<P> The writings of Vande Mataram, practically revolutionized the political attitude of Bengal . The four leading newspapers of Calcutta - the Bengalee, the Amrita Bazaar Patrika, the Indian Mirror and the Hindu Patriot protested against this division of Bengal . Apart from this, vernacular newspapers such as the Sanjivani and the Bangabashi expressed open hostility against this proposal . The Amrita Bazaar Patrika in its issue of 14 December 1903 called on the people of East Bengal to hold public meetings in every town and village to prepare petition for submission to the government, which was signed by lakhs of people . </P> <P> Other than boycott and burning of foreign goods, people also resorted to' peaceful picketing' which destined to become a normal feature in almost every type of political agitation in future . All these gave the police a good opportunity to interfere . The volunteers were roughly handled and if they resisted, the police beat them with lathis . These' Regulation Lathis', as they were called, were freely used by the police in the first instance to drive away the picketers and to disperse crowds, whether rioters or peaceful, if they were supposed to be sympathetic to the picketing volunteers . The uttering of Vande Mataram was an indisputable evidence of such sympathy and later it was made illegal to shout Vande Mataram in a public place . </P> <P> The official phrase, "mild lathi charge" to describe the assault of the police, was a misnomer . It was certainly not mild as the gaping wounds on the bodies loudly proclaimed . The Government also issued instructions to the educational institutions to control their boys and prevent them from participating in the swadeshi movement . Rural markets were controlled bans were put on processions and meetings, leaders were put into confinement without any trial and loyal Muslims were made to go against the recalcitrant Hindus . </P> <P> It is difficult to form an accurate estimate of the effect of the Boycott movement on the import of foreign goods in Bengal, as no exact statistics are available . It appears, however, from the official and confidential Police reports that for the first two or three years, there was a serious decline in the import of British goods, particularly cloth . </P>

Growth of indian industries during the swadeshi era