Withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement

The Non-Cooperation Movement was launched in August 1920 under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. It aimed to attain Swaraj while addressing the Punjab wrongs and the Khilafat grievance. By early 1922, millions of citizens participated in boycotts, strikes, and demonstrations across urban and rural India. As the movement expanded, incidents of confrontation between civil resisters and police forces increased in several provinces.

The Shift Toward Mass Civil Disobedience

• In late 1921, the Indian National Congress authorized local committees to initiate mass civil disobedience, including the non-payment of taxes.
• Mahatma Gandhi planned to launch a localized mass no-tax campaign at Bardoli in Gujarat in February 1922.
• Before the Bardoli campaign could begin, violent clashes erupted in the United Provinces, altering the trajectory of the national movement.

The Chauri Chaura Incident

On February 5, 1922, a violent clash occurred at Chauri Chaura, a market town in the Gorakhpur district of the United Provinces.

Sequence of Events

• Local volunteers led by Bhagwan Ahir, a retired soldier, gathered to protest police high-handedness and picket liquor and food shops at Mundera bazaar.
• Police officers fired into the crowd to disperse the demonstrators after stones were thrown, killing three protesters.
• The enraged crowd retaliated by surrounding the Chauri Chaura police station.
• Protesters locked the doors from the outside and set the building on fire using kerosene.
• Twenty-two policemen and one sub-inspector died in the fire or were killed as they attempted to escape.

The Bardoli Resolution and Suspension

Mahatma Gandhi received news of the Chauri Chaura violence while staying at Bardoli. He concluded that the country was not yet prepared for a non-violent mass struggle.

Decisions of the Congress Working Committee

• Gandhi summoned the Working Committee to meet at Bardoli, Gujarat.
• On February 12, 1922, the Congress Working Committee passed the Bardoli Resolution, formally suspending the Non-Cooperation Movement.
• All preparations for mass civil disobedience, non-payment of taxes, picketing, and procession campaigns were halted immediately.
• The resolution redirected party workers toward constructive programs, such as promoting hand-spun cloth, establishing national schools, removing untouchability, and encouraging temperance.

Political Reactions and Internal Divisions

The sudden withdrawal of the movement caused widespread confusion and disagreement among nationalist leaders.

Responses of Key Leaders

• Subhas Chandra Bose: Termed the sudden suspension of the movement a national calamity.
• Jawaharlal Nehru: Expressed deep distress that a national campaign was halted due to an isolated violent incident in one village.
• Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Nehru: Opposed stopping the movement at its peak and began formulating an alternative legislative strategy.
• Formation of Swaraj Party: Differences over council entry led C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru to form the Congress-Khilafat Swarajya Party in December 1922 to contest assembly elections and oppose colonial policies from within legislative bodies.

Timeline of Key Events

Key Historical Facts

The Chauri Chaura incident occurred in Gorakhpur district, modern-day Uttar Pradesh. Bhagwan Ahir had served in the British Indian Army during World War I before organizing local peasants and volunteers. Following the violence, British authorities arrested hundreds of suspects, and the Sessions Court in Gorakhpur initially sentenced 172 people to death in January 1923. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya represented the accused in the Allahabad High Court during their appeal, successfully reducing the death sentences to 19, while others received life imprisonment or shorter jail terms. Mahatma Gandhi undertook a five-day fast starting February 12, 1922, to perform penance for the outbreak of violence. British authorities arrested Gandhi on March 10, 1922, at Sabarmati Ashram. He was tried in Ahmedabad before Judge C.N. Broomfield and charged with sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. He received a six-year prison sentence but was released early on health grounds in February 1924 following an appendicitis surgery. The suspension of Non-Cooperation altered Congress strategy, dividing the party into Pro-Changers, who favored entering legislative councils, and No-Changers, led by C. Rajagopalachari, Rajendra Prasad, and Vallabhbhai Patel, who advocated continuing constructive work in rural areas.