Chauri Chaura
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Chauri Chaura is a town near Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, where, in February 1922, an occupied police chowki (small hut) was set on fire by a nationalist mob, killing 22 of the police occupants.
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[edit] Background
In early 1922, India was amidst a nationwide revolt now recognized as the Non-Cooperation Movement, which protested authoritarian laws like the Rowlatt Acts of 1919, and lack of human freedom and self-government for Indians in their own country.
Mahatma Gandhi was the leader of the nationwide revolts organized by the Indian National Congress based upon civil disobedience, or Satyagraha by peaceful means alone.
[edit] Cause
According to the 1982 film Gandhi, a bio-epic by Richard Attenborough on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, the incident was caused when a group of policemen attacked a few members of a passing nationalist demonstration that was picketing a liqour shop.
Angered by the assault on their comrades, the demonstrators chased the policemen to the chowki (police station). The police were outnumbered, and the demonstrators proceeded to torch the police station and killed 22 policemen in their fury.
[edit] The Incident
On the day of Feb 4th, 1922, around 2000 protesters gathered for picketing of the liquor shop at the local market in Chauri Chaura. Sensing the trouble, armed policemen were sent to the city police station to control the situation. The crowd marched towards the market and started shouting anti-government slogans. The sub inspector warned the crowd to disburse but seeing they were not disbursing, he ordered the policemen to fire into the air as a warning signal. However, it had the reverse effect on the crowd who were in no mood to retreat and started pelting stones at the armed policemen. Seeing the situation was getting out of control, the sub inspector ordered the policemen to commence firing on the advancing crowd. Three protesters were killed on the spot, (including 2 Hindu and one Muslim) and several others were injured. Seeing this, the crowd became violent and attacked the police from all the sides. The armed policemen lost their courage to fire, seeing thousands of protesters marching towards them. They retreated to the shelter of the police station. The crowd decided to take revenge for their dead comrades and set fire to the building from all the sides. Twenty-three policemen were burnt alive, including the station sub inspector.'
[edit] Consequences
The British government imposed martial law and police fired upon other demonstrations in different parts of the country. British civilians were attacked and scores of Indians were arrested or killed by the British agents dressed as police.
Mahatma Gandhi asked all Indians to end Non-cooperation movement , and went on a fast-unto-death to absolve himself of what he perceived as his role in inciting the attacks. Gandhi felt that he had acted too hastily in encouraging a revolt against the British Raj, while not emphasizing the importance of ahimsa (non-violence) and not training the resisters enough. Due to his fast and the exhortation of Congress leaders, Indians gave up civil resistance.
Despite some criticism (aggressive leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subash Chandra Bose called the calling off of the movement a "national calamity"), from being called a confused man to being called a British lackey, he did not waver on the correctness of the decision. Writing in 1928, he said, "[to] this date I have felt that I have served the country by calling off the non-co-operation movement. I am confident that history will look upon it as a form of perfect satyagraha and not as an act of cowardice."
[edit] The Trial and the Judgement
The British Govt. was furious after this incident and imposed martial law in the city of chauri chaura and surrounding areas. All the areas were raided and hundreds of people were arrested. 172 people were charged and put on the trial. On April 20, 1923 Allahabad high court awarded death sentence to 19, various jail terms including life in prisonment to 2 years jail to 113 accused, and acquitted 38 due to lack of evidence,where as 3 accused died during the course of the trial.
[edit] Modern assessment
The Chauri Chaura incident is viewed by many modern historians as a minor episode of violence, which while regrettable, did not merit the cancellation of a nation's demand for political freedom.
Supporters of Gandhi's point of view agree with his decision, as it was feared by Gandhi that Chauri Chaura was not an isolated incident, but a shocking episode in a rising trend of violence between protestors and police, which could have degenerated into an orgy of mob violence, which would justify martial law and police suppression of even more civil liberties.
Thus [in Gandhi's view] the spiral of violence would have wrecked the wider agenda and organization, while maligning India's patriots as bloodthirsty murderers in the eyes of the world.
See also
One of the most important academic monograph's on the event is Shahid Amin's Event, Metaphor, Memory
