The mental attitude of
mercenary
soldiers in the Imperial armies
trained to mercilessly kill the humanity is not in our character.
trained to mercilessly kill the humanity is not in our character.
Cambridge History of India - v4 - Indian Empire
The Govern-
ment did its level best to find out the culprit. A reward of
Rs. 7,500 was announced for the arrest of Ras Bihari Bose. He
was chased from place to place but every time he managed to escape.
He went away to Japan under a fictitious name.
He played an
important role in organising the Indian National Army in Japan.
He died in 1945.
DELHI CONSPIRACY CASE
The action taken by the Government in connection with the
bomb thrown on Lord Hardinge is known as the Delhi Conspiracy
Case. Thirteen persons had been arrested in that connection. The
names of some of them were Miaster Amir Chand, his adopted son
Sultan Chand, Dina Nath, Bhai Balmukund, Bal Raj Bhalla, Basant
Kumar and Avadh Bihari. Two of them were sentenced to seven
years' imprisonment and four of them were hanged. Dina Nath
became an approver. During the trial in 1914, the Police produced
in the Court a letter written by Master Amir Chand and that let-
ter contained the following passage: "Constitutional struggles and
agitations have borne no fruit. The only effective and unfailing
means to liberate our country is that of armed revolution. History
testifies to the fact that the rulers never offer independence on a
silver platter. They surrender it to the threat of sword. ” It is
stated that when Avadh Behari was going to be hanged, an English-
man asked him as to what was his last wish. His reply was: “The
end of the British Rule. ” When the Englishman advised him to
die peacefully, Avadh Behari replied: "Peace? I wish that a confia-
gration may break out in the country gutting the British rule. Let
my country emerge out of this tire like pure gold. ”
February 21, 1915 was fixed for an all-India revolt and vigorous
preparations were made for that purpose. Ras Bihari Bose,
Suchindra Sanyal, Ganesh Pingale and Bagi Kartar Singh prepar-
ed a master plan for that purpose. Bomb factories were set up at
Ludhiana, Amritsar, etc. Indian troops were contacted and persuad-
ed to revolt on that date. Some revolutionaries raided the Moga
Treasury in the Punjab. Two revolutionaries were killed and
several were arrested. They were also hanged. The all-India re-
volt failed because one Kirpal Singh passed on all the secret plans
to the Government. Many places were raided and bombs were
recovered. Secret papers were also captured by the Government.
## p. 755 (#797) ############################################
DELHI CONSPIRACY CASE
755
Most of the ring leaders of the Punjab fell into the hands of the
Police. Luckily, Ras Bihari Bose, Ganesh Pingale and Bagi Kartar
Singh escaped. Ganesh Pingale got down at Meerut and was
handed over to the government by a Muslim Inspector with whom
he stayed. He was hanged on November 16, 1915. His last words
were: “Oh God! May the task left incomplete by me be executed
by you. My only wish is that my country may be free. ” Kartar
Singh was also caught later on and sentenced to death along with
Jagat Singh, Bhai Parmanand, Man Singh and Udham Singh.
Many others were transportated for life. The death sentence of
Bhai Parmanand was later on commuted to life imprisonment. It
is stated that Chief Justice was inclined to commute the death sen-
tence of Kartar Singh also, but the latter said: “I prefer gallows to
life sentence. I wish I were born again to unfetter my mother-
land. I shall be glad to be hanged every time I am reborn till my
country achieves independence. ”
Lala Hardayal was a great philosopher and a powerful orator.
In 1913, he called a rally of revolutionary workers in a town of
California. He started an independent press and brought out a
paper known as “The Gadar. ” It was published in English, Hindi,
Urdu, Bengali, Marathi and Gurmukhi. The copies of this news-
paper were sent to all those countries where Indians lived. There
was a great demand for this paper in Japan, China, Singapore,
Germany and Canada. The newspaper condemned the mis-deeds
of the British Government in India and also explained the objects
of the Gadar Movement.
In 1913, a few thousand Indians lived in Canada and most of
them were Sikhs. They were subjected to all kinds of indignities.
The Canadian Government did not like their presence in their coun-
try and was anxious to stop their flow. With that object in view,
a law was passed by which only those Indians were allowed to land
in Canada who were direct passengers from Calcutta. The Cana-
dian Government knew full well that there were no direct services
from India to Canada and hence indirectly the immigration of
Indians into Canada would stop. Baba Gurdit Singh who was a
very rich Indian in Canada, came forward to help the Indians. He
floated a shipping company known as the Guru Nanak Navigation
Company and hired a Japanese ship called Komagata Maru. The
ship reached Calcutta and was able to accommodate 500 Indian
passengers. When the ship reached the Port of Vancouver on May
22, 1914, the Canadian authorities did not allow her to enter the
harbour. The passengers were not allowed to land even on the
shore. The ship was not allowed even to unload the goods. The
Canadian authorities acted in a very cruel manner. Although the
## p. 756 (#798) ############################################
756
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
passengers were suffering terribly, the Canadian Government was
not moved by their plight. An effort was made by the Canadian
authorities to throw boiling water on the passengers. Finally, the
Canadian Government sent two warships to sink the Komagata
Maru. After about two months of stay in the Canadian waters,
the Komagata Maru started on her return voyage on July 23, 1914.
The passengers had to suffer even on the return journey as the
British Government did not allow the ship to enter the harbours of
Hongkong and Singapore. On September 26, 1914, the ship reach-
ed the Budge Budge harbour near Calcutta. The Government of
India ordered the passengers of the ship to enter the special train
which was kept ready to take them away. As the passengers refus-
ed to get into the train, they were forcibly dragged and put in the
train. Some of the passengers resisted and while doing so used
American revolvers. 18 Sikhs were killed and many more were
wounded. Although Baba Gurdit Singh was injured, he managed
to escape. The occurrences connected with the Komagata Maru
created a lot of bitterness among the Indians in general and the
Sikhs in particular. Bhai Bhag Singh and Bhai Vatan Singh led
an agitation against the Canadian authorities for the repeal of the
law against the immigration of the Indians. Mr. Hopkins who
was the chief of the Immigration Section of Canada, became the
target and he was killed by one Mewa Singh. The Gadar Party also
intensified its propaganda against the Government of India. In
the issue of August 18, 1914, the Gadar Party gave the following
instructions: "Spread the literature of revolution; help and encour-
age all resistance, armed and passive; destroy the railway lines,
withdraw all your funds from British Banks and inspire the Indian
army to strike on every point against the Firangis. ”
Lala Hardayal went to Gerinany to negotiate with William II,
the German Emperor. He sent thousands of recruits and a lot of
explosive materials to India. Raja Mahendra Pratap set up a
provisional government at Kabul. It was agreed that thc Muslims
of Iran, Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan would take up arms against
the British Government after getting help from Germany and
Turkey. The Sikhs of the Punjab were also to revolt Unfortu-
nately, the whole plan for the revolt of 1915 leaked out and nothing
came out.
THE KAKORI CASE
The revolutionaries were in great need of money for the manu-
facture of bombs and consequently a few revolutionaries boarded
the train on August 9, 1915, on the Lucknow-Saharanpur line. The
## p. 757 (#799) ############################################
THE KAKORI CASE
757
revolutionaries had with them revolvers and cartridges. After the
departure of the train from Kakori Railway station, one of the revo-
lutionaries pulled the alarm chain of the train. When the train
stopped, the revolutionaries tried to take away the money from the
Iron Box in the train which was broken open with great effort with
hammer-blows by Ashfaq. Unfortunately, the revolutionaries were
-
able to get Rs. 5,000 only. The Government took action and
arrested about 40 persons and sent them for trial. That case is
known as the Kakori case. The trial concluded on April 7, 1927.
It was a mere farce. Pt. Ram Parsad Bismil, Roshan Singh and
Rajindra Lahri were given death sentence. Manmath Nath Gupta
got 14 years and many others got death sentences. Ashfaq and
Suchendra Nath Bakshi were caught later on and were given death
sentence and transportation for life respectively. Ram Parsad Bis-
mil was hanged on December 19, 1927. His mother is said to
have observed thus about her son: “I am greatly proud to have
given birth to a soldier of freedom who laid down his life at the
feet of his motherland. Your country has greater claim on you
than I have. You have fallen for a noble cause and I see no reason
to feel sorry. ” A little before his death, Ashfaq Ullah gave the fol-
lowing message to his countrymen: "We have played our role on
the political stage of our country. Right or wrong all our actions
were motivated by the lofty object of securing independence. I
know my actions will elicit praise from some quarters and criticism
from the other, but as a true revolutionary I am indifferent to such
remarks. One thing I beg to clarify before I die. It never had
been our object to create terror in the country. Our trial has
lasted for such a long time but tell me if ever we tried to shoot down
an approver or a prosecution witness. That is not in our line. My
only wish is that my country-men may, irrespectiv of their
religion or creed, unite like a solid bloc to smash the citadel of
British rule. The British are the common enemies of all the
religious sections of our country. It is the moral duty of every
Indian to dig the grave of the British bureaucracy. I am far from
being a murderer as has been established by the prosecution. I am
rather proud of being the first Musalman to lay down my life at
the altar of India's freedom. ”
The people of India had boycotted the Simon Commission but
in spite of that the Commission visited Lahore on October 20, 1928.
The Hindustan Socialist Republican Party took out a huge proces-
sion against the Simon Commission. The processionists were shout-
ing: “Simon, go back. ” Lala Lajpat Rai was leading the proces-
sion. One Mr. I. P. Saunders gave blows on the head and chest of
Lala Lajpat Rai with his baton and thereby caused grievous injuries
9
## p. 758 (#800) ############################################
758
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
9
on his person. While addressing the public meeting in the same
evening at the Bradlaugh Hall, Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai declared:
“The Government which attacks its own innocent subjects has no
claim to be called a civilized Government. Bear in mind, such a
Government does not survive long. I declare that the blows struck
at me will be the last nails in the coffin of British rule in India. "
Lala Lajpat Rai died on November 17, 1928, as a result of the
injuries received by him. That was too much for the people of
India and nobody who had inflicted those injuries on Lalaji could
be forgiven. Addressing a public meeting, Shrimati Basanti Debi,
the wife of C. R. Das, observed thus: “My blood boils with rage to
think that Lalaji, who had beer. so aged and so dear to his country-
men, has been beaten to death by that brute English pclice officer.
It is a challenge to the youth and manliness of 300 million Indians.
On behalf of the women of India, I want a reply to my question
whether Indian youths are dead or alive. Is there nobody from
the young generation of India io step forward and respond to my
question? ” The reply was given by Sardar Bhagat Singh and his
companions. It was decided to kill Mr. Scott who had ordered the
lathi charge and Mr. Saunders who had killed Lalaji. On Decem-
ber 17, 1928, when Saunders was approaching the police gate on
his bicycle, he was shot by Rajguru and he was followed by Bhagat
Singh who tore the head of Saunders to pieces by pistol shots. All
the revolutionaries took refuge in the D. A. V. College, Lahore and
then managed to slip away to Simla.
Within 5 days of the incident, the following posters were found
on the walls of the city of Lahore:
"HINDUSTAN SOCIALIST REPUBLICAN PARTY
NOTICE
BEWARE BUREAUCRACY
“This killing of I. P. Saunders was only to avenge fully the mur-
der of Lala Lajpat Rai. It was indeed a sad and shameful episode
that so mean a fellow like I. P. Saunders should dare to deliver
blows on the chest of the old and most respected person worshipped
by a nation of thirty-five crores of Indians. That was indeed an
affront to the nation. By that insult of the Indian Nation, the
foreign power had as if thrown a challenge to the self-respecting
and brave sons of the soil. This reply will surely convince the
people and the foreign power that the Indian Nation is indeed not
yet dead or spiritless to bear such insults. The people of Bharat
have fresh blood flowing in their veins. Young India is up and
## p. 759 (#801) ############################################
SARDAR BHAGAT SINGH
759
ready to guard the honour of the nation even at the stake and sacri-
fice of life.
"Beware, you, Tyrant of Government !
“Do not hereafter try to touch the provoked feelings of the people
that are already exploited and harassed. Hold your devilish
hands! Remember that in spite all your laws and endeavours to
keep us disarmed a flood of pistols and revolvers will always flow
into the hands of the youth of the country. Though it may be
admitted that no armed revolution can be accomplished with a
sprinkling of arms yet they will indeed be enough to wreak ven-
geance for the repeated national insults which the administration
indulges in from time to time. Our so-called national leaders may
condemn and reproach our actions, and the foreign Government
may try their utmost to crush our organisation. But we want to
make it clear here that we shall ever be ready to safeguard our
national honour and to teach lessons to all the foreign aggrandisers.
We shall never permit the cry of revolution to languish even under
the encirclement of oppression and suppression all around; bear in
mind that even with the noose knot of death round our necks, we
shall always shout and cheer 'Long Live Revolution. '
“We are really sorry that we had to kill a human being. But
the man whom we had to shoot down was a part and parcel of
such cruel, mean and unjust administration of a foreign power that
we had no alternative but to overthrow him. This man is killed
only in his capacity as a representative of the British power in India.
British Power is undoubtedly the most tyrannical one in the world.
“We again repeat that we are sorry that we had to shed human
blood. But it becomes inevitable to shed blood on the altar of
revolution, which will end all exploitation of man at the hands of
man.
“Long Live Revolution.
Sd/- (BALRAJ)
18th December, 1928.
Commander: Punjab HSRA. ”
>
Another incident took place on April 8, 1929. After the ques-
tion hour was over in the Central Legislative Assembly in New
Delhi, Sardar Bhagat Singh threw a bomb on the wall which ex-
ploded with a thundering boom. Two bullets were fired to frigh-
ten the Speaker of the House. When the smoke ended, Sardar
Bhagat Singh threw leaflets into the hall and those read thus:
“Bombs are needed to let the deaf hear. ” Sardar Bhagat Singh
could have run away but he surrendered himself to the police.
Sardar Bhagat Singh and his companions were put up for trial and
ultimately condemned to death. In the course of his lengthy state-
## p. 760 (#802) ############################################
760
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
ment in the court, Sardar Bhagat Singh observed thus: “Our sole
object was to warn the listless and to wake up the deaf. Many
others are thinking just like us. The bombs which were thrown
were intentionally so manufactured as to cause insignificant dam-
age, and they were thrown also in such a clear place as to produce
the least injury to anybody. Under the apparent calm on the sur-
face of the Indian mind there is a ceaseless terrible seething discon-
tent on the point of bursting into a storm. Our action is merely
a danger-signal to those who are rushing ahead thoughtlessly with-
out caring for the serious consequences before them. We have, as
if, heralded the end of the era of non-violence, the idealist dream,
about whose utter failure the young generation is now doubtlessly
convinced. We have adopted this course of striking a warning
purely out of our love and good-will for humanity to ward off the
unheard of harassments and hardships. The new spirit, notice of
whose dawn has been just given by us, is really inspired by the
idealism of Guru Govind Singh, Shivaji, Mustafa Kamal Pasha,
Raza Khan, Washington, Garibaldi, Lafayette and Lenin. It was
because the Government and the Indian leaders had closed their
eyes and ears that we had to sound that warning to attract their
attention. . . . .
“It will be readily accepted that we had no personal prejudice
or hatred against any individual in the House or against any one
who had received minor injuries. On the other hand, we emphati-
cally reassert that we hold all human life as sacred beyond des-
cription. Instead of inflicting injuries on any one else, we are
ready to offer ourselves to be sacrificed for the sake of humanity.
The mental attitude of mercenary soldiers in the Imperial armies
trained to mercilessly kill the humanity is not in our character.
When we surrendered, it was purely out of the sole thought to
suffer the atonement of our actions. We wanted to warn the
Imperialist exploiters that they could never destroy the truth by
crushing a few individuals. A whole nation cannot be suppressed
by doing away with a couple of persons. Bastile could not pre-
vent the French Revolution. Exiles in Siberia could not liquidate
the Russian Revolution. The bloody Sundays could noi arrest the
course of Irish struggle for Independence. How could then these
atrocious measures extinguish the flame of freedom burning bright
in the Indian mind? . . . .
“The opponents of revolution mistakenly believe that revolution
means violence with arms, weapons and such other means. But
revolution is not confined to this process. It may be that these
are used as instruments but it should not be forgotten hat behind
them is the solid strength and spirit of the revolution and that
## p. 761 (#803) ############################################
CHANDRA SHEKHAR AZAD
761
strength is the will, the aspiration of the people to demand and get
a change, a revolution in the current economic structure, the shape
and form of political Government of the nation. Our idea of
revolution has never been simply the bloodshad of some individuals.
It is to end the present regime of exploitation of man by man and
to secure for our nation absolute right of self-determination. That
is the ultimate objective of our idea of revolution. Freedom is the
birth-right of man. We welcome any amount of suffering and
sacrifice that might fall to our lot for this idealism and devotion
to it. Long live that Revolution. "
The Tribunal which tried Sardar Bhagat Singh and his compa-
nions gave its decision on October 7, 1930 and Sardar Bhagat
Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdeo were hanged at Lahore on March
23, 1931. Unfortunately, the dead bodies of these heroes were
taken by the Government to Ferozepore and an attempt was made
to burn them on the banks of the river Sutlej. However, the people
came to know of it and were able to recover the half-burnt dead
bodies. Those were taken to Lahore and cremated there with
great honours.
A reference must be made to the work of Chandra Shekhar Azad,
Bhagwati Charan and Yash Pal. Azad was a fearless person who
was determined to liberate his country even at the cost of his life.
He had a hand in the Kakori conspiracy case but he managed to
escape. He helped Sardar Bhagat Singh in his attack against
Saunders. His efforts to take Sardar Bhagat Singh out of the jail
failed. Efforts were also made to persuade the Viceroy to con-
done the death sentence passed on Sardar Bhagat Singh and his
companions. When all that failed, Chandra Shekhar Azad and
Yash Pal chalked out a plan to blow up the train carrying Lord
Irwin. When on December 23, 1929, the train carrying the Vice-
roy left the Nizamuddin Railway Station near New Delhi, a bomb
exploded and the train was derailed. The dining car was shattered
to pieces. However, Lord Irwin escaped unhurt.
On February 27, 1931, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Yash Pal and
Surendra Pandey assembled at Allahabad to finalize their plans
for getting help from Russia for fighting India's battle for freedom.
Yash Pal and Surendra Pandey left Azad in the Alfred Park to
meet another revolutionary. While Azad was still in that Park,
he found himself surrounded by armed police. He fought bravely
against the police party with revolvers in his both hands. His
body was punctured with bullets. While he used the other bul-
lets on his enemies, the last bullet he used on himself and thus died
a great man who could have helped to solve free India's problems.
Yash Pal was selected the Commander-in-Chief of the Hindustan
## p. 762 (#804) ############################################
762
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
Socialist Republican Army after the death of Azad. The Govern-
ment announced big rewards for information leading to his arrest.
He re-organized the Revolutionary Army and made a declaration
of a general revolt. He was caught by the police because his
revolver did not work. He was sentenced to 14 years' rigorous
imprisonment but was released by the Congress Ministry in March,
1938.
Sir Michael O'Dwyer had been the Lieutenant-Governor of the
Punjab and it was during his regime that General Dyer murdered
innocent Indians in the Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar. Sir Michael
had also been responsible for various other atrocities on the people
of the Punjab. It was felt that he must be taught a lesson. Sardar
Udham Singh was a great revolutionary. He went to London in
1919 and waited for full 20 years to have revenge against Sir
Michael. On March 13, 1940, while Sir Michael was leaving the
Caxton Hall, London, Sardar Udham Singh fired at him and killed
him with his second bullet. He was put up for trial and sentenced
to death. He made the following statement in the court: “I have
seen my starving countrymen being trampled under the jackboots
of British imperialism. I am not at all sorry for having registered
my protest in this manner. . I am not the least afraid of death.
What after all is the use in prolonging life till dotage. There is
bravery in dying young, in sacrificing life for the country.
There were many causes for the decline of the revolutionary
movement in India. It was confined to a small circle of young-
men and there was no public backing. The terrorist movement
had no central organization to direct its activities. The upper mid-
dle class leadership was not sympathetic towards the movement.
Leaders like Sir Asutosh Mukherjee and S. N. Banerjee asked the
government to take drastic measures against the terrorists. The
emergence of Mahatma Gandhi as the leader of Indian Nationalist
Movement also led to gradual decline of the revolutionary
movement. The Gandhian technique of non-cooperation, civil dis-
obedience and non-violence appealed more to the people of India
than the activities of the terrorists. No wonder, they went into the
background. However, the Hindustan Socialist Republican Party
tried to meet the terrorism of government "with an even greater
terrorism. ” Sardar Bhagat Singh, Jitendra Nath Das and Chandra
Shekhar Azad were the revolutionaries who staked their lives for
the sake of the country. The terrorists also played their part dur-
ing the revolt of 1942, the mutiny of the Royal Indian Navy and
the crusade of the Indian National Army of Subhash Chandra Bose.
## p. 763 (#805) ############################################
INDIA AND WORLD WAR I
763
INDIA AND WORLD WAR I (1914-18)
When the war started, there was great enthusiasm in the country.
The people of India were willing to serve the government in every
possible way. After Marne, there was an increasing demand for
Indian troops outside India. When Turkey joined the Central
Powers in October 1914, Indian troops garrisoned the Suez Canal
and repulsed a Turkish attack. Indian troops fought through the
long campaigns of Macedonia and German East Africa. They
played an important part in the Iraq campaign leading to the cap-
ture of Baghdad in 1917. In this way, they helped to found the
present State of Iraq. They were in the allied army which took
Jerusalem in 1917. All this involved a great effort in India itself.
Eight lakhs of men were recruited for the fighting forces, together
with four lakhs of non-combatants. This resulted in a great ex-
pansion in the Military machine, a greater mixture of classes and
a stronger feeling of self-confidence all around. Indian self-
confidence grew when the magnitude of their effort and the extent
to which it depended upon Indians themselves, were realised.
In the administrative sphere, the British government made a mis-
take in allowing the British civilian officers to serve the forces dur-
ing the war. Many of them never returned and those who returned
found themselves in a strange new mental world to which it was
difficult to adapt themselves. When times grew difficult towards
the end of the war, the Government had only an ageing and tired
cadre of officers to rely upon.
In the economic sphere, the first effect of the war was one of
stimulus. The industrial development of modern India owes
good deal to the demands of World War I. However, increasing
demands and expenditure led to rise in prices and ultimately enthu-
siasm was turned into discontent. Englishmen could be expected
to put up with inconveniences because they felt that they were
fighting for their very existence and their victory was likely to add
to their glory. The same could not be said about the Indians for
whom the War was merely an external affiiction. No doubt, they
became not only exhausted and war-weary but also sour, discon-
tented and resentful.
The attitude of India towards Europe and its people was altered
radically and permanently. The Indians gave up the feeling that
the Europeans were superior to them morally and technically.
They were regarded now at besi as more powerful. The first War
casualty in India was the idol of Western superiority.
The Russian Revolution of 1917 also had a profound influence
on the minds of the Indians. They felt that if the people of Russia
a
## p. 764 (#806) ############################################
764
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
could overthrow an imperialist regime, the same could be done
by the Indians in their own country. The Fourteen Points of
President Wilson had great influence on the Indians. They also
demanded the rights of national freedom and self-determination of
peoples. No wonder, the Indians demanded self-government in
the name of the fundamental principles accepted by the Allied
Powers.
As regards the effect of war on Muslims, they were very un-
happy. They did not approve of the dismemberment of Turkey,
which was regarded as the sword of Islam. They also did not like
the treatment given to the Arabs who were considered to be rebels
against the Turkish Khalifa. Their princes were regarded as
stooges of the infidel.
When the war started, the Congress was still a middle-class body
of Westernised professionals with some commercial and industrial
backing. It was firmly under the control of Gokhale and the
Moderates. However, all this was changed during the war. Tilak
came back from jail and became a leader of all-India importance.
Tilak gave up the old policy of making prayers to the British Gov-
ernment. His contention was that every Indian had the birth-
right to be free. He laid the foundations for the great anti-
government movement led by Gandhiji in the next few years.
The World War I ended in 1918. The Indians had helped the
British Government both with men and money. They had done
everything in their power to further the war efforts of the British
Government. However, they suffered on account of high prices,
low wages and shortage of supplies. Plague and influenza took a
heavy toll. The liberty of the people was restricted on account of
the working of the Defence of India Rules. The people put up
with the acts of highhandedness of British officers in the matter of
recruitment and the collection of war-funds. After having done
all that, the people were not at all happy at what was given to
them by the Report of 1918. Mrs. Annie Besant rightly stated
that the scheme was "ungenerous for England to offer and un-
worthy for India to accept. ” When India was in this mood, the
Government of India passed the infamous Rowlatt Act in 1918 in
spite of opposition from all quarters. The result was that a wave
of anger spread all over India and even the Moderates joined hands
with other Indians. The Act was a very drastic one. It gave the
Government power to crush popular liberties, to arrest and detain
suspected persons without warrant and to imprison them without
regular trial, Mahatma Gandhi who had been loyal to the British
Government throughout the World War I came to the fore-front
and asked the people to offer Satyagraha against the Act. There
## p. 765 (#807) ############################################
HAPPENINGS IN THE PUNJAB
765
>
to
was great enthusiasm throughout the country. Hartals were ob-
served with great success.
The Hindus and Muslims co-operated
with one another. However, Mahatma Gandhi, all of a sudden,
suspended the Satyagraha movement as there was a clash in Delhi
and disturbances at other places. Later on, Mahatma Gandhi ad-
mitted that he made a "Himalayan miscalculation”, but the mis-
chief had been done.
Great atrocities were committed in the Punjab during the re-
gime of Sir Michael O'Dwyer, Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab.
Sir Michael was known as the iron man of the Punjab. He
had no faith in political reforms and consequently had no sym-
pathy with the political agitators. He refused Tilak and B. C.
Pal
enter the Punjab. The methods adopted by Sir
Michael to raise war loans and to find recruits were very often un-
authorised and oppressive. When the agitation against the Row-
latt Act started, Sir Michael gave on April 7, 1919 the following
warning to the people of the Punjab : “The Government of this
Provinnce is and will remain determined that public order, which
was maintained so successfully during the time of war, shall not
be disturbed in times of peace. Action
of peace. Action has, therefore, already
been taken under the Defence of India Act against certain indivi-
duals at Lahore and Amritsar. The recent puerile demonstrations
against the Rowlatt Act in both Lahore and Amritsar indicate
how easily the ignorant and the credulous people can be misled.
Those who only want to mislead them incur a serious responsibili-
ty. Those who appeal to ignorance rather than to reason have a
day of reckoning in store for them. ” Amritsar observed Hartal
peacefully both on 30 March and 6 April. However, on 9 April,
1919, the Government of the Punjab passed orders for the depor-
tation of Dr. Satyapal and Dr. Kitchlew and their internment at
Dharmsala under the Defence of India Act. On 10th April, 1919,
they were removed by the police from Amritsar. When the peo-
ple came to know of it, complete Hartal was declared in the city.
The people marched in a procession to the residence of the Deputy
Commissioner to demand the release of their leaders. They had
no sticks or lathis with them. However, they were checked by
the police at the railway level-crossing and there was firing. This
infuriated the mob and there was wholesale burning of whatever
fell in their way. Europeans
Europeans were assaulted. Building were
burnt and godowns were looted. When the troops appeared in
the city, the mob disappeared. On 11 April, 1919, the people
were allowed to arrange for the funerals of the dead bodies.
On April 12, 1919, a proclamation was issued by General Dyer,
who had taken charge of the troops the day before, that no meet-
## p. 766 (#808) ############################################
766
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
ings or gatherings of the pople were to be held. However, no
steps were taken to see that the proclamation was brought to the
notice of the people living in the various localities of the city. The
result was that it was announced on 12 evening that there would
be a public meeting on 13 April, 1919, at 4-30 p. m. in the Jallian-
wala Bagh. Neither General Dyer nor other authorities took any
action to stop the meeting. The meeting started at the right
time and there were about 6,000 to 10,000 people present in the
meeting. All of them were practically unarmed and defenceless.
The Jallianwala Bagh is closed practically on all sides by walls
except one entrance. General Dyer entered the Jallianwala Bagh
with armoured cars and troops. Without giving any warning to
the people to disperse, he ordered the troops to fire and he con-
tinued to do so till the whole of the ammunition at his disposal
was exhausted. Hundreds of people were killed. Lala Girdhari
Lal gave the following account of the tragedy before the Hunter
Enquiry Committee : "I saw hundreds of persons killed on the
spot. The worst part of the whole thing was that firing was di-
rected towards the gates through which the people were running
out. There were small outlets, four or five in all, and bullets ac-
tually rained over the people at all these gates and many got tram-
pled under the feet of rushing crowds and thus lost their lives. Blood
was pouring in profusion. Even those who lay flat were shot.
No arrangmeents were made by the authorities to look after the
dead or wounded. I then gave water to the wounded and rend-
ered such assistance as was possible. I went round the people and
saw almost everybody lying there. There were heaps of them at
different places. The dead bodies were of grown up people and
young boys also. Some had their heads cut open, others had eyes
shot and nose, chest, arms or legs shattered. I think there must
have been over 1,000 dead bodies in the garden then. I saw peo-
ple were hurrying up and many had to leave their dead and
wounded because they were afraid of being fired upon again after
8 p. m. ” The contention of General Dyer was that he wanted
to teach the people a lesson so that they might not laugh at him.
He would have fired and fired longer, he said, if he had the re-
quired ammunition. He had only fired 1,600 rounds because his
ammunition had run out. The regime of Dyer saw some un-
thinkable punishments. The water and electric supply of Amrit-
sar were cut off. Public flogging was common. However, the
“Crawling Order” was the worst of all. One Miss Sherwood was
attacked by the people when she was cycling in a lane, and Dyer
ordered that everyone passing through that lane must crawl with
belly on the ground. Al} who lived in the said lane had to obey
## p. 767 (#809) ############################################
HAPPENINGS IN THE PUNJAB
767
that order, although Miss Sherwood was protected by the people
themselves.
ment did its level best to find out the culprit. A reward of
Rs. 7,500 was announced for the arrest of Ras Bihari Bose. He
was chased from place to place but every time he managed to escape.
He went away to Japan under a fictitious name.
He played an
important role in organising the Indian National Army in Japan.
He died in 1945.
DELHI CONSPIRACY CASE
The action taken by the Government in connection with the
bomb thrown on Lord Hardinge is known as the Delhi Conspiracy
Case. Thirteen persons had been arrested in that connection. The
names of some of them were Miaster Amir Chand, his adopted son
Sultan Chand, Dina Nath, Bhai Balmukund, Bal Raj Bhalla, Basant
Kumar and Avadh Bihari. Two of them were sentenced to seven
years' imprisonment and four of them were hanged. Dina Nath
became an approver. During the trial in 1914, the Police produced
in the Court a letter written by Master Amir Chand and that let-
ter contained the following passage: "Constitutional struggles and
agitations have borne no fruit. The only effective and unfailing
means to liberate our country is that of armed revolution. History
testifies to the fact that the rulers never offer independence on a
silver platter. They surrender it to the threat of sword. ” It is
stated that when Avadh Behari was going to be hanged, an English-
man asked him as to what was his last wish. His reply was: “The
end of the British Rule. ” When the Englishman advised him to
die peacefully, Avadh Behari replied: "Peace? I wish that a confia-
gration may break out in the country gutting the British rule. Let
my country emerge out of this tire like pure gold. ”
February 21, 1915 was fixed for an all-India revolt and vigorous
preparations were made for that purpose. Ras Bihari Bose,
Suchindra Sanyal, Ganesh Pingale and Bagi Kartar Singh prepar-
ed a master plan for that purpose. Bomb factories were set up at
Ludhiana, Amritsar, etc. Indian troops were contacted and persuad-
ed to revolt on that date. Some revolutionaries raided the Moga
Treasury in the Punjab. Two revolutionaries were killed and
several were arrested. They were also hanged. The all-India re-
volt failed because one Kirpal Singh passed on all the secret plans
to the Government. Many places were raided and bombs were
recovered. Secret papers were also captured by the Government.
## p. 755 (#797) ############################################
DELHI CONSPIRACY CASE
755
Most of the ring leaders of the Punjab fell into the hands of the
Police. Luckily, Ras Bihari Bose, Ganesh Pingale and Bagi Kartar
Singh escaped. Ganesh Pingale got down at Meerut and was
handed over to the government by a Muslim Inspector with whom
he stayed. He was hanged on November 16, 1915. His last words
were: “Oh God! May the task left incomplete by me be executed
by you. My only wish is that my country may be free. ” Kartar
Singh was also caught later on and sentenced to death along with
Jagat Singh, Bhai Parmanand, Man Singh and Udham Singh.
Many others were transportated for life. The death sentence of
Bhai Parmanand was later on commuted to life imprisonment. It
is stated that Chief Justice was inclined to commute the death sen-
tence of Kartar Singh also, but the latter said: “I prefer gallows to
life sentence. I wish I were born again to unfetter my mother-
land. I shall be glad to be hanged every time I am reborn till my
country achieves independence. ”
Lala Hardayal was a great philosopher and a powerful orator.
In 1913, he called a rally of revolutionary workers in a town of
California. He started an independent press and brought out a
paper known as “The Gadar. ” It was published in English, Hindi,
Urdu, Bengali, Marathi and Gurmukhi. The copies of this news-
paper were sent to all those countries where Indians lived. There
was a great demand for this paper in Japan, China, Singapore,
Germany and Canada. The newspaper condemned the mis-deeds
of the British Government in India and also explained the objects
of the Gadar Movement.
In 1913, a few thousand Indians lived in Canada and most of
them were Sikhs. They were subjected to all kinds of indignities.
The Canadian Government did not like their presence in their coun-
try and was anxious to stop their flow. With that object in view,
a law was passed by which only those Indians were allowed to land
in Canada who were direct passengers from Calcutta. The Cana-
dian Government knew full well that there were no direct services
from India to Canada and hence indirectly the immigration of
Indians into Canada would stop. Baba Gurdit Singh who was a
very rich Indian in Canada, came forward to help the Indians. He
floated a shipping company known as the Guru Nanak Navigation
Company and hired a Japanese ship called Komagata Maru. The
ship reached Calcutta and was able to accommodate 500 Indian
passengers. When the ship reached the Port of Vancouver on May
22, 1914, the Canadian authorities did not allow her to enter the
harbour. The passengers were not allowed to land even on the
shore. The ship was not allowed even to unload the goods. The
Canadian authorities acted in a very cruel manner. Although the
## p. 756 (#798) ############################################
756
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
passengers were suffering terribly, the Canadian Government was
not moved by their plight. An effort was made by the Canadian
authorities to throw boiling water on the passengers. Finally, the
Canadian Government sent two warships to sink the Komagata
Maru. After about two months of stay in the Canadian waters,
the Komagata Maru started on her return voyage on July 23, 1914.
The passengers had to suffer even on the return journey as the
British Government did not allow the ship to enter the harbours of
Hongkong and Singapore. On September 26, 1914, the ship reach-
ed the Budge Budge harbour near Calcutta. The Government of
India ordered the passengers of the ship to enter the special train
which was kept ready to take them away. As the passengers refus-
ed to get into the train, they were forcibly dragged and put in the
train. Some of the passengers resisted and while doing so used
American revolvers. 18 Sikhs were killed and many more were
wounded. Although Baba Gurdit Singh was injured, he managed
to escape. The occurrences connected with the Komagata Maru
created a lot of bitterness among the Indians in general and the
Sikhs in particular. Bhai Bhag Singh and Bhai Vatan Singh led
an agitation against the Canadian authorities for the repeal of the
law against the immigration of the Indians. Mr. Hopkins who
was the chief of the Immigration Section of Canada, became the
target and he was killed by one Mewa Singh. The Gadar Party also
intensified its propaganda against the Government of India. In
the issue of August 18, 1914, the Gadar Party gave the following
instructions: "Spread the literature of revolution; help and encour-
age all resistance, armed and passive; destroy the railway lines,
withdraw all your funds from British Banks and inspire the Indian
army to strike on every point against the Firangis. ”
Lala Hardayal went to Gerinany to negotiate with William II,
the German Emperor. He sent thousands of recruits and a lot of
explosive materials to India. Raja Mahendra Pratap set up a
provisional government at Kabul. It was agreed that thc Muslims
of Iran, Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan would take up arms against
the British Government after getting help from Germany and
Turkey. The Sikhs of the Punjab were also to revolt Unfortu-
nately, the whole plan for the revolt of 1915 leaked out and nothing
came out.
THE KAKORI CASE
The revolutionaries were in great need of money for the manu-
facture of bombs and consequently a few revolutionaries boarded
the train on August 9, 1915, on the Lucknow-Saharanpur line. The
## p. 757 (#799) ############################################
THE KAKORI CASE
757
revolutionaries had with them revolvers and cartridges. After the
departure of the train from Kakori Railway station, one of the revo-
lutionaries pulled the alarm chain of the train. When the train
stopped, the revolutionaries tried to take away the money from the
Iron Box in the train which was broken open with great effort with
hammer-blows by Ashfaq. Unfortunately, the revolutionaries were
-
able to get Rs. 5,000 only. The Government took action and
arrested about 40 persons and sent them for trial. That case is
known as the Kakori case. The trial concluded on April 7, 1927.
It was a mere farce. Pt. Ram Parsad Bismil, Roshan Singh and
Rajindra Lahri were given death sentence. Manmath Nath Gupta
got 14 years and many others got death sentences. Ashfaq and
Suchendra Nath Bakshi were caught later on and were given death
sentence and transportation for life respectively. Ram Parsad Bis-
mil was hanged on December 19, 1927. His mother is said to
have observed thus about her son: “I am greatly proud to have
given birth to a soldier of freedom who laid down his life at the
feet of his motherland. Your country has greater claim on you
than I have. You have fallen for a noble cause and I see no reason
to feel sorry. ” A little before his death, Ashfaq Ullah gave the fol-
lowing message to his countrymen: "We have played our role on
the political stage of our country. Right or wrong all our actions
were motivated by the lofty object of securing independence. I
know my actions will elicit praise from some quarters and criticism
from the other, but as a true revolutionary I am indifferent to such
remarks. One thing I beg to clarify before I die. It never had
been our object to create terror in the country. Our trial has
lasted for such a long time but tell me if ever we tried to shoot down
an approver or a prosecution witness. That is not in our line. My
only wish is that my country-men may, irrespectiv of their
religion or creed, unite like a solid bloc to smash the citadel of
British rule. The British are the common enemies of all the
religious sections of our country. It is the moral duty of every
Indian to dig the grave of the British bureaucracy. I am far from
being a murderer as has been established by the prosecution. I am
rather proud of being the first Musalman to lay down my life at
the altar of India's freedom. ”
The people of India had boycotted the Simon Commission but
in spite of that the Commission visited Lahore on October 20, 1928.
The Hindustan Socialist Republican Party took out a huge proces-
sion against the Simon Commission. The processionists were shout-
ing: “Simon, go back. ” Lala Lajpat Rai was leading the proces-
sion. One Mr. I. P. Saunders gave blows on the head and chest of
Lala Lajpat Rai with his baton and thereby caused grievous injuries
9
## p. 758 (#800) ############################################
758
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
9
on his person. While addressing the public meeting in the same
evening at the Bradlaugh Hall, Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai declared:
“The Government which attacks its own innocent subjects has no
claim to be called a civilized Government. Bear in mind, such a
Government does not survive long. I declare that the blows struck
at me will be the last nails in the coffin of British rule in India. "
Lala Lajpat Rai died on November 17, 1928, as a result of the
injuries received by him. That was too much for the people of
India and nobody who had inflicted those injuries on Lalaji could
be forgiven. Addressing a public meeting, Shrimati Basanti Debi,
the wife of C. R. Das, observed thus: “My blood boils with rage to
think that Lalaji, who had beer. so aged and so dear to his country-
men, has been beaten to death by that brute English pclice officer.
It is a challenge to the youth and manliness of 300 million Indians.
On behalf of the women of India, I want a reply to my question
whether Indian youths are dead or alive. Is there nobody from
the young generation of India io step forward and respond to my
question? ” The reply was given by Sardar Bhagat Singh and his
companions. It was decided to kill Mr. Scott who had ordered the
lathi charge and Mr. Saunders who had killed Lalaji. On Decem-
ber 17, 1928, when Saunders was approaching the police gate on
his bicycle, he was shot by Rajguru and he was followed by Bhagat
Singh who tore the head of Saunders to pieces by pistol shots. All
the revolutionaries took refuge in the D. A. V. College, Lahore and
then managed to slip away to Simla.
Within 5 days of the incident, the following posters were found
on the walls of the city of Lahore:
"HINDUSTAN SOCIALIST REPUBLICAN PARTY
NOTICE
BEWARE BUREAUCRACY
“This killing of I. P. Saunders was only to avenge fully the mur-
der of Lala Lajpat Rai. It was indeed a sad and shameful episode
that so mean a fellow like I. P. Saunders should dare to deliver
blows on the chest of the old and most respected person worshipped
by a nation of thirty-five crores of Indians. That was indeed an
affront to the nation. By that insult of the Indian Nation, the
foreign power had as if thrown a challenge to the self-respecting
and brave sons of the soil. This reply will surely convince the
people and the foreign power that the Indian Nation is indeed not
yet dead or spiritless to bear such insults. The people of Bharat
have fresh blood flowing in their veins. Young India is up and
## p. 759 (#801) ############################################
SARDAR BHAGAT SINGH
759
ready to guard the honour of the nation even at the stake and sacri-
fice of life.
"Beware, you, Tyrant of Government !
“Do not hereafter try to touch the provoked feelings of the people
that are already exploited and harassed. Hold your devilish
hands! Remember that in spite all your laws and endeavours to
keep us disarmed a flood of pistols and revolvers will always flow
into the hands of the youth of the country. Though it may be
admitted that no armed revolution can be accomplished with a
sprinkling of arms yet they will indeed be enough to wreak ven-
geance for the repeated national insults which the administration
indulges in from time to time. Our so-called national leaders may
condemn and reproach our actions, and the foreign Government
may try their utmost to crush our organisation. But we want to
make it clear here that we shall ever be ready to safeguard our
national honour and to teach lessons to all the foreign aggrandisers.
We shall never permit the cry of revolution to languish even under
the encirclement of oppression and suppression all around; bear in
mind that even with the noose knot of death round our necks, we
shall always shout and cheer 'Long Live Revolution. '
“We are really sorry that we had to kill a human being. But
the man whom we had to shoot down was a part and parcel of
such cruel, mean and unjust administration of a foreign power that
we had no alternative but to overthrow him. This man is killed
only in his capacity as a representative of the British power in India.
British Power is undoubtedly the most tyrannical one in the world.
“We again repeat that we are sorry that we had to shed human
blood. But it becomes inevitable to shed blood on the altar of
revolution, which will end all exploitation of man at the hands of
man.
“Long Live Revolution.
Sd/- (BALRAJ)
18th December, 1928.
Commander: Punjab HSRA. ”
>
Another incident took place on April 8, 1929. After the ques-
tion hour was over in the Central Legislative Assembly in New
Delhi, Sardar Bhagat Singh threw a bomb on the wall which ex-
ploded with a thundering boom. Two bullets were fired to frigh-
ten the Speaker of the House. When the smoke ended, Sardar
Bhagat Singh threw leaflets into the hall and those read thus:
“Bombs are needed to let the deaf hear. ” Sardar Bhagat Singh
could have run away but he surrendered himself to the police.
Sardar Bhagat Singh and his companions were put up for trial and
ultimately condemned to death. In the course of his lengthy state-
## p. 760 (#802) ############################################
760
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
ment in the court, Sardar Bhagat Singh observed thus: “Our sole
object was to warn the listless and to wake up the deaf. Many
others are thinking just like us. The bombs which were thrown
were intentionally so manufactured as to cause insignificant dam-
age, and they were thrown also in such a clear place as to produce
the least injury to anybody. Under the apparent calm on the sur-
face of the Indian mind there is a ceaseless terrible seething discon-
tent on the point of bursting into a storm. Our action is merely
a danger-signal to those who are rushing ahead thoughtlessly with-
out caring for the serious consequences before them. We have, as
if, heralded the end of the era of non-violence, the idealist dream,
about whose utter failure the young generation is now doubtlessly
convinced. We have adopted this course of striking a warning
purely out of our love and good-will for humanity to ward off the
unheard of harassments and hardships. The new spirit, notice of
whose dawn has been just given by us, is really inspired by the
idealism of Guru Govind Singh, Shivaji, Mustafa Kamal Pasha,
Raza Khan, Washington, Garibaldi, Lafayette and Lenin. It was
because the Government and the Indian leaders had closed their
eyes and ears that we had to sound that warning to attract their
attention. . . . .
“It will be readily accepted that we had no personal prejudice
or hatred against any individual in the House or against any one
who had received minor injuries. On the other hand, we emphati-
cally reassert that we hold all human life as sacred beyond des-
cription. Instead of inflicting injuries on any one else, we are
ready to offer ourselves to be sacrificed for the sake of humanity.
The mental attitude of mercenary soldiers in the Imperial armies
trained to mercilessly kill the humanity is not in our character.
When we surrendered, it was purely out of the sole thought to
suffer the atonement of our actions. We wanted to warn the
Imperialist exploiters that they could never destroy the truth by
crushing a few individuals. A whole nation cannot be suppressed
by doing away with a couple of persons. Bastile could not pre-
vent the French Revolution. Exiles in Siberia could not liquidate
the Russian Revolution. The bloody Sundays could noi arrest the
course of Irish struggle for Independence. How could then these
atrocious measures extinguish the flame of freedom burning bright
in the Indian mind? . . . .
“The opponents of revolution mistakenly believe that revolution
means violence with arms, weapons and such other means. But
revolution is not confined to this process. It may be that these
are used as instruments but it should not be forgotten hat behind
them is the solid strength and spirit of the revolution and that
## p. 761 (#803) ############################################
CHANDRA SHEKHAR AZAD
761
strength is the will, the aspiration of the people to demand and get
a change, a revolution in the current economic structure, the shape
and form of political Government of the nation. Our idea of
revolution has never been simply the bloodshad of some individuals.
It is to end the present regime of exploitation of man by man and
to secure for our nation absolute right of self-determination. That
is the ultimate objective of our idea of revolution. Freedom is the
birth-right of man. We welcome any amount of suffering and
sacrifice that might fall to our lot for this idealism and devotion
to it. Long live that Revolution. "
The Tribunal which tried Sardar Bhagat Singh and his compa-
nions gave its decision on October 7, 1930 and Sardar Bhagat
Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdeo were hanged at Lahore on March
23, 1931. Unfortunately, the dead bodies of these heroes were
taken by the Government to Ferozepore and an attempt was made
to burn them on the banks of the river Sutlej. However, the people
came to know of it and were able to recover the half-burnt dead
bodies. Those were taken to Lahore and cremated there with
great honours.
A reference must be made to the work of Chandra Shekhar Azad,
Bhagwati Charan and Yash Pal. Azad was a fearless person who
was determined to liberate his country even at the cost of his life.
He had a hand in the Kakori conspiracy case but he managed to
escape. He helped Sardar Bhagat Singh in his attack against
Saunders. His efforts to take Sardar Bhagat Singh out of the jail
failed. Efforts were also made to persuade the Viceroy to con-
done the death sentence passed on Sardar Bhagat Singh and his
companions. When all that failed, Chandra Shekhar Azad and
Yash Pal chalked out a plan to blow up the train carrying Lord
Irwin. When on December 23, 1929, the train carrying the Vice-
roy left the Nizamuddin Railway Station near New Delhi, a bomb
exploded and the train was derailed. The dining car was shattered
to pieces. However, Lord Irwin escaped unhurt.
On February 27, 1931, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Yash Pal and
Surendra Pandey assembled at Allahabad to finalize their plans
for getting help from Russia for fighting India's battle for freedom.
Yash Pal and Surendra Pandey left Azad in the Alfred Park to
meet another revolutionary. While Azad was still in that Park,
he found himself surrounded by armed police. He fought bravely
against the police party with revolvers in his both hands. His
body was punctured with bullets. While he used the other bul-
lets on his enemies, the last bullet he used on himself and thus died
a great man who could have helped to solve free India's problems.
Yash Pal was selected the Commander-in-Chief of the Hindustan
## p. 762 (#804) ############################################
762
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
Socialist Republican Army after the death of Azad. The Govern-
ment announced big rewards for information leading to his arrest.
He re-organized the Revolutionary Army and made a declaration
of a general revolt. He was caught by the police because his
revolver did not work. He was sentenced to 14 years' rigorous
imprisonment but was released by the Congress Ministry in March,
1938.
Sir Michael O'Dwyer had been the Lieutenant-Governor of the
Punjab and it was during his regime that General Dyer murdered
innocent Indians in the Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar. Sir Michael
had also been responsible for various other atrocities on the people
of the Punjab. It was felt that he must be taught a lesson. Sardar
Udham Singh was a great revolutionary. He went to London in
1919 and waited for full 20 years to have revenge against Sir
Michael. On March 13, 1940, while Sir Michael was leaving the
Caxton Hall, London, Sardar Udham Singh fired at him and killed
him with his second bullet. He was put up for trial and sentenced
to death. He made the following statement in the court: “I have
seen my starving countrymen being trampled under the jackboots
of British imperialism. I am not at all sorry for having registered
my protest in this manner. . I am not the least afraid of death.
What after all is the use in prolonging life till dotage. There is
bravery in dying young, in sacrificing life for the country.
There were many causes for the decline of the revolutionary
movement in India. It was confined to a small circle of young-
men and there was no public backing. The terrorist movement
had no central organization to direct its activities. The upper mid-
dle class leadership was not sympathetic towards the movement.
Leaders like Sir Asutosh Mukherjee and S. N. Banerjee asked the
government to take drastic measures against the terrorists. The
emergence of Mahatma Gandhi as the leader of Indian Nationalist
Movement also led to gradual decline of the revolutionary
movement. The Gandhian technique of non-cooperation, civil dis-
obedience and non-violence appealed more to the people of India
than the activities of the terrorists. No wonder, they went into the
background. However, the Hindustan Socialist Republican Party
tried to meet the terrorism of government "with an even greater
terrorism. ” Sardar Bhagat Singh, Jitendra Nath Das and Chandra
Shekhar Azad were the revolutionaries who staked their lives for
the sake of the country. The terrorists also played their part dur-
ing the revolt of 1942, the mutiny of the Royal Indian Navy and
the crusade of the Indian National Army of Subhash Chandra Bose.
## p. 763 (#805) ############################################
INDIA AND WORLD WAR I
763
INDIA AND WORLD WAR I (1914-18)
When the war started, there was great enthusiasm in the country.
The people of India were willing to serve the government in every
possible way. After Marne, there was an increasing demand for
Indian troops outside India. When Turkey joined the Central
Powers in October 1914, Indian troops garrisoned the Suez Canal
and repulsed a Turkish attack. Indian troops fought through the
long campaigns of Macedonia and German East Africa. They
played an important part in the Iraq campaign leading to the cap-
ture of Baghdad in 1917. In this way, they helped to found the
present State of Iraq. They were in the allied army which took
Jerusalem in 1917. All this involved a great effort in India itself.
Eight lakhs of men were recruited for the fighting forces, together
with four lakhs of non-combatants. This resulted in a great ex-
pansion in the Military machine, a greater mixture of classes and
a stronger feeling of self-confidence all around. Indian self-
confidence grew when the magnitude of their effort and the extent
to which it depended upon Indians themselves, were realised.
In the administrative sphere, the British government made a mis-
take in allowing the British civilian officers to serve the forces dur-
ing the war. Many of them never returned and those who returned
found themselves in a strange new mental world to which it was
difficult to adapt themselves. When times grew difficult towards
the end of the war, the Government had only an ageing and tired
cadre of officers to rely upon.
In the economic sphere, the first effect of the war was one of
stimulus. The industrial development of modern India owes
good deal to the demands of World War I. However, increasing
demands and expenditure led to rise in prices and ultimately enthu-
siasm was turned into discontent. Englishmen could be expected
to put up with inconveniences because they felt that they were
fighting for their very existence and their victory was likely to add
to their glory. The same could not be said about the Indians for
whom the War was merely an external affiiction. No doubt, they
became not only exhausted and war-weary but also sour, discon-
tented and resentful.
The attitude of India towards Europe and its people was altered
radically and permanently. The Indians gave up the feeling that
the Europeans were superior to them morally and technically.
They were regarded now at besi as more powerful. The first War
casualty in India was the idol of Western superiority.
The Russian Revolution of 1917 also had a profound influence
on the minds of the Indians. They felt that if the people of Russia
a
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764
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
could overthrow an imperialist regime, the same could be done
by the Indians in their own country. The Fourteen Points of
President Wilson had great influence on the Indians. They also
demanded the rights of national freedom and self-determination of
peoples. No wonder, the Indians demanded self-government in
the name of the fundamental principles accepted by the Allied
Powers.
As regards the effect of war on Muslims, they were very un-
happy. They did not approve of the dismemberment of Turkey,
which was regarded as the sword of Islam. They also did not like
the treatment given to the Arabs who were considered to be rebels
against the Turkish Khalifa. Their princes were regarded as
stooges of the infidel.
When the war started, the Congress was still a middle-class body
of Westernised professionals with some commercial and industrial
backing. It was firmly under the control of Gokhale and the
Moderates. However, all this was changed during the war. Tilak
came back from jail and became a leader of all-India importance.
Tilak gave up the old policy of making prayers to the British Gov-
ernment. His contention was that every Indian had the birth-
right to be free. He laid the foundations for the great anti-
government movement led by Gandhiji in the next few years.
The World War I ended in 1918. The Indians had helped the
British Government both with men and money. They had done
everything in their power to further the war efforts of the British
Government. However, they suffered on account of high prices,
low wages and shortage of supplies. Plague and influenza took a
heavy toll. The liberty of the people was restricted on account of
the working of the Defence of India Rules. The people put up
with the acts of highhandedness of British officers in the matter of
recruitment and the collection of war-funds. After having done
all that, the people were not at all happy at what was given to
them by the Report of 1918. Mrs. Annie Besant rightly stated
that the scheme was "ungenerous for England to offer and un-
worthy for India to accept. ” When India was in this mood, the
Government of India passed the infamous Rowlatt Act in 1918 in
spite of opposition from all quarters. The result was that a wave
of anger spread all over India and even the Moderates joined hands
with other Indians. The Act was a very drastic one. It gave the
Government power to crush popular liberties, to arrest and detain
suspected persons without warrant and to imprison them without
regular trial, Mahatma Gandhi who had been loyal to the British
Government throughout the World War I came to the fore-front
and asked the people to offer Satyagraha against the Act. There
## p. 765 (#807) ############################################
HAPPENINGS IN THE PUNJAB
765
>
to
was great enthusiasm throughout the country. Hartals were ob-
served with great success.
The Hindus and Muslims co-operated
with one another. However, Mahatma Gandhi, all of a sudden,
suspended the Satyagraha movement as there was a clash in Delhi
and disturbances at other places. Later on, Mahatma Gandhi ad-
mitted that he made a "Himalayan miscalculation”, but the mis-
chief had been done.
Great atrocities were committed in the Punjab during the re-
gime of Sir Michael O'Dwyer, Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab.
Sir Michael was known as the iron man of the Punjab. He
had no faith in political reforms and consequently had no sym-
pathy with the political agitators. He refused Tilak and B. C.
Pal
enter the Punjab. The methods adopted by Sir
Michael to raise war loans and to find recruits were very often un-
authorised and oppressive. When the agitation against the Row-
latt Act started, Sir Michael gave on April 7, 1919 the following
warning to the people of the Punjab : “The Government of this
Provinnce is and will remain determined that public order, which
was maintained so successfully during the time of war, shall not
be disturbed in times of peace. Action
of peace. Action has, therefore, already
been taken under the Defence of India Act against certain indivi-
duals at Lahore and Amritsar. The recent puerile demonstrations
against the Rowlatt Act in both Lahore and Amritsar indicate
how easily the ignorant and the credulous people can be misled.
Those who only want to mislead them incur a serious responsibili-
ty. Those who appeal to ignorance rather than to reason have a
day of reckoning in store for them. ” Amritsar observed Hartal
peacefully both on 30 March and 6 April. However, on 9 April,
1919, the Government of the Punjab passed orders for the depor-
tation of Dr. Satyapal and Dr. Kitchlew and their internment at
Dharmsala under the Defence of India Act. On 10th April, 1919,
they were removed by the police from Amritsar. When the peo-
ple came to know of it, complete Hartal was declared in the city.
The people marched in a procession to the residence of the Deputy
Commissioner to demand the release of their leaders. They had
no sticks or lathis with them. However, they were checked by
the police at the railway level-crossing and there was firing. This
infuriated the mob and there was wholesale burning of whatever
fell in their way. Europeans
Europeans were assaulted. Building were
burnt and godowns were looted. When the troops appeared in
the city, the mob disappeared. On 11 April, 1919, the people
were allowed to arrange for the funerals of the dead bodies.
On April 12, 1919, a proclamation was issued by General Dyer,
who had taken charge of the troops the day before, that no meet-
## p. 766 (#808) ############################################
766
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
ings or gatherings of the pople were to be held. However, no
steps were taken to see that the proclamation was brought to the
notice of the people living in the various localities of the city. The
result was that it was announced on 12 evening that there would
be a public meeting on 13 April, 1919, at 4-30 p. m. in the Jallian-
wala Bagh. Neither General Dyer nor other authorities took any
action to stop the meeting. The meeting started at the right
time and there were about 6,000 to 10,000 people present in the
meeting. All of them were practically unarmed and defenceless.
The Jallianwala Bagh is closed practically on all sides by walls
except one entrance. General Dyer entered the Jallianwala Bagh
with armoured cars and troops. Without giving any warning to
the people to disperse, he ordered the troops to fire and he con-
tinued to do so till the whole of the ammunition at his disposal
was exhausted. Hundreds of people were killed. Lala Girdhari
Lal gave the following account of the tragedy before the Hunter
Enquiry Committee : "I saw hundreds of persons killed on the
spot. The worst part of the whole thing was that firing was di-
rected towards the gates through which the people were running
out. There were small outlets, four or five in all, and bullets ac-
tually rained over the people at all these gates and many got tram-
pled under the feet of rushing crowds and thus lost their lives. Blood
was pouring in profusion. Even those who lay flat were shot.
No arrangmeents were made by the authorities to look after the
dead or wounded. I then gave water to the wounded and rend-
ered such assistance as was possible. I went round the people and
saw almost everybody lying there. There were heaps of them at
different places. The dead bodies were of grown up people and
young boys also. Some had their heads cut open, others had eyes
shot and nose, chest, arms or legs shattered. I think there must
have been over 1,000 dead bodies in the garden then. I saw peo-
ple were hurrying up and many had to leave their dead and
wounded because they were afraid of being fired upon again after
8 p. m. ” The contention of General Dyer was that he wanted
to teach the people a lesson so that they might not laugh at him.
He would have fired and fired longer, he said, if he had the re-
quired ammunition. He had only fired 1,600 rounds because his
ammunition had run out. The regime of Dyer saw some un-
thinkable punishments. The water and electric supply of Amrit-
sar were cut off. Public flogging was common. However, the
“Crawling Order” was the worst of all. One Miss Sherwood was
attacked by the people when she was cycling in a lane, and Dyer
ordered that everyone passing through that lane must crawl with
belly on the ground. Al} who lived in the said lane had to obey
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HAPPENINGS IN THE PUNJAB
767
that order, although Miss Sherwood was protected by the people
themselves.
