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gress decided to boycott it that same year that it would be. He was a strong influence in India and
started. will be remembered not only by the Indian
people themselves but by everyone around the
world because of his heroic accomplishments.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April,
1919)
The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre took place on 13
April, 1919 and it remained a turning point in
the history of India's freedom movement. In
Punjab, there was an unprecedented support to
the Rowlatt Satyagraha.
Facing a violent situation, the Government of
Punjab handed over the administration to the
military authorities under General Dyer. He
banned all public meetings and detained the
political leaders. On 13th April, the Baisakhi day
(harvest festival), a public meeting was organised
at the Jallianwala Bagh (garden).
Dyer marched in and without any warning
opened fire on the crowd. The firing continued
for about 10 to 15 minutes and it stopped only
after the ammunition exhausted. According to
official report 379 people were killed and 1137
wounded in the incident. There was a nation-
In 1929, under Jawaharlal Nehru as president
wide protest against this massacre and
congress started a resolution known as Poorna
Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood
Swaraj, which means complete Independence.
as a protest.
And on January 26, 1930 India declared that
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre gave a tremen-
day as their Independence Day, which would be
dous impetus to the freedom struggle.
celebrated every year from then on. After this
day, many changes occurred for example, all of Khilafat Movement
India got together and together they boycotted The chief cause of the Khilafat Movement was
foreign goods and refused to pay the taxes to the defeat of Turkey in the First World War. The
Britain. This whole time period was a very harsh terms of the Treaty of Sevres (1920) was
emotional one for India, it was a day that they felt by the Muslims as a great insult to them.
would all remember. And this was what ended The whole movement was based on the Muslim
the Gandhian Era. belief that the Caliph (the Sultan of Turkey) was
This Era was named after Gandhi simple the religious head of the Muslims all over the
because he was a main part in the long struggle world. The Muslims in India were upset over the
for India to gain back its independence from the British attitude against Turkey and launched the
British. He fought for what he believed in and Khilafat Movement. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad,
what was right no matter what the consequences M.A. Ansari, Saifuddin Kitchlew and the Ali
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