149 (Home Department, Special Branch, File No. 76, Page 211) No. D. O. S. D. VI/2008, HOME DEPARTMENT, Bombay, 3rd February 1944. My dear Tottenham, Please refer to your D. O. No. III/7/43-M.S., dated the 29th January. The latter part of paragraph 1 of your letter has been answered by the attack which Mrs. Gandhi had the day before yesterday and which we understand was a coronary attack. The difficulty in refusing interviews is that Mrs. Gandhi's condition has been uniformly low and is subject to sudden deterioration by heart attack. We have therefore found it very difficult to decide when to stop sanctioning interviews. We are constantly in touch with the Inspector-General of Prisons and the Government of India may be assured that we will not prolong these interviews for longer than is absolutely necessary. We had asked the Inspector-General of Prisons to see that the duration of interviews is not more than one hour. He tells us that the difficulty is that Mrs. Gandhi often pleads for a little more time and it is not always easy, having regarding to her condition, to refuse such a request without appearing unduly harsh. The Superintendent of the Camp has again been given instructions to see that the interviews are as short as possible. There is no wireless set at the Agakhan Palace. Mr. Gandhi had asked us sometime ago to allow a few of his relatives to sing some Bhajans. While we were not prepared to agree with this as a regular feature we said that we had no objection to the relatives singing a few Bhajans during an interview. This is the musical performance of the Desai sisters referred to by you. Yours sincerely, (Sd.) H. V. R. I. O.C. 2/2 Sir Richard Tottenham,, C.S.I., C.I.E., I.C.S., Addl. Secretary to the Government of India, Home Department, New Delhi. 150 (Home Department, Special Branch, File No. 76, P. 217) No. S. D. VI/2035, HOME DEPARTMENT (POLITICAL), Bombay, 3rd February 1944. From The Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Home Department. To M. K. Gandhi, Esquire. Sir, I am directed to refer to your letter of the 31st January and to reply as follows to the 3 points raised by you:— (1) Government have agreed to Kanu Gandhi staying in for the purpose of helping in nursing Mrs. Gandhi on condition that he agrees to be bound by the same regulations as other security prisoners in the detention camp. Government consider that with Kanu Gandhi staying in, the nursing assistance provided should be adequate, and they cannot agree to any requests for further assistance. (2) Government have decided that no outside doctors should be allowed unless the Government Medical Officer considers that it is absolutely necessary for medical reasons. The question whether Dr. Dinshaw Mehta should be called in is accordingly for the Government Medical Officer to decide on medical grounds. (3) Interview with near relatives have been sanctioned for Mrs. Gandhi. While Government have no objection to your being present during these interviews they consider that other inmates of the detention camp should not be present except to the extent demanded by the condition of Mrs. Gandhi's health. It is understood that the Inspector-General of Prisons has agreed that one attendant may stay throughout the interviews and that a doctor may come in, if necessary. Government consider that normally this should be adequate but the matter is one to be decided solely on medical grounds by the Inspector-General of Prisons. I have, etc., (Sd.) H. V. R. I. Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Home Department. (Home Department, Special Branch, File No. 76, Page 219.) D. O. No. 2036. HOME DEPARTMENT, Bombay, 3rd February 1944 My dear Tottenham, We have communicated to Col. Bhandari the instructions of the Government of India regarding outside medical doctors for Mrs. Gandhi viz; that no such doctor should be allowed unless the Government Medical 151 Officer in charge considers that it is absolutely necessary for medicai reasons. Col. Bhandari has pointed out that he can discharge this responsibility so far as allopathic doctors are concerned. The request that has been made by Mrs. Gandhi is, however, that Dr. Dinshaw Mehta, who is a nature cure specialist and an Ayurvedic Physician, should be allowed, apparently on the ground that allopathic medicine has failed to give her relief. Col. Bhandari thinks that it is not possible for him to decide whether the patient would be better off under a non-allopathic system of treatment. We understand that Mrs. Gandhi has had little sleep during the last 3 days and that she considers that the massage which Dr. Dinshaw Mehta gives will have the effect of giving her some sleep. I attach in this connection a copy of a statement given to Col. Bhandari by Mr. Gandhi. I also enclose for your information a copy of another letter addressed to us by Mr. Gandhi together with the reply that we have sent him. Yours sincerely, (Sd.) H. V R. I Sir Richard Tottenham,, C.S.I., C.I.E., I.C.S, Addl. Secretary to the Government of India, Home Department, New Delhi. APPENDIX D No. S. D. VI/2033, HOME DEPARTMENT (POLITICAL), Bombay, 3rd February 1944. From The Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Home Department. To M. K Gandhi, Esquire. Sir, I am directed to refer to your letter of the 31st January and to reply as follows to the 3 points raised by you:— (1) Government have agreed to Kanu Gandhi staying in for the purpose of helping in nursing Mrs. Gandhi on condition that he agrees to be bound by the same regulations as other security prisoners in the detention camp. Government consider that with Kanu Gandhi staying in, the nursing assistance provided should be adequate and they cannot agree to any requests for further assistance. (2) Government have decided that no outside doctors should be allowed unless the Government Medical Officer considers that it is absolutely pecessary for medical reasons. The question whether Dr. Dinshaw Mehta should be called in is accordingly for the Government Medical Officer to decide on medical grounds. 152 (3) Interviews with near relatives have been sanctioned for Mrs. Gandhi. While Government have no objection to your being present during those interviews they consider that other inmates of the detention camp should not be present except to the extent demanded by the condition of Mrs. Gandhi's health. It is understood that the Inspector-General of Prisons has agreed that one attendant may stay throughout the interviews and that a doctor may come in, if necessary. Government considers that normally this should be adequate but the matter is one to be decided solely on medical grounds by the Inspector-General of Prisons. Your obedient servant, (Sd.) H. V. R. IENGAR, Secretary to the Govt of Bombay (H. D.). (Home Department, Special Branch, File No. 76, P. 229) Copy.—Original sent to the P. & S. D. in accordance with its letter No. FRM-1056-105162-B, dated 25-9-56. DETENTION CAMP, February 3, 1944. Sir, Shri Kasturba asked me yesterday when Dr. Dinshah was coming, and whether a Vaidya (Ayurvedic Physician) could see her and give her some drugs. I told her I was trying for both but that we were prisoners and could not have things as we liked. She has since been repeatedly asking me whether I could not do something to hasten matters. She had a restless night again. This is of course nothing new for her at present. I request immediate orders about Dr. Dinshah and Vaidyaraj Sharma of Lahore. The latter will be sometime coming. But Dr. Dinshah can come even today, if authority is given for calling him in. I must confess that I do not understand this delay when a patient's life is hanging in the balance and may be saved by timely aid. After all for a patient allevation of pain is as important as the highest matters of state. I am, etc., (Sd.) M. K. GANDHI. Secretary to the Government of Bombay, Bombay. (Home Department, Special Branch, File No. 76, P. 239) CONFIDENTIAL No. 1444, Home Department, Full Stop, For IENGAR from Tottenham Full Stop Your Telegram No. 38 February 7th Full Stop My Telegram No. 1386 dated February 6th was issued before receipt your letter 2162 dated Full Stop On basis that Government could not pronounce an opinion 153 on necessity for treatment by nature cure specialist or AYURVEDIC physician Full stop Since Colonel Shah has decided treatment by DINSHAW MEHTA is necessary and is producing good results we agree that visits may continue at his discretion so long as those results are obtained Full Stop But we find some difficulty in understanding why massage and enemas should be regarded as non-allopathic system of treatment which can only be administered by MEHTA Full Stop Perhaps you could explain further by letter Full Stop Foreign. (Home Department, Special Branch, File No. 13-I, P. 53) D. O. No S. D. VI-2113 HOME DEPARTMENT (SPECIAL): Bombay, 4th February 1944. My dear Sir Richard Tottenham, As desired in your D. O. letter No. II-16-43-M. S., dated the 25th January 1944, to Iengar, I am to enclose a copy of a reply sent by Mr. Gandhi to Mrs. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, and to say that we see nothing objectionable in it. Will you please state whether there is any objection to the letter being passed on to the addressee ? Yours sincerely, (Sd.) H.