Chauri Chaura Incident and Non-Cooperation Movement

The Non-Cooperation Movement was launched under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi in August 1920. The campaign sought to pressure the British imperial government through non-violent means, including the boycott of schools, law courts, foreign cloth, and legislative councils. By early 1922, the movement had mobilized millions across urban and rural India, but tensions between civil resisters and police escalated in several provinces.

Precursor to the Event

• The Congress Volunteer Corps and Khilafat activists organized regular picketing against high food prices and liquor sales in local markets.
• In the Gorakhpur district of the United Provinces, local peasants gathered under the leadership of Bhagat Ram and retired soldier Bhagwan Ahir.
• On February 2, 1922, police beat protestors led by Bhagwan Ahir at the Mundera bazaar in Chauri Chaura for picketing liquor and cloth shops.
• Volunteers called for a mass protest meeting on February 5, 1922, to demand an apology and protest police high-handedness.

The Clashes at Chauri Chaura

On February 5, 1922, a crowd of approximately 2,000 to 3,000 volunteers and peasants marched toward the market at Chauri Chaura.

Outbreak of Violence

• Armed police attempted to disperse the crowd using warning shots in the air.
• Protesters retaliated by throwing stones at the police force, forcing officers to fire directly into the crowd, killing three civilians.
• Running out of ammunition, twenty-two policemen retreated inside the Chauri Chaura police station (thana).
• The enraged crowd surrounded the building, locked the doors from the outside, and set the police station on fire using kerosene.
• Twenty-two policemen and one sub-inspector were killed in the fire or killed by the crowd as they tried to escape.

Withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement

News of the violence reached Mahatma Gandhi at Bardoli in Gujarat, where he was preparing to launch a civil disobedience campaign.

The Bardoli Resolution

• Gandhi declared that the Indian public was not yet fully prepared for non-violent mass struggle (Satyagraha).
• On February 12, 1922, the Congress Working Committee met at Bardoli and formally passed a resolution suspending the Non-Cooperation Movement.
• The Bardoli resolution instructed Congress members to stop all picketing, strikes, and tax-refusal campaigns.
• The resolution shifted the party’s focus toward constructive work, including the promotion of Khadi, national schools, anti-untouchability drives, and temperance.

Political Reactions and Fallout

The sudden withdrawal of the movement shocked many senior Congress leaders and young nationalists who believed the anti-colonial struggle was at its peak.

Ideological Divisions

• Discontent Among Leaders: Subhas Chandra Bose described the suspension as a “national calamity.” Jawaharlal Nehru and Chittaranjan Das expressed deep disappointment over stopping a national movement due to an isolated violent incident.
• Formation of the Swaraj Party: C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru broke away from the traditional Congress path to form the Swaraj Party in December 1922, aiming to enter legislative councils and disrupt colonial governance from within.
• Arrest of Gandhi: Taking advantage of the internal divisions, British authorities arrested Mahatma Gandhi on March 10, 1922. He was tried in Ahmedabad by Judge C.N. Broomfield and sentenced to six years in prison for sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code.

Legal Trials and Judicial Outcomes

The colonial administration prosecuted 225 individuals in connection with the Chauri Chaura violence.

Essential Historical Facts

The Chauri Chaura incident took place in the Gorakhpur district of modern-day Uttar Pradesh. Bhagwan Ahir, a retired British Indian Army soldier who had served in World War I, played a primary role in organizing the initial protest march against police harassment. Senior advocate Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya represented the Chauri Chaura accused during their appeal in the Allahabad High Court, saving 153 individuals from the gallows. The official British police record counted 22 police casualties, including Sub-Inspector Gupteshwar Singh. Three civilian protesters died during the initial police firing prior to the arson attack. Mahatma Gandhi undertook a five-day fast of penance starting February 12, 1922, taking personal moral responsibility for the outbreak of violence. To commemorate the event, the Government of India constructed a memorial at Chauri Chaura, inaugurated by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in July 1982. The Indian Railways runs the Chauri Chaura Express, connecting Gorakhpur directly with Kanpur.