eighteen police came and searched the house. Despite their thoroughness, they found nothing, and he was one of the few not arrested. Besides Isparta and its province, suspects were arrested in Milas, Antalya, Bolvadin, Aydin, Van, and other places. They had been denounced to the authorities as `reactionaries' (mürteci), and were charged under Article 163 of the Criminal Code, which among other things prohibited the exploitation of religion and religious sentiments in any way damaging to the security of the state, and the formation of political associations on the basis of religion. There was questioning and statements were taken, and it was while this was in progress that Colonel Asim Bey died. He had to make the choice between saying something that could be harmful to Bediuzzaman, and telling a lie, which his honour would not allow. So he uttered a prayer: "Lord! Take my spirit!", and indeed, the Almighty did take his spirit, and he attained the rank of what Bediuzzaman called "an integrity martyr".
Meanwhile, a furore was started in the press startling the country with stories of a "network of reactionaries" which had been uncovered. And as though to quell some major unrest which threatened the foundations of the state, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Sükrü Kaya, the Commander-in-Chief of the Gendarmerie. Kazim Orbay, and the Chief of Police travelled together to Isparta at the head of a detachment of gendarmes. Isparta and the surrounding country was put under the control of military units, and cavalry was posted along the road all the way from Isparta to Afyon. Rumours were spread throughout the region that Bediuzzaman and his students were going to be executed, and a general atmosphere of terror was generated. At the same time, in order to forestall any uprising in the eastern Turkey that Bediuzzaman's being put in prison might provoke, Inönü, the head of that despotic government, set off on a tour of the Eastern Provinces.
On around 12 May, Bediuzzaman and thirty-one of his students were handcuffed in pairs as though they were dangerous criminals, and bundled into lorries at the point of bayonets. Unknown to them, they were to be taken to the prison at Eskisehir, some three hundred and thirty kilometers to the north. Thousands of the local