This is a telegram from Sir Evan Meredith Jenkins, the governor of the Punjab, to George Abell, the Private Secretary to the Viceroy. Before Lord Louis Mountbatten arrived in India to take over the viceroyalty from Lord Archibald Wavell on 22 March 1947, Abell handled the Viceroy’s correspondence. Sent on 17 March 1947, Jenkins describes in the telegram the widespread communal violence in the Punjab at the time. He notes that All-India Muslim League member Ghazanfar Ali Khan was shocked by the violence committed by Muslim League members and endeavoured to stop the disturbances.

About the India Office Records

The India Office Records is a vast collection of archives relating to the administration of the East India Company (1600–1858) and its successor the India Office (1858–1947). The collection includes hundreds of official publications and records, manuscripts, photographs, maps and private papers. These archives document the complex story of British trade with the East, politics, the development of the British Empire and the road to Indian independence.