Image: Chauri Chaura memorial, historical site.
Chauri Chaura, a town in present-day Uttar Pradesh, became a major turning point in India’s freedom movement in February 1922. An anti-government demonstration ended in the deaths of police personnel after protesters set fire to a police station.
What happened
On 4 February 1922, a crowd of protesters clashed with police. The confrontation escalated, and the police station was set on fire, killing 22 policemen.
Gandhi’s decision
Gandhi regarded the violence as evidence that the movement had not developed the discipline he considered necessary for nonviolent resistance. He therefore called for the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Debate within the nationalist movement
Some leaders and activists disagreed with the decision, arguing that a local outbreak of violence should not end a nationwide campaign.
The wider significance
Chauri Chaura illustrates the tension between mass mobilisation and Gandhi’s insistence that political action remain nonviolent.
Read NewsNationOnline’s Non-Cooperation Movement feature and Gandhi’s nonviolence feature.
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