Ghadar Party – Notes for UPSC

Ghadar Party: In January 1914, Mathra Singh, a member of the Ghadar party visited India from Hong Kong. He circulated Ghadar literature amongst soldiers in the British Indian Army. During World War I, a small party of around 15,000 troops were stationed in India.

It was during this period that the Ghadar party organized an uprising in India. The idea was to revolt for independence across Northern India in parts of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Bengal.

The Objective of Ghadar Party

• To fuel an armed revolution for the independence of India, a few members of the Ghadar Party successfully arrived in Punjab with arms and encouraged the Indian soldiers in the British Army to revolt. 
• The plan was that the 23rd Cavalry in Punjab was to capture and kill their commanding officers while on a roll call on 21st February 1914. This would be followed by a mutiny by the 26th Cavalry Punjab. 
• The objective of the uprising was to ultimately advance toward Delhi, Lahore, and Bengal. 
• However, the Punjab CID got a scent of this conspiracy through a close relative of the trooper Balwant Singh (23rd Cavalry). 
• Sensing that their plans have been compromised, the party changed the date of their uprising to 19th February 1914. But even these plans got thwarted after they found their way to the Punjab CID.

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Activities of Ghadar Movement

• These soldiers were extremely influenced by the Ghadar Propaganda. Moreover, the troops were unhappy with their commanding officer Lieutenant – Colonel E.V Martin. 
• This rebellious act lasted for almost 7 days and resulted in the deaths of 47 British soldiers and some locals.
• The revolt was later extinguished by the French, Russian and Japanese reinforcements.
• Nearly 200 men were tried in Singapore, and 47 of the soldiers were shot dead in a public execution. And the rest were either deported or given jail terms ranging from 7 to 20 years.

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Formation of Ghadar Party

• In the early 1900s, people from Punjab immigrated to North America especially in Canada and United States to work in the fields, factories, and logging camps.
• They were introduced to the idea of forming worker unions or associations to oppose unfavorable policies implemented by the British Government in India.
• This ideology of standing for your own rights led to the induction of the Pacific Coast Hindustan Association, later known as the Ghadar Party.
• It was established on 15th July 1913 in San Francisco, United States.
• The founding members of the party were Lala Har Dayal, Sohan Singh Bhakna, Kartar Singh Sarabha and Taraknath Das.
• The party was supported by the majority of the Indian communities living in the United States, Canada, East Africa, and South Asia primarily due to its secular ideology.

Check: Important Peasant Movement Of Modern India

The Aim for Gadhar Movement

The primary aim of the Ghadar Movement was to bring about India’s independence from British domination. The movement, which was started in 1913 by Indian expatriates living in the US and Canada, aimed to start a revolution in India using a number of strategies, such as:

• Armed insurrection: They urged Indians to overthrow the colonial administration, particularly those who served in the British Indian Army.
• Propaganda: The Ghadar, their publication, carried provocative pieces condemning British administration and encouraging revolt.
• Fund-raising: In order to sustain their operations, they sought to gather money from the Indian diaspora.
• Building international support: They looked for nations that shared their opposition to British imperialism as partners.

The Ghadar Movement Incident

What was the Komagata Maru?

The Komagata Maru was a significant moment in the fight for independence. This is also the time when the Ghadar party increased its revolutionary activities. Several Ghadar leaders, like Barkatullah and Taraknath Das, used the Komagata Maru incident as a pitching point and successfully brought many Indians in North America into the party.

Komagata Maru Incident 1914

• The Komagata Maru Incident stirred Ghadar party members to join the freedom struggle.
• Gurdit Singh Sandhu chartered the ship Komagata Maru from Calcutta to Vancouver.
• The voyage aimed to challenge Canadian immigration laws.
• The ship carried 340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims, and 12 Hindus, all British Indian citizens.
• Ghadarite literature was distributed, and political meetings were held onboard.
• Denied docking in May 1914, the ship remained near the dock for two months.
• The incident sparked protests among the Indian community in Canada.
• Indo-Canadians formed shore committees to support the passengers.
• The ship returned to India on July 23, 1914, reaching Calcutta on September 27, 1914.
• British authorities attempted to arrest Gurdit Singh, leading to resistance from passengers.
• A riot ensued, resulting in British authorities firing into the crowd, killing 20 people.
• Gurdit Singh initially went into hiding but later surrendered to authorities.

Conclusion

The Ghadar party was internationally recognized and supported by Imperial Germany and the Ottoman Empire who were in opposition to the British. Despite having international support, the Ghadar Party’s influence as a driving force behind India’s independence movement never fades. It brought together Indian immigrants from other continents, fueling a movement and increasing awareness of the imperial injustices. Its message of resistance and togetherness struck a profound chord despite internal strife and a narrow geographical audience, motivating later generations of revolutionaries such as Bhagat Singh. Even though the Ghadar Party might not have opened the doors to independence directly, it surely played a significant role in sparking the spirit of defiance that eventually cleared the path for a free India.

For UPSC related articles, visit the links given below:

• UPSC Syllabus 2024
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The Ghadar Movement – FAQs

What were the major failures of the Ghadar Movement?

The Ghadar Movement was instrumental in the fight for Indian independence, their effort to overthrow British rule was eventually unsuccessful.

When was the Ghadar party founded?

The Ghadar Party was founded in 1913 in Astoria.

What challenges faced by the Ghadar party?

The primary challenges were British control, restriction, and limited resources.

Why the Ghadar movement failed?

The movement lacked organized and strong leadership. Most leaders of the Ghadar party got arrested even before they could enter the country.