The Year 1919
The year of 1919 witnessed the events which made the Indians bitter against the British for all times to come.
Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms:
The British government passed the Government of India Act, 1919, also known as the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, under the guise of giving concessions to Indians. However, it was actually aimed at creating further division between Hindus and Muslims and ignored the people’s demand for self-rule, which led to widespread dissatisfaction among Indians.
Rowlatt Act:
The Indians were demanding more rights, while the British government did just the opposite. It passed the Rowlatt Act, 1919. Under this law, the police could arrest any person without a trial and keep him in jail. People were barred from speaking anything against the government. The Indians rose in a nationwide protest on 6 April, 1919. The government was merciless as ever. It lathi-charged (canecharged) them and sent a large number of leaders to jail all over India. Still the protests went on everywhere.