Rowlatt Satyagraha (1919)

Gandhi, like other nationalists, was roused by the Rowlatt Act. In February 1919, he established the Rowlatt Satyagraha Sabha, whose members vowed to defy the Act and thus face court arrest and imprisonment. It was a new way to fight. Until recently, the nationalist movement, whether led by Moderates or Extremists, had confined its struggle to agitation. The only forms of political work known to the nationalists were large meetings and demonstrations, refusal to cooperate with the government, boycotts of foreign clothing and schools, and individual acts of terrorism. Satyagraha immediately elevated the movement to a new level.

Background

• The Montford Reforms, with their very limited scope, and the shockingly repressive Rowlatt Act came just as the Indians expected a huge step forward toward self-rule as a reward for their contributions to the war.
• Not surprisingly, Indians felt betrayed, particularly Gandhi, who had been at the forefront of offering cooperation in the British war effort, even offering to encourage recruitment of Indians into the British Indian forces.
• He dubbed the Rowlatt Act the “Black Act,” arguing that not everyone should face punishment for isolated political crimes.
• Gandhi called for an all-India mass protest.
• After seeing the constitutional protest met with ruthless repression, Gandhi convened a Satyagraha Sabha and enlisted the support of younger members of Home Rule Leagues and Pan Islamists.
• Satyagraha was to be launched on April 6, 1919, but it was thwarted by large-scale violent anti-British demonstrations in Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and other cities.
• The situation in Punjab, in particular, became so volatile as a result of wartime repression, forcible recruitment, and disease ravages that the Army was called in.
• The largest and most violent anti-British upsurge since 1857 occurred in April 1919. Sir Michael O’Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, is said to have used aircraft strafing against the violent protestors.