The violence at Chauri Chaura prompted Gandhi to suspend the national non-cooperation movement, fundamentally altering India's independence campaign in 1922.
Key Facts
- Date
- 4 February 1922
- Civilian deaths
- 3 people
- Police deaths
- 22 people
- Sentenced to death
- 19 demonstrators
- Sentenced to life imprisonment
- 14 demonstrators
- Non-cooperation halted
- 12 February 1922
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In February 1922, a large crowd of protesters in Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur district, were participating in the non-cooperation movement against British colonial rule. Police opened fire on the demonstrators, inflaming tensions and provoking a violent response from the crowd.
Retaliating against the police gunfire, the protesters attacked and set fire to the local police station on 4 February 1922, killing all occupants inside. The violence resulted in the deaths of three civilians and 22 policemen, marking one of the most serious outbreaks of violence in the non-cooperation campaign.
Gandhi halted the non-cooperation movement nationally on 12 February 1922, citing the violence as a departure from his principle of non-violence. British authorities sentenced 19 arrested demonstrators to death and 14 to life imprisonment, and the incident became a turning point in India's independence struggle.
Political Outcome
Gandhi suspended the non-cooperation movement; 19 demonstrators sentenced to death and 14 to life imprisonment by British colonial authorities.