Chauri Chaura incident

Mahatma Gandhi halted the non-cooperation movement on the national level on 12 February 1922 as a direct result of the incident.

Using non-violent methods of civil disobedience known as Satyagraha, protests were organized by the Indian National Congress to challenge oppressive government regulatory measures such as the Rowlatt Act, with the ultimate goal of attaining Swaraj (home rule).

[2] Two days before the incident, on 2 February 1922, volunteers participating in the non-cooperation movement led by a retired soldier of the British Indian Army named Bhagwan Ahir, protested against high food prices and liquor sales at Gauri Bazaar.

Armed police were dispatched to control the situation while the protesters marched towards the bazaar, shouting anti-British slogans.

In an attempt to frighten and disperse the crowd, Gupteshwar Singh ordered his 15 local police officers to fire warning shots into the air.

[4][5][6] With the situation getting out of control, the sub-inspector Prithvi Pal ordered the police to open fire on the advancing crowd, killing three and wounding several others.

Reports vary on the reason for the police retreat, with some suggesting that the constables ran out of ammunition while others claimed that the crowd's unexpectedly assertive reaction to the gunfire was the cause.

Infuriated by the gunfire into their ranks, the crowd set the chowki a blaze, killing all of the policemen trapped inside, including Inspector Gupteshwar Singh.

[4][5][6] In response to the killing of the police, the British colonial authorities declared martial law in and around Chauri Chaura.

Mahatama Gandhi was also arrested and sentenced to six years of imprisonment but was later released in February 1924, on grounds of his ill health.

[8] A total of 225 people were brought to trial at Gorakhpur Sessions Court of Judge H. E. Holmes, on charges of "rioting and arson" in conjunction with the Chauri Chaura affair.

[10] On 30 April 1923, the High Court of Allahabad pronounced the final judgements in the case, after appeals had been considered regarding the 170 convicted accused, who had been awarded death sentences: 1.