we are going to Bhagalpur not to throw any challenge to the Government but with the only object of asserting our civic rights of legitimate association as Hindu citizens. Consequently, if we are banned from doing so, we should all offer ourselves without any show or use of physical resistance the Government authorities, to get arrested and to keep asserting our right of free speech and free association within the bounds of the fundamental and moral law of the land.

(2) Each province in this respect should now act as a unit by itself without waiting for any further instructions from the Central Office in case it is found impossible to issue any one after this.

The province should hold itself responsible for raising funds for the railway passage of going to and coming back from Bhagalpur with a margin for a week’s rations and other inevitable necessities of the jatthas (batches) the province is able to send to Bhagalpur. Each locality in the province should also adopt the same principle so far as possi¬ble and supply the funds necessary for their local jatthas they send to the province.

Volunteers and delegates should lake sufficient warm clothing with them as these days in Bihar are cold.

(3) On the next 14th of December (Sunday) meetings should be held throughout every province at each place so far as possible and a resolution as detailed out in the statement issued on the 5th December 1941, from this office by the President, to urge the Viceroy to intervene and raise the ban, should be passed and should telegraphically be sent to the Viceroy from each place separately. This is the first step to be taken.

(4) Immediately after the first step, batches of volunteers from ten to thirty roundly speaking, should continue to entrain for Bhagalpur District without any public demonstration whatsoever. Even the news should not be unnecessarily bruited about in the press or on the platform: These batches should start from about 17th to 21st instant. They should not go directly to Bhagalpur but to stations in Bagalpur District somehow or the other. Getting down at these different stations they should try to reside in those places or keep on moving towards Bhagalpur without any public demonstration. Each batch of ten should have a leader of their own to command them.

(5) On the 22nd December or about that, the large jattha including prominent leaders and those delegates, who had not gone with the previous jattha, with the number of volunteers, in fact all those who are ready to attend the Session and had not proceeded before, should start by the last train from different provinces so as to reach Bhagalpur on the 23rd night or morning of the 24th December. This train should start publicly and with as impressive a demonstration of Hindu citizens to bid it farewell at the different localities as possible. At least three-fourth of those delegates and volunteers whom the province is in a position to send should go to Bhagalpur District by the preceding trains and on the preceding dates referred to in section (4), and only one-fourth speaking roundly, of the number should start by this last train demonstratively from each locality straight for Bhagalpur City.