Garhwali soldiers at Peshawar 1930
Also called: Peshawar incident · Topic: The National Movement: Gandhian Era · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
In April 1930, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was arrested, and large crowds protested in Peshawar. Soldiers of the Royal Garhwal Rifles were ordered to fire on these unarmed people. Led by Chandra Singh Garhwali, the soldiers refused. They were court-martialled, which means tried in a military court, and given long prison sentences. The event showed something new and dangerous for the British: the national movement was reaching Indian soldiers in the army.
Example
At Qissa Khwani Bazaar in Peshawar on 23 April 1930, the Garhwali soldiers would not shoot. Armoured cars were used against the crowds, and many people were killed. For a time, the British lost control of the city.
Don't confuse with
- Jallianwala Bagh (13 April 1919): at Amritsar, General Dyer's troops did fire on a trapped crowd and killed hundreds. At Peshawar in 1930, Indian soldiers refused to fire.
Related concepts
- Eleven demands of Gandhi 1930
- Salt monopoly
- Salt satyagraha
- Sabarmati Ashram
- Civil disobedience movement
- Vedaranyam salt march
- Dharasana satyagraha 1930
- Sarojini Naidu
- Abdul Ghaffar Khan
- Khudai Khidmatgar