Rowllets Act 1919
motive
Introduced by ==Rowllet== of the Rowllet committee, passed in March 1919 by the imperial legislative council
The act was setup in response to the perception of potential danger by nationalists.
Key provisions
- Authorize British police to arrest anybody in suspect of terrorist activities
- Under the act people can be detained for up to 2 years without a trial
- Empower police to search place without warrant
- Place severe censorship on press
Response
- Condemned widely by Indian leaders and members of public
- Passed despite unanimous opposition from Indian members of the council subsequently they all resigned in protest, including Mohammed Ali jinnah
- Protest by ordinary people
- 2 popular Congress leaders Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew Were arrested
Amritsar Massacre
cause
Early in April 1919 news of the arrest of Indian nationalist leaders in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar sparked riots in which a mob went on the rampage, killing several Europeans, leaving an English female missionary for dead, and looting numerous banks and public buildings. British and Indian troops under the command of ==Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer== were sent to restore order and Dyer banned all public meetings which, he announced, would be dispersed by force if necessary.
What happened
thousands gathered in protest (another saying was they were celebrating the Sikh New Year) in a walled enclosure called the Jallianwala Bagh, near the city’s Golden Temple, sacred to Sikhs. Dyer marched a force of 90 Gurkha and Indian soldiers into the enclosure and, without warning, they opened fire for about 10 to 15 minutes on the panicking crowd trapped in the enclosure.
Dyer withdrew his men, leaving the dying and wounded where they lay. Dyer issued instructions that all Indians traversing the street where the woman missionary had been attacked were to crawl along it on their hands and knees.
Consequence and Effect
Death: According to an official figure, 379 were killed and some 1,200 wounded, though other estimates suggest much higher casualties.
The news of the massacre provoked fierce disapproval.
Censorship: A committee under Lord Hunter, a Scottish judge, was appointed to report on what had happened. Dyer appeared before it to defend himself, but its conclusions were damning; he was strongly censured and forced to resign from the Indian Army.
it helped to gather recruits to Mahatma Gandhi’s policy of non-violent resistance to British rule.