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Indian Freedom Struggle (1707–1947 A.D.)

Notes Allan Octavian Hume, a retired member of the Indian Civil Service. The Indian leaders, who
cooperated with Hume in launching the Congress, were patriots of high character. The first President
of the Congress was W.C. Bannerjee.
On December 30,1898, Lord Curzon took over as the new Viceroy of India. The partition of Bengal
came into effect on October 16, 1905, through a Royal Proclamation, reducing the old province of
Bengal in size by creating a new province of East Bengal, which later on became East Pakistan and
present day Bangladesh. The government explained that it was done to stimulate growth of
underdeveloped eastern region of the Bengal. But, actually, the main objective was to ‘Divide and
Rule’ the most advanced region of the country at that time.
Dr. Annie Besant, inspired by the Irish rebellion, started a Home Rule Movement in India in
September 1916. The movement spread rapidly and branches of the Rome Rule League were
established all over India. Bal Gangadhar Tilak wholeheartedly supported this movement. Rejoined
forces with Dr. Besant and persuaded the Muslim League to support this programme.
The Government was bent on suppressing the mass agitation. In Bombay; Ahmedabad, Calcutta,
Delhi and at other places demonstrators were lathi-charged and fired upon. Gandhiji gave a call
for a general hartal on April 6, 1919. The call was responded to with great enthusiasm. The
Government decided to resort to repression to suppress the agitation. At this time the British
Government committed one of the worst political crimes in modem history. An unarmed but a
large crowd had gathered in Jallianwalla Bagh, Amritsar (Punjab) on April, 13, 1919 for a meeting.
General Dyer ordered his troops to open fire on them without warning. This massacre of unarmed
people (hundreds died and thousands were wounded) in an enclosed place from which there was
no exit, was followed by a reign of terror in several districts under martial law.
With the Congress support of the Khilafat movement, Hindu-Muslim unity was achieved which
encouraged Gandhiji to launch his non-violent, non-cooperation movement. At the Calcutta Session
in September 1920, the Congress resolved in favour of the non-violent, non-cooperation movement
and defined Swaraj as its ultimate aim. The movement envisaged : (i) Surrender of titles and
honorary officers; (ii) Resignation from nominated offices and posts in the local bodies; (iii) Refusal
to attend government darbars and official functions and boycott of British courts by the lawyers;
(iv) Refusal of general public to offer themselves for military and other government jobs, and
boycott of foreign goods, etc.
The non-cooperation movement also saw picketing of shops selling foreign cloth and boycott of
the foreign cloth by the followers of Gandhiji.
The Congress session held at Ahmedabad in December 1921 decided to launch a Civil Disobedience
Movement while reiterating its stand on the non-violent, noncooperation movement of which
Gandhiji was appointed the leader. Before Gandhiji could launch the Civil Disobedience Movement,
a mob of countrymen at Chauri Chaura, a place near Gorakhpur in D.P., clashed with the police
which opened fire. In retaliation the mob burnt the police-station and killed 22 policemen. This
compelled Gandhiji to call off the Civil Disobedience Movement on February 12,1922.
Despite this Gandhiji was arrested and sentenced to six years imprisonment. The Chauri Chaura
incident convinced Gandhiji that the nation was not yet ready for the mass-disobedience and he
prevailed upon Congress Working Committee in Bardoli on February 12, 1922 to call off the Non-
Cooperation Movement.
Gandhiji’s decision to call off the agitation caused frustration among masses. His decision came in
for severe criticism from his colleagues like Motilal Nehru, C.R. Das and N.C. Kelkar, who organized
the Swaraj Party. The foundations of the ‘Swaraj Party’ were laid on January 1, 1923, as the
‘Congress-Khilafat-Swarajya Patty’. It proposed then an alternative programme of diverting the
movement from widespread civil disobedience programme to restrictive one which would

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