05) BRIEF HISTORY OF THE KOMAGATA MARU EPISODE

Abridged from an article in Radical Desi

            East Indians began migrating to North America in the early 20th century. Many had served in the British army and came to the US and Canada as British subjects. Over 75 percent of them were Sikhs, and around fifty percent were ex‑soldiers in the British army. They were predominantly peasants from rural Punjab, which was annexed by the British in 1849.

            Most of these immigrants came to British Columbia for economic reasons and found jobs in the lumber industry, railway construction and canneries. Others moved to the US to work in farms. The hostility against these men mainly came from the white labourers, who believed that these people were being imported as cheap labour to weaken their bargaining power. Many employers used East Indians immigrants to keep wages low and weaken the workers' unions. The pressure was intense from labour groups who were not progressive as today and sought exclusion of the Hindus.

            This hostility was also visible in the mainstream press as newspaper cartoons frequently mocked East Indian immigrants. After all, the 1867 speech in Parliament of the first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald, proclaimed Canada to be a "white man's country", laying the foundation of an institutional racism.

            The British Columbia government disfranchised East Indian voters on March 26, 1907. In an atmosphere charged with anti‑Asian sentiments, race riots broke out across the US border. On September 4, 1907, a mob of white workers attacked and drove out over 250 South Asian workers from the lumber mills in Bellingham, Washington. Many were forced to take refuge in Vancouver. The municipal politicians used the episode to argue that South Asian immigration must stop.

            The bitter experiences of racism and discrimination shaped their political views. In the light of these hostilities, the Khalsa Diwan Society was established in Vancouver in 1906.

            Since the Sikhs dominated the group of East Indian immigrants, the society was formed to govern a Sikh temple that actually became a nerve center of secular political activities for Hindus and Muslims too. While the upper part of the temple was used for religious gatherings, the lower part of the building was used for public meetings every Sunday. One of the hotly debated issues was how to bring families to Canada. It is not surprising that East Indian immigrants were not allowed to bring their families in Canada to prevent permanent settlement of Asian men.

            As if this was not enough, the Canadian government passed a controversial order‑in‑council or the Continuous Journey Law on January 8, 1908. It stated: "All immigrants must come to Canada via a through ticket and by continuous journey from their country of birth or citizenship". A tone for the Komagata Maru standoff was formally set as direct passage was virtually impossible for East Indians sailing to Canada.

            There was also an attempt to relocate East Indian immigrants to British Honduras. The official line was the Hindus were not suited for the climate of Canada. Community leaders resolutely challenged the plan and the conspiracy was foiled. A public meeting at the temple on October 6, 1908 resolved to send a petition to challenge attempts to relocate East Indians. The resolution was co‑signed by Bhaag Singh who was the Secretary of the temple.

            Bhaag Singh served the Khalsa Diwan Society in different capacities and became its president in 1910. He came to Canada in 1906. He had earlier served in the British Army's cavalry. He was indoctrinated by at least two prominent and well‑read radical leaders of the Indian freedom struggle: Taraknath Dass and G.D. Kumar. Das published the first East Indian newspaper, Free Hindustan, from Vancouver, and Kumar was instrumental in publishing the first Punjabi newspaper of Canada, Swadesh Sewak.

            Bhaag Singh also became a member of G.D. Kumar's Hindustan Association, and the United India League formed by Husain Rahim.  Rahim consistently opposed the anti‑immigration laws and was arrested for defying the ban on East Indians from voting during the March 1912 provincial election. 

            Bhaag Singh was instrumental in encouraging ex‑soldiers to burn their medals and uniforms and sever all ties with the British Empire. On October 3, 1909, he consigned his own uniform and an honourable discharge certificate to the flames. It was a very radical action, as the Sikhs were largely known as pro‑British and were used to suppress the first Ghadar or mutiny against the British in 1857. The Sikh landlords were duly honoured by the British government for their services.

            Across the border too, the flames of rebellion were growing. An extremist group named Hindustan Association of the Pacific Coast of America that believed in an armed struggle against the British Empire was formed. The association soon came to be known as the Ghadar Party after its newsletter, Ghadar, was launched on November 1, 1913 from San Francisco. The Ghadar literature clearly reflects that it was not just a war against imperialism, but a resistance against racial discrimination too. While the Ghadar members were predominantly Sikhs, the party asked them to keep their religious beliefs out of the party affairs.

            Bhaag Singh openly helped the Ghadar Party in fundraising and inspired many in Vancouver to join the movement. Soon, their activities came to the notice of the authorities. On December 30, 1913 the Dominion Immigration Inspector for British Columbia, Malcolm Robert James Reid wrote a confidential letter to H.H. Stevens, a Member of Parliament from Vancouver, providing him with translations of the Ghadar newspaper.

            William Charles Hopkinson was another immigration inspector who kept a watchful eye on the Ghadar activists. Born in Delhi, he understood local languages of India. Before coming to Canada in 1907 or 1908 he served as a police inspector in Calcutta. He was hired by the Canadian government in 1909 as an immigration inspector and interpreter, but continued working for the Indian police. He also reported to the Deputy Minister of the Interior in Ottawa, the Agent of the Government of India in London, and shared intelligence with the American Immigration service.

            Hopkinson had roped in 50‑60 East Indian supporters who helped him in information gathering. This group was widely identified as a pro‑British "Immigration faction". Bela Singh was the main leader of this group. Known as Hopkinson's tipster, he was on the government payroll for $62.50 a month, identifying Ghadar activists whose names were to be sent to British officials to prevent mutiny in India. 

            It would be wrong to presume that the Ghadar activists did not exhaust other peaceful channels. A three‑member delegation left for England to petition for the right to bring families in Canada, but British officials snubbed them. A separate deputation sent to Ottawa drew the attention of the authorities to their loyalty towards the British rulers.

            As these skirmishes continued, a much bigger fight was about to begin which would not only change the course of the Canadian history but also galvanize the Ghadar movement.

Komagata Maru episode

            The role of Gurdit Singh, who charted Komagata Maru, a Japanese vessel that brought 376 East Indian passengers to Vancouver on May 23, 1914 remains debatable.

            Some historians describe him a freedom fighter who challenged Canada's controversial Continuous Journey law. Others maintain that it was purely a business venture that eventually turned into an important chapter of the history of struggle against colonialism and racism due to mistreatment meted out to those aboard the vessel, who came to Canada as British subjects.

            The vessel picked up passengers from different countries before reaching Vancouver. Not surprisingly, there was an uproar in British Columbia when the ship arrived. Premier Richard McBride said, "To admit Orientals in large numbers would mean in the end the extinction of the white peoples and we have always in mind the necessity of keeping this a white man's country."

            The Khalsa Diwan Society came to the rescue of the passengers. It hired Edward Bird, a white lawyer associated with Socialist Party of Canada, to challenge the government in court. Bird had to endure threats and intimidations from white supremacists.

            Minutes of a public meeting held in Dominion Hall, Vancouver on June 23, 1914 give an insight of the anti‑Asian mood that prevailed in British Columbia. H.H. Stevens pulled no punches: "I hold, and I think I hold it in common with every member from British Columbia, that the Government of Canada ‑ the Parliament of Canada ‑ should pass legislation of a distinct and definite type, excluding Orientals (applause)."

            In the end, the Komagata Maru was forced to return on July 23, 1914. But this did not happen smoothly. On July 19, the police and immigration officials tried to siege the vessel with help of a tugboat named "Sea Lion". The fight that ensued left about 20 people injured, according to the official version of the story.  One of the bricks thrown by irate passengers on the officials is now preserved at the Vancouver Museum.

            In the meantime, Bhaag Singh was arrested along with two more accomplices in the US where he went to buy weapons for the ship passengers. These leaders were thinking of sending arms to India for a mutiny. Mewa Singh also accompanied these men, as he confessed in a statement after his arrest for carrying concealed weapons. He admitted that they went to Sumas on July 16, and purchased four revolvers the next morning. Coming back to Canada with one revolver and three boxes of ammunition, Mewa Singh was arrested. He stated, "....from what I could understand it was the intention of these people to try and convoy these weapons to the Komagata Maru."

            Bhaag Singh was released a week after the Komagata Maru departed. What added fuel to the fire was a shootout near Calcutta, that left 22 people dead, including a British police official after the ship reached there in September 1914. The trouble started when the police tried to forcibly send these passengers to Punjab through a special train waiting at the Budge Budge rail station. The authorities suspected that the men were Ghadar activists.

            The whole episode coincided with World War I. Thinking that it was the right time to strike against the British Empire which was now engaged in a conflict with Germany, the Ghadar leaders gave a call for rebellion, provoking many to return to India. Over 14 Ghadar activists from Canada alone were killed during the uprising after returning to their home country.

Murders and mayhem

            Tension filled the air in Vancouver as soon as the Komagata Maru departed. A confidential report reveals that the Ghadar activists were seeking revenge against Reid and Hopkinson. A document dated July 8, 1914 reported a controversial conversation between Husain Rahim and two other men, Sohan Lal and Mohamed Akbar, in which a possibility of harming Reid and Hopkinson was discussed.

            Merely five days before Komagata Maru's departure, Rahim was attacked with a sword by Bela Singh's supporter. Though Rahim survived the assault it started a wave of murders. Two supporters of Bela Singh were murdered. Harnam Singh was found murdered with throat cut on August 31, while Arjan Singh was shot to death on September 3.

            On September 5, Bela Singh went to the Vancouver Sikh temple and pumped bullets into the bodies of Bhaag Singh and Badan Singh.  Badan Singh, who  participated in different campaigns led by Bhaag Singh, was shot when he tried to resist. The two men succumbed to their injuries the next day.

            Both Bhaag Singh and Badan Singh in their deathbed dispositions charged Bela Singh with the shooting, while those injured also supported the allegation.

            These bloody events took a shocking turn when Hopkinson was shot dead on October 21 in the provincial courthouse by Mewa Singh.  The Sun headline screamed, "Fifth Local Victim of Komagata Insp. Hopkinson Added to List". 

            The police suspected a larger conspiracy behind the murder. They arrested three people including Husain Rahim on October 23. Rahim was accused of inciting Mewa Singh to murder Hopkinson, but was later acquitted for lack of evidence. Following Hopkinson's murder, Reid was transferred to the East as the federal government felt that his life was in danger.

            Meanwhile Mewa Singh openly admitted his crime, revealing that he could not bear the personal tragedy of two small children of Bhaag Singh who were left orphaned with his death. Bhaag Singh's wife passed away early that year. He squarely blamed Reid and Hopkinson for these incidents, and claimed that Bela Singh and Hopkinson were intimidating him to implicate Bhaag Singh and others after his arrest for bringing weapons from the US. 

            As Mewa Singh awaited his death sentence, Bela Singh was acquitted by a jury on November 18, 1914. Bela Singh claimed that he fired in self‑defence. Several witnesses testified that members of the other faction were having a meeting inside the temple where the killings of Reid and Hopkinson were advocated. The judge pointed out to the jury that Bela Singh was one of the men who stood for law and order in the community. 

            Mewa Singh was hanged on January 11, 1915. He chanted prayers when he was taken to the scaffold inside the New Westminster jail. Outside the prison a small group of Sikhs gathered, while over four hundred showed up at the temple.

(The above  article is from the July 1-31, 2014, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)