Introduction
The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22) was India's first pan-Indian mass movement under
Gandhi's leadership, uniting the mainstream nationalist demand for self-government with the pan-Islamic
Khilafat cause — before being abruptly called off following the violence at Chauri Chaura.
Background — Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh
| Event | Year | Significance |
|---|
| Rowlatt Act | 1919 | Allowed detention without trial for suspected revolutionary activity; widely opposed as the "Black Act"; Gandhi called for a nationwide hartal in protest |
| Jallianwala Bagh Massacre | 13 April 1919 | General Dyer ordered troops to fire on an unarmed crowd (including Baisakhi pilgrims) at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, killing hundreds — a turning point that hardened nationalist opinion against British rule |
| Hunter Commission | 1919 | Inquired into the massacre; widely seen as an inadequate/whitewash response, further fuelling anger |
Khilafat Movement and Alliance with Non-Cooperation
- Indian Muslims (led by the Ali Brothers — Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali) protested the harsh treatment of the Ottoman Caliph (Khalifa) by the Allied powers after WWI.
- Gandhi saw an opportunity to unite Hindus and Muslims in a common cause, and merged the Non-Cooperation and Khilafat movements — a rare instance of pan-communal mass mobilisation.
Non-Cooperation Movement — Programme
Flowchart — Non-Cooperation Programme (adopted at the 1920 Calcutta Special Session & Nagpur Session)
Non-Cooperation Programme
↓
Surrender of government titles & honours
Boycott of government schools, colleges, courts, legislative councils
↓
Boycott of foreign goods; promotion of Khadi & Swadeshi
Establishment of national schools & panchayats for dispute resolution
The movement saw mass participation across regions — including notable episodes like the Awadh Kisan movement and tribal unrest (e.g., Andhra's Rampa Rebellion overlapping this period).
Chauri Chaura and Withdrawal
⚖️ Chauri Chaura Incident (4 February 1922): In Gorakhpur district (UP), an angry crowd set fire to a police station, killing 22 policemen, after police fired on a peaceful procession. Gandhi, deeply disturbed by the violence and its departure from strict non-violence, unilaterally withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement on 12 February 1922 — a decision that disappointed many younger nationalists (including Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose) who felt the movement was at its peak.
Aftermath
- Gandhi was arrested and tried for sedition in March 1922, famously pleading guilty and inviting "the severest penalty."
- Disillusioned younger leaders (C.R. Das, Motilal Nehru) formed the Swaraj Party (1923) to contest council elections from within, while remaining nominally within the Congress fold.
✅ UPSC Focus: Rowlatt Act → Jallianwala Bagh → Non-Cooperation sequence · Programme of Non-Cooperation · Khilafat-NCM alliance rationale · Chauri Chaura as the reason for withdrawal · Swaraj Party's formation as a direct consequence.