Q. Consider the following statements with respect to the ‘Akali’ movement:

1. It was going on alongside the Civil Disobedience Movement.
2. It sought to free the Gurdwaras from the clutches of corrupt mahants.

Which of the above is / are correct?
Answer: Only 2
Notes: In the annual session of the Congress at Ahmedabad in December 1921, a resolution was passed affirming the fixed determination of the congress to continue the programme of non-violent non-cooperation till the Punjab and Khilafat wrongs were redressed. People now waited impatiently for the call for further struggle. Meanwhile, in the Punjab, the Sikhs were leading a non-violent movement known as the Akali movement. So, statement 1 is correct. The Akali movement was started by Sikhs to remove corrupt mahants from the Gurdwaras. These mahants were protected by the state machinery. This movement was also called the Gurdwara Reform Movement. This movement successfully led to the creation of ‘Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’. So, statement 2 is correct.