‘Third-Class Passenger Complaints and Indian Pilgrims’, from East India Railway Committee, 1920–21. Report of the Committee Appointed by the Secretary of State for India to Enquire into the Administration and Working of Indian Railways. vol. I. (London: His Majesty’s Stationary Office for the India Office, N. D.), pp. 54–55

167. We received many complaints regarding the treatment of third class passengers. The third class passenger, his grievances are of long standing and have often been recognised. Stress was laid upon them by Sir Thomas Robertson in his report of 1903, and—more especially with regard to mela traffic—by the Pilgrim Committees of a few years ago, whose reports showed plainly that even with the insufficient means of transport available more might easily be done for the passengers’ comfort; it might, for instance, be necessary in exceptional circumstances for passengers to travel in trucks, but the trucks could at least be cleaned beforehand. We may quote the following sentence from the letter dated 27th September 1916, from the Sanitary Commissioner to the Government of India, submitting the reports of the Pilgrim Committees:—

“The Government of India can hardly be aware of the amount of ill-feeling and ill-will towards themselves that these two conditions (viz. (1), overcrowding of ordinary trains and pilgrim specials, and (2) the use of goods wagons to carry pilgrims) engender.”