Medical History of British India: Disease Prevention and Public Health

262 REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION, 1893-94. [APP.

ANALYSIS MADE BY THE COMMISSION OF CASES REFERRED TO BY WITNESSES IN ANSWERING QUESTION NO 53.

I.—Cases the records of which have not been called for.

Serial
No.

Province.

Name of witness.

Number
of
witness.

Name of criminal.

Nature of the crime.

Reason for attributing the crime to
hemp drugs.

1

Bengal

Mr. Williams

13

Not given

A Darbhanga sowar seems to
have run amok in Calcutta.
Witness was told he did not
take liquor.

"My knowledge of the case
was entirely hearsay."

2

Do.

Mr. Taylor

36

Do.

When witness was passing
through a Sonthal village in
1856 with some friends, a
man attacked them with a
sword It was during the
Sonthal rebellion.

The villagers and the man
himself said he was intoxi-
cated with bhang.

3

Do.

Abhilas Chandra
Mukerjee.

63

Do.

A lad in an altercation with
his uncle killed him with a
sword. This case was report-
ed to witness by the District
Superintendent, Police.

The lad was a ganja-smoker
and the uncle used to re-
monstrate with him.

4

Do.

Nobin Chander Sen

39

Do.

A fakir committed murder.

No special reason given.

5

Do.

Govind Chandra Das

64

Radhai Haldar

A man killed his mother be-
cause she would not bring
his son who had been cre-
mated, but whom he believed
to have been raised from the
dead by frinath.

The man is said to have
smoked ganja at a "Trinath
fair." But the case is very
doubtful.

6

Do.

Nobo Gopal Bose

218

Not given

A Brahmachari sacrificed a
human being.

The accused told his pleader
he was intoxicated from
ganja.

7

Do.

Nimai Charan Das

142

Do.

A Muhammadan fakir killed a
disciple with his dhow for
being late in bringing his
smoke.

No reason given. The man
had not had his ganja and
was angry.

8

Assam

K. C. Sanyal

31

Not given

A man addicted to ganja was
sitting talking with a friend
and suddenly killed him.

He was addicted to ganja.

9

North-Western
Provinces.

Mr. Robarts

32

Not given

A constable threw small stones
at his comrades and threaten-
ed to shoot, but gave up his
rifle quietly.

He was addicted to ganja.

10

Do.

Mr. Partridge

20

Do.

A fakir in Srinagar chopped
off a boy's head.

He was a consumer in con-
siderable quantities and
"fairly rational" when not
under the influence of charas.

11

Do.

Munna Lal

123

Do.

A fakir threatened people on
the street over 20 years ago.

The witness remembers it was
charas.

12

Do.

Do.

123

Do.

2. A man was making a dis-
turbance as witness passed
by.

The people in the street said
he was mad with ganja or
charas.

13

Do.

Pandit Debi Parshad

204

Do.

A fakir threw idols into a well
and also pushed in a man
who remonstrated with him,
fourteen years ago.

"He was an excessive con-
sumer." He was sent to the
asylum and remained there
twelve years.

14

Do.

Mohant Keshoram
Rai.

242

Do.

Two men quarrelled four or
five years ago.

No reason given in any of the
three cases.

15

Do.

Do.

242

Lahri Baba

2. Killed a child for his orna-
ments 25 years ago when
under the influence "of
bhang with dhatura and
arsenic in it."

16

Do.

Do.

242

Not given

3. A teacher 40 years ago
killed a student.

17

Do.

Mr. R. Wall

233

Not given

A Gurkha soldier ran amok
about 1879 at Naini Tal.

"It was ascribed by rumour
to ganja-smoking."

Permanent URL	https://digital.nls.uk/74552242
Description	Analysis made by the Commission of cases referred to by witnesses in answering question no. 53.

Description	Volume 3: Appendices. Miscellaneous.
Attribution and copyright:	The physical item used to create this digital version is out of copyright

More information
Description	Report is based on research conducted August 1893-August 1894. The Commission interviewed nearly 2000 witnesses from medical officers to missionaries in 30 cities across India. Covers in detail the effect of hemp drugs (‘ganja’) on physical, mental and moral wellbeing.
Shelfmark	IP/DA.1
Additional NLS resources:	Library catalogue record

Form / genre:	Written and printed matter > Books
Dates / events:	1894 [Date published] 1893-1894 [Probable date of survey]
Places:	Asia > India > West Bengal > Calcutta (inhabited place) [Place published] Asia > India > Himachal Pradesh > Simla (inhabited place) [Place printed]
Subject / content:	Research (documents) Official reports Boards of trustees Government policy Administration Drug abuse Customs (social concepts) Demographics Hemp Marijuana Narcotics Drug addiction
Person / organisation:	India. Hemp Drugs Commission [Attributed name] India. Superintendent of Government Printing [Publisher] India. Government Central Printing Office [Printer] Young, William Mackworth, Sir, 1840-1924 [Author]
	To find similar items, select the checkboxes next to the characteristics you are interested in, then select the 'Find similar' button.

More information
Description	The India Papers collection contains publications of the central (Imperial) Government and many Indian states. Most states came under British rule. Much of the collection dates from between the post-Mutiny re-organisation of the Indian Government and Indian Independence in 1947. Some items published in London by John Murray.
Shelfmark	India Papers
Additional NLS resources:	Medical History of British India website

Medical History of British India: Disease Prevention and Public Health

Medicine - Drugs > Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, 1894-1895 > Volume III

(266) Volume 3, Page 262

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Serial No.	Province.	Name of witness.	Number of witness.	Name of criminal.	Nature of the crime.	Reason for attributing the crime to hemp drugs.
1	Bengal	Mr. Williams	13	Not given	A Darbhanga sowar seems to have run amok in Calcutta. Witness was told he did not take liquor.	"My knowledge of the case was entirely hearsay."
2	Do.	Mr. Taylor	36	Do.	When witness was passing through a Sonthal village in 1856 with some friends, a man attacked them with a sword It was during the Sonthal rebellion.	The villagers and the man himself said he was intoxi- cated with bhang.
3	Do.	Abhilas Chandra Mukerjee.	63	Do.	A lad in an altercation with his uncle killed him with a sword. This case was report- ed to witness by the District Superintendent, Police.	The lad was a ganja-smoker and the uncle used to re- monstrate with him.
4	Do.	Nobin Chander Sen	39	Do.	A fakir committed murder.	No special reason given.
5	Do.	Govind Chandra Das	64	Radhai Haldar	A man killed his mother be- cause she would not bring his son who had been cre- mated, but whom he believed to have been raised from the dead by frinath.	The man is said to have smoked ganja at a "Trinath fair." But the case is very doubtful.
6	Do.	Nobo Gopal Bose	218	Not given	A Brahmachari sacrificed a human being.	The accused told his pleader he was intoxicated from ganja.
7	Do.	Nimai Charan Das	142	Do.	A Muhammadan fakir killed a disciple with his dhow for being late in bringing his smoke.	No reason given. The man had not had his ganja and was angry.
8	Assam	K. C. Sanyal	31	Not given	A man addicted to ganja was sitting talking with a friend and suddenly killed him.	He was addicted to ganja.
9	North-Western Provinces.	Mr. Robarts	32	Not given	A constable threw small stones at his comrades and threaten- ed to shoot, but gave up his rifle quietly.	He was addicted to ganja.
10	Do.	Mr. Partridge	20	Do.	A fakir in Srinagar chopped off a boy's head.	He was a consumer in con- siderable quantities and "fairly rational" when not under the influence of charas.
11	Do.	Munna Lal	123	Do.	A fakir threatened people on the street over 20 years ago.	The witness remembers it was charas.
12	Do.	Do.	123	Do.	2. A man was making a dis- turbance as witness passed by.	The people in the street said he was mad with ganja or charas.
13	Do.	Pandit Debi Parshad	204	Do.	A fakir threw idols into a well and also pushed in a man who remonstrated with him, fourteen years ago.	"He was an excessive con- sumer." He was sent to the asylum and remained there twelve years.
14	Do.	Mohant Keshoram Rai.	242	Do.	Two men quarrelled four or five years ago.	No reason given in any of the three cases.
15	Do.	Do.	242	Lahri Baba	2. Killed a child for his orna- ments 25 years ago when under the influence "of bhang with dhatura and arsenic in it."
16	Do.	Do.	242	Not given	3. A teacher 40 years ago killed a student.
17	Do.	Mr. R. Wall	233	Not given	A Gurkha soldier ran amok about 1879 at Naini Tal.	"It was ascribed by rumour to ganja-smoking."

Subject / content:	Medicine (discipline) Medicines Health care Research (function)
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Places:	Asia > India (nation) [Place in text] Asia > Pakistan (nation) [Place in text] Asia > Myanmar (nation) [Place in text]
Subject / content:	Indian (South Asian)
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