With reference to Rowlatt Satyagraha, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- The Rowlatt Act was based on the recommendations of the ‘Sedition Committee’.
- In Rowlatt Satyagraha, Gandhiji tried to utilise the Home Rule League.
- Demonstrations against the arrival of Simon Commission coincided with Rowlatt Satyagraha.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 1 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct
- During World War I, the British administration faced a political crisis due to the rising nationalism and the intensification of the struggle for independence. To counter this, the Government of India appointed a Sedition Committee headed by Justice Sydney Rowlatt to investigate “revolutionary crime” in the country. Based on the recommendations, the Government of India passed the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919 (Rowlatt Act) in March 1919.
Statement 2 is correct
- The Rowlatt Bills were widely condemned throughout the country. Mahatma Gandhi vehemently opposed their provisions, referring to them as a “Black Law.
- Gandhiji formed a Satyagraha Sabha on 24th February 1919 in Bombay to protest against the Rowlatt Bills. Its members took a pledge to disobey the Act and thus to court arrest and imprisonment. The Satyagraha Sabha was composed mainly of young, radical members of the Home Rule League. In addition, some Pan-Islamic leaders, like Abdul Bari, and some radical members of the Muslim League joined the Satyagraha Sabha.
Statement 3 is incorrect
- The Rowlatt Satyagraha took place in 1919, while the Simon Commission arrived in India in February 1928.
