Page 77 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

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Disturbances and strikes, 1953-1954 63
4
the Fardusal club which wuo hidden by the trees of the
garden in front of the bungalow, Dr. Snow’s evidence was
that one of the persons brought in dead had been shot from
a distance of about fifty yards and that one of the
wounded was also shot at this distance. The others were
shot from a much greater distance. As soon as the crowd had

disx>ersed prompt action was taken by Shaikh Khalifah to call
in the ambulance to take the v/ounded away and certain of
the Barharna crowd did what they could to get the v/ounded
to hospital.

CONCLUSION.
We are of the opinion that the Barharna crowd was in an
aggressive and threatening mood and that they were armed with
sticks and pieces of iron. At the time that the two revolver

shotB were fired there was no immediate danger of attack
and had it not been for these shots it is very possible that
they may have been persuaded to remain quiet. V/e arc al-so of
the opinion that even with the discharge of the two revolver
shots ther . v/ao no immediate danger of attack. Nevertheless
the police were in a very excited mood and despite their

instructions they opened fire. It ip just possible that I
the policemen near the north-west tower were of the opinion
that they were about to be attacked and their object in firing
was to defend themselves. It is clear that from here certain

of the crowd were shot deliberately by the police. The
firing which broke out from other parts of the Port was
v/ithout instructions from responsible officers, and
unjustified. One Havildar, Gharib bin Bakait, admitted
that he did give orders to fire but to fire in the air.

V/e consider that severe disciplinary action should be taken
against those police v/ho fired without orders. We strongly
recommend that' something much less lethal than rifles should
be issued to the police for mob dispersal such as are used in

other civilized countries. In particular we consider it
/most