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The Rowlatt Act
Introduction
The Rowlatt Act was proposed as per the recommendation of the Rowlatt Committee chaired by Sir Sidney Rowlatt. Then Gandhiji and other political leaders recognised the injustice of the law and launched a national-level satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act. Amid the opposition from the Indian representatives, the Rowlatt Act was passed by the Imperial Legislative Council on 18 March 1919. The objective of this law was to curtail the emerging nationalist movement in India. This law gave the British government enormous power to imprison any suspect and to suppress any opposition without a trial or judicial review. With a hartal on April 6th, Gandhiji started his non-violent civil disobedience movement against the law.
The presses were censored by the government. The accused were not allowed to know who the accusers were and the evidence used against them during the trial. The two bills proposed by the Justice Rowlatt Committee in front of the central legislative council were later known as "Black Bills''. Police were able to conduct searches and arrest any suspicious person without a warrant. Mohd. Ali Jinnah and Madan Mohan Malaviya resigned from the Legislative Council in protest against the law.
The Defence of India Act 1915
The Defence of India Act was enacted during World War 1 (1914–19) to suppress the revolutionary and nationalist movements in India. This emergency law gave the executive a wide range of provisions like preventive detention, imprisonment without a trial, and restrictions on the press and public speech. The act was passed in the Viceroy's Legislative Council with the full support of the non-official Indian members, and it was first used in the first Lahore conspiracy trial connected with the Ghadar Conspiracy. The Ghadar Conspiracy, or Gadhar Mutiny, was a protest within the British Indian army to put an end to British rule in India in February 1915. With the Rowlatt Act 1919, the British government tried to extend the emergency measures in the Defence of India Act 1915 indefinitely.
The action of Hartal on the 6th of April was the first massive protest by the people of India against the infamous act. Protesters went on strike and shops were shut. The level of agitation made British officers so scared that they believed the protesters might cut the telegraph communication lines. So the British administration arrested the leaders, and Gandhi was stopped from entering the Delhi area. During this time, police in Amritsar fired upon a peaceful procession on April 10th, 1919. This incident provoked the public to retaliate by attacking railways, banks, and post offices. To curtail the situation, the administration imposed martial law and gave General Dyer the command.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919)
Amid the protests, the Rowlatt Act was passed and came into effect on March 21st, 1919. In comparison to other parts of India, Panjab saw strong opposition. In connection with the protest, Dr Satyapal and Saifuddin Kitchlew were detained by the police and moved to Dharamshala. The army was deployed in the Punjab province to control the protesters. People were gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh for the annual Baisakhi fair and to protest against the arrest of the two leaders on April 13th, 1919. Many were not aware of the new martial law imposed in the area since they were from outside the city. General Reginald Dyer and his troops blocked the only exit and opened fire on the unarmed civilians. Hundreds were killed and over a thousand were injured. Later, he said that his objective behind the inhuman act was to create feelings of terror among the satyagrahis.
During the Jallianwala Bagh incident, Sardar Uddham Singh was serving water and food to the protesters. He witnessed the whole incident and it stunned his mind. He believed that Michael O'Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, was the one to get punished rather than Colonel Reginald H. Dyer, who executed the incident. After waiting for 21 years, Sardar Uddham Singh shot Michael O'Dwyer on March 13th, 1940 in London.
Gandhi returned to India on January 9, 1915, after a 21-year-long life in South Africa. Then he led the Champaran Satyagraha in 1917 and the Ahmedabad Mill Strike in 1918. However, the protests against the Rowlatt Act made him enter into the mainstream politics of the Indian independence movement. The Rowlatt Act (1919) and the Non-cooperation Movement ignited the Gandhian Era in the history of Indian politics.
In view of the strong protest from the Indian people, the British government revoked the Rowlatt Act, the Press Act and 22 other acts in 1922.
FAQs
Qns 1. Mention what was the influence of World War I on the Indian independence movement
Ans. During World War 1 time, the Indian Independence movement was dominated by moderates. They believed that supporting the British in World War I would make the British more tolerant towards Indians by granting more constitutional reforms. But instead of giving more constitutional powers to the Indian people, the Rowlatt Act of 1919 was enacted immediately after the war. In addition to that, the British Empire faced humiliating defeat during the war and this helped to raise the confidence of the Indian people. After World War 1, the Indian independence movement attained more momentum and witnessed mass protests like the Non-cooperation Movement and the Khilafat Movements.
Qns 2. List down the important 10 events during the Gandhian Era in the Indian independence movement.
Ans.
Rowlatt Act (1919)
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (April 13, 1919)
Khilafat movement (1920-22)
Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22)
Swaraj Party formation (1923)
Lahore Session and 'Poorna Swaraj' declaration (1929)
Dandi March/Salt Satyagraha (1930)
The Cripps Mission (1942)
Quit India movement (1942)
Cabinet Mission (1946).
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