With our country moving towards completing 77 years of its independence, we need to look upon the major events in India’s political history that ignited the people of the country to fight for its liberation from the shackles of colonial repression. A turning point in India’s independence movement, namely, the promulgation of Rowlatt Act represents the escalation of colonial repression and the emerging opposition that ultimately resulted in freedom of the country. This legislation enacted by the British Raj on March 18, 1919, epitomised the clash between imperial authority and aspirations of a nation yearning for self-determination. The Rowlatt Act, named after Sir Sidney Rowlatt, the chairman of the committee which recommended its passage, was officially known as the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act which empowered the authorities to arrest and detain individuals without trial, effectively suspending the basic principles of justice and due process and thus, was an assault on the civil liberties of the common people. The major goal of the British Imperial Legislative Council was to replace the provisions of the Defence of India Act, 1915, during the progressive events of the first World War.
Many prominent figures from the Bengal Renaissance Movement like Rabindranath Tagore and others were vocal critics of the Rowlatt Act. They used their literary word to condemn the Act and express solidarity with the nation. Rabindranath Tagore expressed his profound opposition to the Act. A notable incident was his letter to Montagu Chelmsford, which he had sent in protest against the Act: “I feel that the time has come when I should respectfully remind you of the fact that the treatment of India by the British Government is becoming unbearable. The methods of repression adopted by the administration and the increasing disrespect shown to all claims for justice have made the political atmosphere so surcharged with suppressed discontent that it is difficult to say how soon an explosion may take place that may rend to pieces your administration. . . . I am not speaking as a politician but as a humble servant of India, and I beg to submit that the policy pursued by the Government in regard to political prisoners is very largely responsible for the present political unrest in India.”
The literary works of writers associated with the All-India Progressive Writers’ Movement (AIPWM) critiqued the injustices perpetrated by the Rowlatt Act. They depicted the oppressive nature of colonial rule and raised awareness about the Act’s implications and called for collective action.
Visual arts were used as a potent medium of political commentary in order to challenge the hegemony of colonial discourse and mobilise public opinion. The artists used paintings, photographs, and satirical illustrations in the newspapers to depict the absurdity and injustice of the Act, thus using humour to undermine the colonial legitimacy.
Women have played a significant role in resisting the Rowlatt Act but their contribution has been often overlooked in the macrohistory of the Indian struggle against colonial rule. They participated in political activism against the Act by joining protest marches, rallies, and public meetings, which also helped them to mobilise themselves as an intrinsic part of the political spectrum of the country. One of the prominent figures was Annie Besant, who was a vocal advocate for Indian self-rule and social justice and condemned the Act as a draconian measure that violated the principles of democracy and human rights. She mobilised public opinion against the Rowlatt Act by using her position as editor of the newspaper “New India” and as president of the Indian National Congress (1917–1918) to draw attention to its injustices and called for mass protests, civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance to challenge the Act and demand its repeal.
The immediate aftermath of the Rowlatt Act led to one of the most tragic events in the history of India, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on April 13, 1919. In response to the massacre and the repressive measures of the Rowlatt Act, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation in 1920, thus calling for a nationwide campaign for nonviolent resistance against British rule, and further fueled the momentum towards self-rule and liberation from colonial oppression.
Mahatma Gandhi was a vocal critic of the Rowlatt Act. His opposition to the Act was rooted in his broader philosophy of nonviolent resistance and his commitment towards justice and freedom. He criticised the Act as being oppressive, unjust and in violation to the basic principles of justice. The Act came out as a betrayal to the promise of self-governance and political reforms in the structure of Indian government. Gandhi’s leadership during the nationwide protests against the Rowlatt Act, laid the groundwork for larger campaigns of nonviolent resistance that include the Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement.
After the Act was repealed in 1922, Gandhiji wrote a few years later, “The Rowlatt Act is dead but the spirit that prompted it is like an evergreen. So long as the interest of Englishmen is antagonistic to that of Indians, so long must there be anarchic crime or the dread of it and an edition of the Rowlatt Act in answer”.
The Rowlatt Act stands as a stark reminder of the injustices of British colonialism and the sacrifices made by the Indian people in their struggle for freedom, democracy, and social justice. Its legacy continues to shape the collective memory of Indian political history and serves as a testament to the resilience and determination of those who fought against oppression by the British Raj.
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