CHAURI CHAURA INCIDENT

Subject: History

Context : PM will inaugurate the centenary Celebrations at ChauriChaura at Gorakhpur Dist. Uttar Pradesh.

Concept:

‘ChauriChaura’ Incident

The incident took place on 4 February 1922 at ChauriChaura in the Gorakhpur district of the United Province.
A large group of protesters participating in the Non-Cooperation Movement clashed with police who opened fire.
In retaliation the demonstrators attacked and set fire to a police station, killing all of its occupants.
The incident led to the death of three civilians and 22 policemen.
Mahatma Gandhi, who was strictly against violence, halted the non-co-operation movement on the national level on 12 February 1922, as a direct result of this incident.

Background

In the early 1920s, Indians, led by Mahatma Gandhi, were engaged in a nationwide non-cooperation movement.
Using non-violent methods of civil disobedience known as Satyagraha, protests were organised by the INC to challenge oppressive regulations such as the Rowlatt Act.

Aftermath

Appalled at the outrage, Gandhi went on a five-day fast as penance for what he perceived as his culpability in the bloodshed.
In reflection, Gandhi felt that he had acted too hastily in encouraging people to revolt against the British Raj without sufficiently emphasizing the importance of non-violence.
On 12 February 1922, the Indian National Congress halted the Non-co-operation Movement on the national level as a direct result of the ChauriChaura tragedy.