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FROM THE HISTORY OF THE ACTIVITY OF THE SECURITY DEPARTMENT IN THE
FERGANA REGION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Djumaboev Ikboljon Burkhanillayevich
Teacher of the Department of History of Uzbekistan, Andijan State University, Uzbekistan
AB O U T ART I CL E
Key words:
Ferghana region, police, filer, political
investigation, "politically unreliable", socialist-
revolutionary, wanted person.
Received:
11.06.2024
Accepted
: 16.06.2024
Published
: 21.06.2024
Abstract:
The article describes the history of the
establishment of the Security Department in
Turkestan, the activities of the Security
Department in Fergana region, the processes of
working with filers and wanted persons.
INTRODUCTION
At the beginning of the 20th century, in addition to the changes in the system of administrative and state
institutions, there were also serious changes in the bodies of internal security. After the defeat of the
December armed uprising in Moscow and other cities in early 1907, the government of the Russian
Empire intensified repression throughout the country. The police began to arbitrarily attack the vital
interests of the workers, such management and actions were known in history as the activities of the
"Stolypin regime".
These processes, in turn, affected the country, in particular, on December 15, 1907, the Turkestan
district security department was established according to the special decree of the police department
of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. .
Lieutenant Colonel Nikolay Antonovich Vasiliev, the former head of the special department, was
appointed as the head of the security department. Gendarmerie Staff Officer Keller was appointed as
his assistant. The department consisted of: 3 officers for conducting inquiries, two officials for
assignments, letter carriers and freelancers. College registrar Vaganov, a gendarmerie police officer
who led the external surveillance of the former, led a squad of filers or external surveillance agents2.
Although the Turkestan District Security Department was officially part of the Turkestan Governor
General's Office, it retained all the rights of an independent institution, an organ of the police
department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They had followed the circulars and instructions of the
Home Affairs Department during their work.
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https://doi.org/10.55640/jsshrf-04-06-05
Pages: 23-26
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At this point, it should be noted that the growing revolutionary upheaval in Turkestan, including
Fergana region, forced the authorities to look for new ways to fight against "anti-government"
organizations.
In this regard, in 1909, by the order of the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Major General Kurlov, in
order to accelerate political search operations in the Turkestan region, two search points directly
subordinated to the Security Department of the Turkestan District were established in the cities of
Ashgabat and Verniy3. Thus, the activity of the department covered Caspian, Samarkand, Ettisuv,
Syrdarya and Fergana regions.
The main work of political investigation was carried out by supplementary detectives. They began to
persecute those who were "accompanying" revolutionaries and "politically unreliable" individuals not
only in Turkestan, but throughout Russia.
The Security Service focused heavily on undercover agents in strengthening these cases, as their
information was considered important in determining the measures.
Filers4 tracked every step of the person under surveillance: who he talked to, what he wore, who he
met, etc. They recorded their observations in special diaries of external observation.
It should be noted that each organization had its own agents, who provided intelligence to the Security
Department. Some secret agents worked for two parties at the same time.
To speed things up, the Russian government sent secret instructions to the heads of the security
departments of the Police Department "recruiting and maintaining internal and secret agents as the
only and completely reliable means of ensuring awareness"5.
Secret agents, while passively collecting secret information about the organizations they belonged to,
actively participated in the activities of political parties, betrayed their comrades in the organization,
and helped to arrest and repress revolutionaries.
Based on the regulations on security departments, the heads of search stations in the cities, that is, the
heads of the gendarmerie railway departments of Tashkent, Ashgabat, Verniy cities and Central Asian
roads, submitted reports on the intelligence collected by secret agents to the head of the Turkestan
security department at the end of each month. They were compiled by agents from the following
organizations:
1.
Social democratic
2.
Socialist revolutionaries
3.
Anarchists
4.
Railway Union of Tsarist Russia
5.
Military organizations
6.
A variety of information, including information on the clandestine purchase and sale of arms,
weapons and ammunition, petty domestic crimes of a non-political nature6.
In addition, the pan-Islamist movement was widely covered. Among the local ethnic groups were secret
agents who regularly reported on the mood and unrest of the local population, as well as its relations
with Turkey and Afghanistan.
In the case of the uezds of the Fergana region, they constantly provided information to the Turkestan
security department about the persons under control and prepared reports on the execution of the
assigned tasks.
Because during this period, anti-imperialist literature and weapons kept for carrying out revolutionary
actions in Kokan uezd of Fergana region began to spread. An example of this is the revolutionary
literature and weapons found by filers on June 23, 1909 at the Kokan railway station. 12 prismatic
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bombs, 3 cartridges, 526 rifles and illegal literature were found7. The literature was mainly in the
following content: "What kind of land law do we need", "Son of the gendarme", "People and thought",
"Our rights", "Why we are poor", "Free People's Republic of Switzerland" and more than 200 literatures
were identified8.
The security department paid great attention to the activities of social-democratic organizations in
Fergana region. According to the financial reports of the Security Directorate, it can be seen that secret
agents belonging to local social-democratic organizations were paid three times more than secret
agents who covered socialist-revolutionary, anarchist and other organizations.
In the work of identifying political "untrustworthy persons", the department used various methods and
techniques. For example, letters were systematically studied (collecting and reviewing letters received
at post offices, etc.). If the content of the letter is suspicious, then the recipient is secretly monitored.
To control the circulation of letters, 2 secret staff worked in the General Post Office, who constantly
delivered correspondence to the head of the Security Department.
During this period, photographs played an important role in research of a political nature. For example,
arrestees (in profile and full face), letters and other physical evidence were photographed for
distribution.
In addition to photographs, parts of the face and div are carefully described on special forms using
scientific findings of anthropometry (shape and appearance of nose, ears, eyes) and fingerprints. The
"Verbal portrait" system was also widely used in this.
Employees of the Security Department paid special attention to working with foreigners, and every
foreigner who came to Turkestan was under open and secret surveillance.
With the outbreak of World War I, the department eased its pressure on revolutionary organizations,
focusing mainly on tracking prisoners of war, collecting reports of public discontent, and collecting
information on local attitudes to the war.
The Bolsheviks took advantage of this situation and began to actively campaign among the population.
By the decision of the Provisional Government, established after the dissolution of the empire as a result
of the February Revolution in Russia (Petrograd), on March 7, 1917, the Turkestan District Security
Department was abolished. A special commission was created to control the archives of the Turkestan
district security department. Officers, investigators, secret agents of the department were arrested and
brought to court.
CONCLUSION
In short, after the establishment of the rule of the Russian Empire in Turkestan, a centralized military
administration system was introduced. During the termination of the Kokand Khanate and the
establishment of the Fergana Oblast, a number of measures were taken to strengthen control in the
regions. The security department of Turkestan district was established in order to intensify the political
investigation in the country along with the comprehensive strengthening of the military administration.
Field offices of the Security Directorate were also established, and their personnel, through secret
agents and proxies attached to the organizations, started their activities to collect information on forces,
propaganda groups and other suspicious groups that might oppose the government, to identify
"persons of concern", conduct inquiries and take appropriate measures against them. had done their
work.
REFERENCES
1.
UzMA, found I- 461, list 1, case 1, sheet 2.
2.
UzMA, found I- 461, list 1, case 1, sheet 3.
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3.
UzMA, found I- 461, list 1, case 985, sheets 35-36.
4.
UzMA, found I- 461, list 1, case 1, sheet 5.
5.
UzMA, found I- 461, list 1, case 1, sheet 6.
6.
UzMA, found I- 461, list 1, case 466, sheet 3.
7.
UzMA, found I- 461, list 1, case 466, sheets 10-11
