Civil Disobedience Movement 1930: Gandhi's Dandi March, Salt Satyagraha and the Simon Commission Boycott
A comprehensive study note on the Civil Disobedience Movement, covering the Simon Commission boycott, the Nehru Report, the Lahore Session and Purna Swaraj resolution, Gandhi's Eleven Demands, the Dandi March, the Salt Satyagraha, the Dharasana incident, and the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
The Civil Disobedience Movement Dandi March Salt Satyagraha of 1930 represented one of the most powerful acts of mass nonviolent resistance in world history. Launched by Mahatma Gandhi on March 12, 1930, the movement challenged British authority by defying the Salt Laws, mobilising millions of Indians across regions, religions, and classes into unified political action.
What Was the Simon Commission and Why Did Indians Boycott It?
In 1927, the British Government appointed the Simon Commission under Sir John Simon to review the working of the Government of India Act, 1919. The commission was composed entirely of British members — not a single Indian was included. This exclusion was widely regarded as a deliberate insult to Indian political maturity and democratic aspirations.
Both the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League resolved to boycott the commission. When Simon and his colleagues arrived in India in 1928, they were greeted by mass demonstrations and the slogan "Simon Go Back!" across every major city. In Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai led a peaceful protest march. Police, acting under the orders of Superintendent Scott, carried out a brutal lathi charge. Lajpat Rai was struck on the chest and died of his injuries on November 17, 1928.
His death inflamed revolutionary sentiment. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev — members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association — vowed revenge. On December 17, 1928, they shot dead Assistant Superintendent J.P. Saunders in Lahore, mistaking him for Scott. This act of revolutionary violence marked a critical divergence between the Congress's path of nonviolence and the revolutionary nationalist current.
What Was the Nehru Report and Why Did It Fail to Unite the Nationalists?
The Nehru Report (1928) was the All-India Congress Committee's response to a British challenge to Indians to draft their own constitution. Led by Motilal Nehru, the report proposed dominion status for India — rather than complete independence — and recommended a federal structure with fundamental rights. However, it faced opposition from multiple directions:
- Muhammad Ali Jinnah objected because the report did not guarantee separate electorates or reserved seats for Muslims.
- Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose, representing the younger generation, rejected dominion status and demanded Purna Swaraj — complete independence.
The failure to achieve consensus on the Nehru Report accelerated the move toward a more radical position within the Congress, ultimately leading to the historic Lahore Session of December 1929.
The Lahore Session (December 1929): The Purna Swaraj Declaration
At the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress formally adopted Purna Swaraj — complete independence from British rule — as its political goal. On the midnight of December 31, 1929, the Congress flag was hoisted on the banks of the Ravi River. January 26, 1930 was declared as Independence Day, a date that would later become Republic Day in 1950 when India adopted its Constitution. The Congress also resolved to launch a Civil Disobedience Movement at a time of its choosing.
Gandhi's Eleven Demands and the Road to Dandi
Before launching the movement, Gandhi adhered to his principle of giving the adversary fair warning. In February 1930, he sent a letter to Viceroy Lord Irwin listing eleven demands. These included a 50 percent reduction of land revenue, reduction of military expenditure, abolition of the salt tax, release of political prisoners, the right to bear firearms, reduction of the rupee-sterling exchange ratio to 1s 4d, and reservation of coastal shipping for Indians. Irwin's response was dismissive — he acknowledged the letter but offered no substantive concession. Gandhi informed Irwin that civil disobedience would begin.
How Did the Dandi March Unfold?
On March 12, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi set out from Sabarmati Ashram near Ahmedabad with 78 carefully selected satyagrahis. The march covered approximately 241 miles (388 kilometres) to the coastal village of Dandi in Gujarat over 24 days. Gandhi chose salt as the symbol of resistance deliberately: salt was essential to every Indian household, universally consumed regardless of class or religion, yet it was taxed and monopolised by the British under the Salt Laws — a colonial imposition that represented economic exploitation in its most direct and tangible form.
As the marchers walked through village after village, the crowds swelled. Journalists from across the world — including correspondents from the New York Times and Time magazine — followed the procession, turning it into an international media event. On April 6, 1930, Gandhi reached Dandi and picked up a lump of salt from the seashore, committing a simple act that technically violated the Salt Laws. This moment launched the Civil Disobedience Movement across the entire country.
Key Events and Phases of the Civil Disobedience Movement
| Date / Period | Event / Development | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| November 1927 | Simon Commission appointed by British Government | All-British composition — no Indian member; sparked nationwide boycott |
| November 17, 1928 | Death of Lala Lajpat Rai after lathi charge in Lahore | Became a rallying cause for revolutionary nationalists |
| December 17, 1928 | Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev kill Saunders in Lahore | Revolutionary nationalist response to Lajpat Rai's death |
| 1928 | Nehru Report drafted under Motilal Nehru | Proposed dominion status; failed due to opposition from Jinnah and younger nationalists |
| December 1929 | Lahore Session — Purna Swaraj resolution adopted | Congress committed to complete independence; CDM resolution passed |
| January 26, 1930 | First Independence Day observed across India | Later became Republic Day in 1950 |
| February 1930 | Gandhi sends Eleven Demands to Viceroy Irwin | Last opportunity for peaceful resolution; Irwin offered no real concession |
| March 12, 1930 | Dandi March begins from Sabarmati Ashram | 78 satyagrahis begin 241-mile walk to Dandi; international press coverage |
| April 6, 1930 | Gandhi picks up salt at Dandi — Salt Satyagraha begins | Symbolic defiance of Salt Laws; CDM formally launched across India |
| May 5, 1930 | Gandhi arrested by British authorities | Over 60,000 arrested; Congress declared illegal; movement intensified |
| May 21, 1930 | Dharasana Salt Works incident | Satyagrahis beaten without resistance; Webb Miller's report shocked the world |
| March 5, 1931 | Gandhi-Irwin Pact signed | CDM suspended; prisoners released; Gandhi to attend Second Round Table Conference |
| March 23, 1931 | Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev hanged | Despite Congress appeals for clemency; created popular outrage against the Pact |
| January 1932 | Second phase of Civil Disobedience Movement launched | Gandhi renewed CDM after failure of Round Table Conference; severe repression by Lord Willingdon |
| 1934 | Civil Disobedience Movement formally called off | Congress turned to electoral politics under the Government of India Act, 1935 |
How Did the Movement Spread Across India?
After Gandhi's arrest on May 5, 1930, the Civil Disobedience Movement spread with remarkable breadth and depth. Illegal manufacture of salt took place on coastlines across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Bengal. Boycott of foreign cloth and liquor shops was organised in towns and cities, affecting British trade revenues. Non-payment of taxes — particularly land revenue — became widespread in the Bardoli region and elsewhere. Women's participation was unprecedented: for the first time, women joined civil disobedience in very large numbers, picketing shops, marching in processions, and courting arrest.
In the Northwest Frontier Province — a predominantly Muslim region — Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, known as the "Frontier Gandhi," led the Khudai Khidmatgar ("Servants of God"), popularly called the Red Shirts. Their participation demonstrated the broad, trans-communal character of the movement and countered the British claim that the independence struggle was the preserve of the Hindu majority.
The Dharasana Salt Works incident on May 21, 1930 became the movement's defining symbol of nonviolent courage. Satyagrahis marched in columns toward the salt depot guarded by police. Officers beat them with steel-tipped lathis as marchers fell one after another without raising a hand in self-defence. American journalist Webb Miller witnessed the scene; his dispatch was published in 1,350 newspapers worldwide and was read into the United States Senate record, turning global opinion sharply against British colonial rule.
The Gandhi-Irwin Pact and the Second Phase of the Movement
After months of negotiations, Gandhi and Viceroy Lord Irwin signed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact on March 5, 1931. Under the pact, Gandhi agreed to suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement and attend the Second Round Table Conference in London. The British agreed to release non-violent civil disobedience prisoners, withdraw ordinances imposed to suppress the movement, and allowed people living near the coast to make salt for personal use.
The pact was deeply controversial. Congress radicals — especially those who regarded Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev as martyrs — were outraged that Gandhi did not make their clemency a precondition. The three were hanged on March 23, 1931, triggering mass public grief and significant anger directed at the Congress leadership for signing the pact without securing their release.
The Second Round Table Conference (1931) proved inconclusive. Gandhi returned from London without an agreement. In January 1932, he renewed the Civil Disobedience Movement. The new Viceroy, Lord Willingdon, responded with far more severe repression — banning the Congress, arresting leaders, and stifling public gatherings. The movement gradually lost momentum and was formally called off in 1934. The Congress then turned to electoral politics, contesting the 1937 elections under the Government of India Act, 1935, and winning decisive majorities in seven of eleven provinces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Gandhi choose salt as the symbol for the Civil Disobedience Movement?
Gandhi chose salt because it was a universal necessity used by every Indian regardless of caste, class, or religion, yet it was taxed and monopolised by the British under the Salt Laws. By defying these laws, Gandhi made the movement accessible to all Indians and exposed the economic injustice of colonial rule in a simple, dramatic act that was easy for the world to understand.
What was the significance of the Dandi March in the Indian freedom struggle?
The Dandi March (March 12 – April 6, 1930) demonstrated that unarmed civilians could challenge British authority through organised nonviolent resistance. It generated massive international media coverage, mobilised women on an unprecedented scale, drew in the Northwest Frontier Province through the Khudai Khidmatgar, and transformed the Indian National Congress from an elite political body into a mass movement. It stands as the most iconic act of civil disobedience in India's independence struggle.
What were the main provisions of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931)?
The Gandhi-Irwin Pact, signed on March 5, 1931, included: suspension of the Civil Disobedience Movement by Congress; release of non-violent civil disobedience prisoners by the British; withdrawal of ordinances imposed to suppress the movement; permission for people living near the coast to make salt for personal use; and Gandhi's agreement to represent Congress at the Second Round Table Conference in London.
What was the Simon Commission and why was it boycotted?
The Simon Commission, appointed in 1927 under Sir John Simon, was tasked with reviewing the working of the Government of India Act, 1919. It was boycotted because all seven of its members were British — not a single Indian was included — which was seen as a deliberate insult implying that Indians were incapable of determining their own constitutional future. Both the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League boycotted it, and mass protests erupted across India under the slogan "Simon Go Back!"
How did the Lahore Session of 1929 lead to the Civil Disobedience Movement?
At the Lahore Session of December 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress adopted Purna Swaraj (complete independence) as its goal, rejecting the earlier dominion status proposal of the Nehru Report. January 26, 1930 was declared Independence Day, and the Congress Working Committee was mandated to launch a Civil Disobedience Movement at the appropriate moment, directly leading to Gandhi's Dandi March of March 1930.
Sources and Further Reading
According to IGNOU's BHIC-134 (History of India from c. 1707–1950), the Civil Disobedience Movement represented the broadest mass mobilisation yet achieved by the Indian National Congress and marked a qualitative transformation in the relationship between the nationalist leadership and the Indian people. Sumit Sarkar's Modern India 1885–1947 provides a detailed socioeconomic analysis of the movement's regional variations and class dynamics. Bipan Chandra's India's Struggle for Independence (Penguin) is the standard text for UPSC Civil Services examination preparation on this period. S. Gopal's biography of Jawaharlal Nehru offers important insights into intra-Congress debates from 1928 to 1932. The collected works of Mahatma Gandhi (Government of India, 100 volumes) contain primary source material including the historic letter to Viceroy Irwin and correspondence during and after the Salt March.