Why were the Indians outraged by the Rowlatt Act?

 The Britishers governed India for over two centuries. Strategically, they controlled and established their dominion. But, the Indian freedom fighters, every so often, opposed them by organising various satyagraha. 


Sensing their loosening control and empowered freedom fighters, the British government established an act sanctioning the governmental authorities to detain the person alleged to get involved in or conspiring against the government. Hence, the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919 or the Rowlatt Act came into force. 


Origin Of Rowlatt Act


The victories of Satyagraha activities in Champaran, Kheda, and Ahmedabad boosted the downtrodden Indian's spirit. The British government decided to take tighter control over public activities in response to a perceived threat posed by the emergence of Satyagraha and a sense of similar conspiracies. As a result, the Rowlatt Act got proposed. The Rowlatt Act, named for its chairman Sir Sidney Rowlett, was approved in 1919.


The acts allowed for the trial of some political crimes without juries and the imprisonment of suspects without charge. Their goal was to create a permanent statute to replace the restrictive elements of the wartime Defence of India Act (1915) based on Justice S.A.T. Rowlatt's 1918 committee report.


Additionally, it included dictatorial control of the press, the detention of political prisoners without charge or trial, and the imprisonment of anyone suspected of being a terrorist. There was no right for the accused to know who accused them or what evidence got used in the trial; yet, there was freedom of expression. The condemned were required to deposit securities and were not permitted to participate in any educational, religious, or political activities after their release.


Outrage against the Rowlatt act


As a result of the public’s disapproval, the British government moved to crack down on nationalists. The Act gave the government broad powers to suppress political activity and permitted political prisoners to get held for two years without charge or trial. The Indians, however, were vehemently opposed to the law. Many people, including Mahatma Gandhi, opposed the law and organised a "hartal," a nonviolent protest involving job stoppage and hunger strikes. This "hartal" got held on April 6th. However, it took an ugly turn in many locations, including Bombay, Ahmadabad, Nadiad, and Punjab, resulting in rioting and carnage. Gandhi called off the hartal when he recognised India wasn't ready for nonviolence.


 A police officer in Amritsar opened fire on a peaceful demonstration on April 10th, resulting in widespread attacks on post offices, banks, and railway stations. General Dyer took command after imposing martial law over the area. After that, Mahatma Gandhi resolved to stage a statewide satyagraha in protest of the act.


On 13 April 1919, a demonstration was held in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, against the situation. Baisakhi, Punjab's religious festival, drew a large crowd of people from all around the province. Soon after, on April 10th, two crucial Congress leaders, Dr Satya Pal and Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew got arrested and brought to an unspecified location as terrorism suspects. They were unaware of the Rowlatt Act's prohibition on congregations. 


Jallianwala Bagh was a walled garden with five tiny entrances. General Dyer and his forces started a fire on the crowd as soon as they entered, aiming for all exits. In this atrocity, which was the darkest of the British administration, over 1000 innocent people were slaughtered and over 1200 injured. General Dyer brazenly sacked individuals and didn't leave anyone in his wake. Read more about why were Indians outraged by Rowlatt Act on getlegalindia.com.




Reasons for Outrage Of Rowlatt Act


Therefore there were several reasons for Indians to be outraged by  the Rowlatt act :


  • Although Indian members vehemently opposed it, this act got rushed through the Imperial Legislative Council.

  • It gave the government vast powers to suppress political activity.

  • It also allowed for the two-year incarceration of political detainees without charge or trial.

  • As a result of this Act, freedom of expression curtailed

  • The police's authority increased.

  • Any person living in British India accused of sedition or treachery could get detained by the government without a warrant.


Conclusion


The Rowlatt Act got repealed in 1922, following the massacre and the report of the Repressive Laws Committee. General Dyer was removed from command, asked to resign, and told that he would never work again. As a result of the Rowlatt Act, one of the most heinous episodes in Indian history occurred, claiming the lives of thousands of innocent people. The Rowlatt Act got repealed in 1922, following the massacre and the report of the Repressive Laws Committee. 


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