Simon Commission Protests of 1928

The Simon Commission protests of 1928 formed a landmark phase in India’s freedom struggle. The nationwide opposition to an all-White statutory panel re-energized the nationalist movement, bringing together diverse political factions and accelerating the demand for complete independence.

Background and Statutory Genesis

The Government of India Act 1919 contained a built-in provision under Section 84A. It called for a review of the constitutional system ten years after its passage.

• The British Conservative administration under Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin appointed the commission in November 1927, two years early.
• Lord Birkenhead, the Secretary of State for India, feared a Conservative defeat in the upcoming UK general elections and preferred to control the composition of the commission rather than leave it to a prospective Labour government.
• Officially called the Indian Statutory Commission, it consisted of seven British Members of Parliament and zero Indian members.

Members of the Indian Statutory Commission

• Sir John Simon (Liberal Party) – Chairman
• Clement Attlee (Labour Party) – Member
• Vernon Hartshorn (Labour Party) – Member
• Edward Cadogan (Conservative Party) – Member
• George Lane-Fox (Conservative Party) – Member
• Donald Howard, 3rd Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal (Conservative Party) – Member
• Harry Levy-Lawson, 1st Viscount Burnham (Conservative Party) – Member

Lord Birkenhead justified the exclusion of Indians by claiming that Indian political leaders were too divided by communal differences to agree on a unified reform plan.

Unity, Boycott Resolutions, and Party Stances

The complete exclusion of Indians from a body deciding India’s constitutional destiny sparked anger across the political spectrum. The Indian National Congress passed a resolution during its Madras session in December 1927, presided over by Dr. M.A. Ansari, pledging to boycott the commission “at every stage and in every form.”

Political Alignments on the Boycott

Public Demonstrations and Mass Protests

The Simon Commission landed in Bombay on February 3, 1928. Its arrival triggered a nationwide hartal, mass public demonstrations, and black flag rallies.

• Demonstrators waved black banners bearing the slogan “Simon Go Back,” coined by Yusuf Meherally, a young socialist leader of the Bombay Youth League.
• The Central Legislative Assembly formally rejected the commission’s presence and voted against appointing a committee to work alongside it.
• The commission undertook two separate visits to India: the first from February 3 to March 31, 1928, and the second from October 11, 1928, to April 13, 1929.

The Lahore Incident and Martyrdom of Lala Lajpat Rai

The anti-Simon protests met heavy state police brutality, with the most severe incident occurring in Lahore on October 30, 1928.

• Lala Lajpat Rai led a peaceful protest rally near the Lahore railway station.
• Police Superintendent James A. Scott ordered a lathi charge against the crowd.
• Lala Lajpat Rai received severe chest injuries during the assault and died on November 17, 1928.
• Before dying, he stated that the blows struck upon him would serve as the final nails in the coffin of the British Empire in India.
• Members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), including Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, and Chandrashekhar Azad, plotted to eliminate James A. Scott to avenge his death.
• On December 17, 1928, they mistakenly shot and killed Assistant Superintendent of Police John P. Saunders in Lahore.

Constitutional Impact and Political Legacy

The mass protests against the commission set off a rapid chain of constitutional initiatives that reshaped the Indian national movement.

Nehru Report and Counter-Proposals

Accepting Lord Birkenhead’s challenge to draft a constitution acceptable to all Indian communities, political leaders met at the All Parties Conference in Delhi in February 1928.

• A committee chaired by Motilal Nehru drafted the Nehru Report in August 1928.
• The report demanded Dominion Status, a parliamentary system, universal adult suffrage, and 19 fundamental rights.
• It recommended joint electorates with reservation of seats for minorities in provinces where they were in a minority, discarding separate electorates.
• Disagreements over seat allocations led Muhammad Ali Jinnah to present his Fourteen Points in March 1929, insisting on separate electorates and provincial autonomy.
• Younger leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose rejected Dominion Status and established the Independence for India League in November 1928.

Strategic Escalation

The failure of the British government to accept the Nehru Report within the one-year deadline pushed the Congress toward radical action. At its Lahore session in December 1929, chaired by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress adopted the resolution for Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence), leading directly to the Civil Disobedience Movement in March 1930.

Key Historical Facts

The Simon Commission published its two-volume report in May 1930. It recommended the abolition of dyarchy in the provinces, the establishment of provincial autonomy, the continuation of separate electorates, and the administrative separation of Burma from India. The findings of the Simon Commission formed the primary baseline for the discussions at the three Round Table Conferences held in London between 1930 and 1932. The structural framework proposed by the Simon Commission, along with the subsequent White Paper of 1933, laid the foundation for the drafting of the Government of India Act 1935. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar appeared before the Simon Commission on behalf of the Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha to submit a memorandum advocating special political representation and constitutional safeguards for depressed classes. Clement Attlee gained his first major exposure to Indian administrative affairs as a member of the Simon Commission, which later influenced his decisions as British Prime Minister during the transfer of power in 1947.