Vajpayee and the Quit India movement Atal Behari Vajpayees confessional statement taken down in Urdu and signed by him, and the magistrates note in English.[ SEE DETAIL FRONT LINE Vol. 15 :: No. 03 :: Feb. 7 - 20, 1998 ] ON SEPTEMBER 1, 1942, Atal Behari Vajpayee signed the following confessional statement - which had been taken down in Urdu, which he could not read - before S. Hassan, II Class Magistrate (his elder brother, Prem Behari Vajpayee, made a virtually identical statement): My name: Atal Behari Fathers name: Gauri Shankar My caste: Brahman Age: 20 years Occupation: Student, Gwalior College My address: Bateshwar, P.S. Bah, Distt Agra On being asked by the Court Did you commit an act of arson and cause damage? What have you to say in this regard?, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee made the following statement: On August 27, 1942, Ala was being recited in Bateshwar bazaar. At about 2 p.m. Kakua alias Liladhar and Mahuan came to the Ala and delivered a speech and persuaded the people to break the forest laws. Two hundred people went to the Forest Office and I along with my brother followed the crowd and reached Bateshwar Forest Office. I and my brother stayed below and all other people went up. I do not know the name of any other person, except Kakua and Mahuan, who was there. It seemed to me that bricks were falling. I could not know who was razing the wall to the ground but the bricks of the wall were certainly falling. I along with my brother started to go to Maipura and the crowd was behind us. The abovementioned persons forcibly turned out the goats from the cattle-pound and the crowd proceeded towards Bichkoli. Ten or twelve persons were in the Forest Office. I was at a distance of 100 yards. I did not render any assistance in demolishing the government building. Thereafter, we went to our respective homes. Signed: S. Hassan 1.9.42 Signed: Atal Behari Vajpai. The statement was recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). The magistrate appended the following handwritten note in English to the statement: I have explained to Atal Behari son of Gauri Shankar that he is not bound to make a confession and that if he does so, any confession he may make may be used as evidence against him. I believe that this confession was voluntarily made. It was taken in my presence and hearing and was read over to Atal Behari who made it; it was admitted by him to be correct and it contains a full and true account of the statement made by him. Signed: S. Hassan Magistrate II Class 1.9.1942.
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