The Rowlatt Act and Its Impact
What was the Rowlatt Act?
The Rowlatt Act and Its Impact
The Government of India Act 1919 disappointed the Indians. There were protest all over the india. The British tried to control the situation by passing the Rowlatt Act 1919. This act authorised the British government to impress any person without trial of conviction in the court of law. It was branded by the name of black act. Gandhiji launched an anti-Rowlatt Satyagraha. He gave messages to Indians that 6 April 1919 was to be observed as a day of ( hartal ) strike fasting and prayer. The Act was widely criticized. The Rowlatt Act was the first all Indian Satyagraha.
Many Indian leaders were arrested under this act, and because of this, the Indians were extremely angry at the British government. The worst effect of this Satyagrah was the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Hartal took place all over the country. Indians opposing the Rowlatt Act. On 6 April 1919, Gandhiji was arrested. This was followed by the arrest of doctor Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satya Pal in Punjab. On 13 April 1919, a peaceful public meeting was going on in Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to protest against the arrest of Doctor Kitchlew and Doctor Satyapal. General Dyer was the military commander of Amritsar. He wanted to teach Punjab a lesson to Punjab. With his well-armed Army Soldiers, he surrounded the Jallianwala Bagh and blocked its only exit. By the act, the crowd was trapped on the ground. Finally, General Dyer ordered his soldiers to shoot the people with machine guns and rifles. Soldiers, without any warning, opened fire on the helpless men, women, and children gathered there. More than 8000 died, and many more were injured. This incident created shock and horror among the people. They protested violently. The British reacted brutally, torturing and arresting people and leaders. All leaders condemned the Massacre. Rabindranath Tagore reacted by re-announcing his knighthood. The government banned newspapers and depressed the freedom of the Indians. These violent measures by the British government, however, strengthened the determination of the Indians for freedom. On 15 April, martial Law was proclaimed in Punjab.
– Written By Aruja
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