As the unrest continued unabatedly, the Madras government appointed . . . . . . the collector of Malabar as special commissioner to enquire into the causes of the uprisings and recommend remedial measures.

William Logan (1841–1914) was a Scottish officer of the Madras Civil Service under the British Government. Before his appointment as Collector of Malabar, he had served in the area for about twenty years in the capacity of Magistrate and Judge. He was conversant in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu.