Page 80 - GANDHI A Biography for Children and Beginners

GANDHI – A Biography for children and beginners

women is a clever move, and whatever may be its practical effect in the field

of action, it is likely to have considerable effect on social life."

On the 4th of May, Gandhi again wrote to the Viceroy asking him to see the
writing on the wall, and accept the demand of the people. If the Government

did not do so, the people of India would move to the next stage and take over

Government depots of salt. Gandhi was arrested on the 5th of May. The Civil
Disobedience went on unabated. Thousands were imprisoned. The people of

India demonstrated exemplary discipline. They were calm and non-violent in

the face of the barbarous assaults of the police. They demonstrated the cool,
chilling courage and forbearance of the Satyagrahi. At Dharasana, Wadala, and

many other places, the police rained lathi blows on non-violent volunteers

sitting in prayerful postures.

Skulls and bones were broken. Limbs were fractured. Blood was streaking down

from the bodies of the volunteers. Volunteer stretcher bearers came and

removed the bodies of the wounded and dying, and the next batch that was

watching the courageous defiance of the first moved forward and took their
place. The world press was reporting these feats of courage and the barbarous

repression that the Government had let loose. It was clear to the world that

the people of India had repudiated British authority. They were being held
down by sheer brute force. At Peshawar, the Gorkhas and the Garhwal Rifles

refused to fire on unarmed, peaceful demonstrators. They were sentenced to

imprisonment for 10 or 14 years.

There were moves for negotiations initiated by Sapru and Jayakar. Gandhi

wanted to consult the members of the Congress Working Committee. He was

released on the 26th of January 1931. There were prolonged discussions with

the Viceroy that lasted many days.

In the end, an agreement was arrived at. It was known as the Gandhi-Irwin

Pact. There were two signatories, — Viceroy representing the Emperor, and
Gandhi representing the people of India. Gandhi could not get the Viceroy to

agree to all demands, particularly the appeal to spare the lives of the great

www.mkgandhi.org Page 79