Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

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FREEDOM MOVEMENT

into the sea water returned to the beach and

packed up some salt left by the waves.

On the 6th April, Gandhi stood in the surf

holding a small hump of salt while Sarojini

Naicfu, shouted

''Hail, law-breaker'.

This led

many ‘

salt-satyagrahis’

to follow the foot-

steps of Gandhi and within days, civil disobe-

dience was extended to all parts of India which

included boycott of British banks, insurance

companies and shipping concerns.

At first the British looked upon the whole

thing with ridicule and contempt and the editor

of an Anglo-Indian daily, the

Statesman

made

the taunting remark that

"the Mahatma could

go on boiling sea water till Dominion status

was attained

". Before long this scoffing atti-

tude changed to a nervous apprehension.

The defince of salt law led to wholesale

arrests. According to official figures more

than 60,000 were put behind bars. The Con-

gress Working Committee estimated the

number of those imprisoned as 75,000. Most

of the leaders, including Jawaharlal Nehru,

were in prison and finally Gandhiji was ar-

rested on May 4,1930.

On the 18th April, a group of revolution-

aries led by Surya Sen created a sensation by

raiding the armoury at Chittagong and carry-

ing away all the guns and rifles.

Gandhiji was arrested before he could

offer satyagraha and make salt at the govern-

ment depot at Dharasana. His place was taken

as leader of the movement by Abbas Tayabji,

scion of the great Bombay family of national-

ist Muslims. He too was arrested. Sarojini

Naidu was arrested next. Her attempt to raid

Dharasana on 21 May, has been described by

an American journalist, Webb Miller: Mrs.

Naidu called for prayer before the march started

and the entire assemblage knelt. She exhorted

them : ‘

India's prestige is in our hands... you

will be beaten but you must not resist; you

must not even raise a hand to ward off blows'.

Shrill cheers terminated her speech.

Slowly in silence the throng commenced

the half-mile march to the salt depots.... The

salt deposits were surrounded by ditches filled

with water and guarded by four hundred na-

tive Surat police.... Haifa dozen British offi-

cials commanded them. Police officials or-

dered the marchers to disperse... A picked col-

umn silently ignored the warning and walked

forward.... scores of native police rushed upon

the advancing marchers and rained blows on

their heads with their steel-shod lathis. Not

one of the marchers raised an arm to fend off

the blows.... I heard the sickening whacks of

the clubs on unprotected skulls.

...In two or three minutes the ground was

covered with bodies... when everyone of the

first column had been knocked down, stretcher

- bearers rushed up... and carried off the

injured...

Then another column formed....the police

rushed out and.... mechanically beat down the

second column....

The government inaugurated a veritable

reign of terror and employed both police and

military to cow down the people. The atroci-

ties committed by the agents of the govern-

ment beggar all description.

The heads of unarmed men and women

satyagrahis were the target of blows from

heavy sticks, either iron-shod or covered with

leather, which could, and often did, split skulls.

In many localities the Congress agencies had

to set up hospitals and organize ambulance

corps for the victims of such brutal assault.

Non-violent organization broke down

several times. The leaders had to exhort the'

intensely excited men to remember Gandhiji’s

instruction.

In defiance of fresh laws people began to

cut down timber in Central Provinces and

Bombay. A campaign for non-payment of

taxes and land revenue was started in Gujarat,

UP and Midnapur district in Bengal.

Demonstrations were organized through-

out India against Gandhiji’s arrest. In the

meantime, at the other end of India, in Pesh-

war, a dedicated group of social reformers

calling themselves the

‘Khudai Khilmatgars'

(Servants of God) had become prominent.

Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan also known as Fron-

tier Gandhi because of his devotion to

Gandhian non-violence was the leader of the

Khudai Khilmatgars. He was arrested by the

government. This led to riots, which the army

could quell in no time. Hundreds were killed

in the process but the operation ended in an

anticlimax when Garwali soldiers - all Hin-

dus-refused to fire on their Muslim brethren.

Many

Congress

leaders,

including

Gandhi, were arrested. On 7th May, two days

after Gandhi's arrest, the 50,000 textile work-

ers of Sholapur went on a rampage, attacking

and burning government establishments.

The agitators were fired upon or lathi-

charged, leaving hundreds dead.

THE FIRST ROUND TABLE

CONFERENCE

In mid-1930, the Simon Commission

submitted its report. On November 12,1930

the British Government inaugurated the First

Round Table Conference under the chairman-

ship of the Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald.

It was boycotted by the Congress. But it was

attended by Sapru, Jinnah and Muhammad

Ali representing all other important political

groups in India. It adjourned

sine die

January 19,1931.

Soon after, members of the Congress

Working Committee who were in prison were

released. Tej Bahadur Sapru met Gandhiji

and prevailed on him to meet Lord Irwin and

negotiate a settlement in the name of the Con-

gress.

Meanwhile, in December 1930, the

Muslim League in its Allahabad session had

openly opposed the civil disobedience cam-

paign.

Gandhi-Irwin Pact

Gandhiji negotiated with the Viceroy in

Delhi for a settlement from 17th February to

5th March. Gandhiji agreed that the Congress

would open discussions on the basis of agree-

ments reached at the First Round Table

Conference. The civil disobedience cam-

paign would be called off with some assurance

by the government that indemnities would be

paid to those who had suffered in it. The

Working Committee met on 5th March 1931.

Many people hailed the talks as a victory

because the Viceroy had to negotiate a settle-

ment. But others were disappointed. On 5th

March 1931, an aggreement was signed by the

two parties which came to be known as the

Gandhi-Irwin pact. In his talks with the Vice-

roy, Gandhi raised the question of amnesty to

prisoners convicted under the special ordi-

nances. He also asked for the end of the

government salt monopoly. Irwin remained

adamant to these suggestions of Gandhi.

On the major issue of Gandhiji's request

for remitting the death sentence on Bhagat

Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru he not only firmly

refused, but would not agree even to hold up

the matter. They were executed on 23rd

March.

Thus this pact failed to fully satisfy Gandhi

and

the

other

leaders.

However

the

Government

withdrew

the

repressive

ordinances, while the Congress agreed to

withdraw the agitation and take part in the 2nd

session of the Round Table Conference.

Gandhi had scored an important psychological

victory, causing an outraged Winston Churchill

to make one of his most biting comments.

is alarming and also nauseating to see

Mr. Gandhi, a seditious Middle Temple law-