1. Rowlatt Act 1919 and Amritsar Massacre
Class: Prep II
Subject: History
Prepared by:
Maimoona Kashif

2. Rowlatt Act 1919 Background
During WW1 some Indians ---- created violence/rose against the British.
British had special emergency powers to deal with the trouble makers.

3.   Background (cont.)
After WW1 ended, a committee under Justice Rowlatt suggested to make these special powers permanent. WHY?
Ideas of liberty and freedom in people’s mind

4. British feared Indians would take advantage of their weakness
 Background (cont.)
Impression of White Nations being superior vanished (they were about to be defeated by Germans)
Indian soldiers proved to be as valiant as any other during WW1
British feared Indians would take advantage of their weakness

5. It became law in 1919 despite Indian disagreement.
 Some clauses of the Rowlatt Act
The right to
arrest suspects without warrant
hold secret trials of suspects
keep suspects locked up
tell suspects where they should live
It became law in 1919 despite Indian disagreement.

6.  Indian Response:
Complained that these laws were against basic British Laws
Jinnah resigned from Legislative Council (letter to Viceroy “the fundamental principles of justice have been uprooted”)
Gandhi rose as a nationalist leader

7. Amritsar massacre (Killing at the Bagh)
When:
13th April 1919, Sunday

8. Jallianwalla Bagh (Amritsar)
Where?
Jallianwalla Bagh (Amritsar)

9. Background:
Gandhi organized demonstrations and strikes across India to protest against the ROWLATT ACT
It involved violence (though Gandhi wanted demonstrations to be peaceful).

10. Background: (cont.)
Greatest violence at Amritsar (Punjab)
3 European bank managers were murdered.
British lost control.
They put ban on demonstrations and meetings.

11. What happened in the Bagh? Events:
10,000 people in the Bagh.
Governor-general of Punjab Colonel O’ Dwyer called 50 troops under Brigadier-general Reginald E. H. Dyer.

12. Events: (cont)
The troops were to deal with the crowd.
They closed the exit to the Bagh.
Dyer gave order to open fire.

13. Events: (cont)
379 dead and 1200 wounded according to official figure in 10 minutes. (actual figures may have been 1000 or 2000 dead).

14. Response after the event:
Severe violence caused by the people.
British Action
British took strict action.
Bombed the protesters by airplanes.
15th April 1919, Marshall Law was announced in Punjab.

15. An official notice on college wall was torn down,
British Action (cont.)
People faced humiliating punishments e.g. public beating
50 – 100 students/lecturers of Sanatan Dharm College were to march to fort 3 miles away, imprisoned for 30 hours. Why?
An official notice on college wall was torn down,

16. Consequences:
British-Indian relationship was permanently damaged.
Gandhi declared ‘cooperation in any form or shape with this satanic govt. is sinful’.
Nationalist movements grew.
Far more people now wanted end of Crown rule.

17. What did Winston Churchill say?
It is an extraordinary event, a monstrous event, an event which stands in singular and sinister isolation…’I was confronted,’ says General Dyer, ‘by a revolutionary army.’ What is the chief characteristic of an army? Surely it is that it is armed. This crowd was unarmed.
Source 5.6