James Alexander Scott CIE OBE (2 December 1895-20 January 1983), was a Scottish member of the Indian Police Force from 1915 to 1947.[1][2]
James Alexander Scott | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 December 1895 Currie, Midlothian, Scotland |
| Died | 20 January 1983 |
| Service |  British Indian ArmyIndian Imperial Police |
| Unit | 93rd Burma Infantry |
| Awards | Indian Police Medal King's Police Medal |
Early life and career
editJames Scott was born on 2 December 1895,[3] at Currie, Midlothian, Scotland.[1][4] He attended George Heriot's School in Edinburgh.[4] In 1915 he joined the Indian Police Force.[4] He became attached to the 93rd Burma Infantry and completed three years of service with the Indian Army, and in 1918 was mentioned in Despatches.[4][5] Subsequently he was posted to the provinces of Punjab and Delhi.[4]
Simon Commission and Lahore Conspiracy Case
editOn 30 October 1928, when the Simon Commission arrived at Lahore, Scott was the superindent of police in Lahore, where he ordered the dispersal of a peaceful protest by the charging with batons. One result was the death of Indian revolutionary Lala Lajpat Rai, just over two weeks later.[6][7] As a result, Scott became the target of an assassination, attempted on 17 December 1928.[8] That day, Scott's assistant J. P. Saunders, was mistaken for Scott, and shot dead by Shivaram Rajguru and Bhagat Singh.[8] The resulting Lahore Conspiracy Case led to the conversion of Hans Raj Vohra as approver, and the hanging of Bhagat Singh.[9]
Awards and honours
editScott's awards and honours include the CIE, OBE, the Indian Police Medal, and the King's Police Medal.[4]
Personal and family
editHe was married to Elizabeth Smith Scott, whose death preceded his.[10] Two years before his death in 1983, Scott's son Alastair gifted Scott Alfred Draper's book titled Amritsar: The Massacre that Ended the Raj.[1] Part of the collection of literature on Scott held at the British Library, it reveals Scott's handwritten thoughts in the margins and parts he highlighted and underlined, including his agreement with those that believed that Reginald Dyer's action at Jallianwalla Bagh resulted in peace in the Punjab.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Vaidik, Aparna (6 July 2024). "What led to the Lahore conspiracy case". Pakistan Today. No. 6. Lahore. p. 5.
- ^ "Honours" (PDF). Supplement to the London Gazette. 14 June 1945. p. 2939.
- ^ Registers of Employees of the East India Company and the India Office, 1746-1939. 1932. p. 879.
- ^ a b c d e f "Scottish District News: Malayan Police Appointment". The Scotsman. Midlothian, Scotland. 12 October 1950. p. 5. Retrieved 25 November 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Walker, Samuel (1921). George Heriot's School: Roll of Honour, 1914-1919. Edinburgh. p. 31.
- ^ S., I. (1994). "Selected Works of Motilal Nehru". World Affairs: The Journal of International Issues. 3 (1): 83–85. ISSN 0971-8052.
- ^ Nair, Neeti (May 2009). "Bhagat Singh as 'Satyagrahi': The Limits to Non-violence in Late Colonial India". Modern Asian Studies. 43 (3): 649–681. doi:10.1017/S0026749X08003491. ISSN 1469-8099.
- ^ a b Deol, Gurdev Singh (1978). "4. Death of Lalalajpat Rai and the vindication of national honour". Shaheed-e-azam Sardar Bhagat Singh. Nabha: Deep Prakashan. pp. 35–36.
- ^ Ghosh, Durba (2017). "3.After Chauri Chaura: the revival and repression of revolutionary terrorism". Gentlemanly Terrorists: Political Violence and the Colonial State in India, 1919–1947. Cambridge University Press. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-107-18666-8.
- ^ "Death notice: Scott". The Scotsman. 22 January 1983. p. 2.