Satyagraha Against the Rowlatt Act

The Rowlatt Act of 1919 was a heinous act that provided the Britishers with the unlimited power of using the Habeas Corpus right. Without any trial, it curbed the freedom of the press, and anyone could be detained without court trials. The Antirowlatt Satyagraha movement was eventually started by Mahatma Gandhi as a protest against the Rowlatt Act. In 1919, Mahatma Gandhi set up the Satyagraha Sabha on 24th February at Bombay to start the campaign against the Rowlatt Act. The Antirowlatt movement was finally started by Gandhiji on 6th April. 

The movement aimed to be a completely non-violent protest against the unjust Rowlatt Act. The movement lost its momentum after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on 13th April 1919.

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What was the Rowlatt Act of 1919?

The Anarchical and Revolutionary Crime Act was popularly known as the Rowlatt Act of 1919, passed by the British government, which proved their discrimination against the Indian citizens. Its restrictive and unjust nature made the Indian natives call it the Black Act of the year. On 18th March 1919, the Imperial Legislative Council passed the Act. It empowered the British government with the unjust power of imprisoning any Indian native for a maximum of two years without any court proceedings or trials if they are suspected of terrorist or criminal activities. Anyone suspected could be declared a threat to the nation by the government. 

More about the Rowlatt Act of 1919

During the First World War, the Defense of India Act was passed in 1919, with many emergency provisions for adverse situations. The Rowlatt Act was an extension of those provisions. Not only could a person be imprisoned for two years without trial, but it also provided the Police with the power of arrest without a warrant. A person can also be detained for an indefinite period without a trial. 

Various Provisions Under the Rowlatt Act

Among other provisions of the act, for forbidden political acts,, one could have juryless trials. The freedom of the press was lost and subjected to severe punishments. Anything anti-national could result in immediate imprisonment. After being released, the convicted people were supposed to deposit some form of security. They could no longer be part of any educational, political, or religious activities after being released. The bill curbed the right to speech, right to expression, and right to freedom of a normal citizen, imposing a new set of restrictions to control anti-national movements. It was a process through which the British Indian government planned to instill fear amongst the Indians. They curbed their rights to stop any movement against the government that could force them to leave the throne. 

What Led to the Anti Rowlatt Satyagraha?

Despite the continuous opposition of the Indian members of the Imperial Legislative Council, the bill was passed. The famous line of “No Dalil, No Vakil, No Appeal!” originated as it gave the British government and Police large powers to control the natives. This was hugely opposed by the people. Gandhi could very well understand that constitutional opposition was in vain as various Indian leaders in the Legislative Council were already opposing the Bill. But still, the Britishers passed it. Hence, Gandhiji proposed a nationwide nonviolent protest in the form of a massive hartal. Everyone agreed to this protest, and the proposed date was 6th April 1919, from which the hartal would start. People would hold regular meetings against the unjust act and refrain from going to offices, and stop working.  

Aftermath of the Anti Rowlatt Satyagraha

Rowlatt Satyagraha was the nonviolent national hartal that started on 6th April 1919 under the leadership of Gandhiji as a protest against the restrictive and unjust Rowlatt bill passed by the British government. The entire country was filled with the rage of protest. People stopped working, and all the national leaders united against the restrictions posed on Indians. There were various clashes with the government in various parts of the country as the police took down pretty heavily on the people. Many parts of India witnessed violence due to these clashes. The protest was successful, but parts of North India such as Delhi and Punjab, witnessed terrible violence. Gandhi being a strict follower of ahimsa, immediately suspended the protest. The protests took a terrible turn in Punjab. Two of the Congress leaders by the name of Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satya Pal were arrested. 

The Jallianwala Bagh Case

Martial law was being enacted in Punjab, and the army was deployed onto the streets. The British General, Dyer, was convinced that the insurrection could take place and hence ordered that no meetings could be held on Sunday, 13th April 1919. But this notice was not widely circulated. Many locals and villagers gathered in the Bagh to protest peacefully against the arrest of the two potential Congress leaders and celebrate the Sikh festival of Baisakhi on that day. The other three sides of the Jallianwala Bagh were enclosed by buildings and it had only one exit. Dyer and his men took position on a raised bank and blocked the main entrance of the building. After which, without any previous warning, they started open firing on innocent people. They continued to fire for at least ten minutes as the people were terrified and tried to escape. 

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Aftermath of the Jallianwala Bagh Case

The firing continued till all the ammunition was exhausted. According to Dyer’s report, there were around 6000 people in the crowd, but other reports suggest that at least 10000 to 20000 people were present. In total around a thousand people died, leaving another thousand people critically injured. It was marked as one of the heinous incidents in the history of Punjab. Rabindranath Tagore was so shocked that he went on giving up his knighthood, suggesting that he doesn’t want to keep a title bestowed upon him by mass murderers. 

Gandhi and the Antirowlatt Satyagraha

The Antirowlatt Satyagraha could be considered as the first satyagraha of Gandhiji that introduced him into mainstream Indian politics. The Rowlatt Act was the first foundation of the Gandhian era of Indian Polity and struggled towards independence. Gandhi’s voice was not loud and suppressive. Instead, it had a steel composure full of appeal that could unite people through means of non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi’s voice even got members of the All India Muslim League like Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Madan Mohan Malviya to resign from their positions in the Imperial Legislative Council as an act of protest. Gandhi was extremely critical of the Act that there’s no point in punishing everyone for the political uprising. He made people believe that the constitutional approach and violence were fruitless. They should instead fast, stop businesses, and pray in masses as a protest for this act. 

Did you Know?

• Due to severe curtailing of civil liberties, the Rowlatt Act is known as the Black Act of 1919.

• The Jallianwala Bagh tragedy forced Gandhiji to suspend the Anti Rowlatt Satyagraha throughout the country. 

• Gandhi’s satyagraha against Rowlatt was opposed by Annie Besant.