First Anglo-Ghadar War

Starting of the Ghadar Party

The Ghadar Mutiny (Hindustani: ग़दर राज्य-क्रान्ति, غدر ریاست - کرانتی Ġadara Rājya-krānti), also known as the Ghadar Conspiracy, was a plan for a pan-Indian mutiny in the British Indian Army in February 1915 to end the British Raj in India. The plot originated at the onset of World War I, between the Ghadar Party in the United States, the Berlin Committee in Germany, the Indian revolutionary underground in British India and the German Foreign Office through the consulate in San Francisco. The incident derives its name from the North American Ghadar Party, whose members of the Punjabi community in Canada and the United States were among the most prominent participants in the plan. It was the most prominent amongst a number of plans of the much larger Hindu–German Mutiny, formulated between 1914 and 1917 to initiate a Pan-Indian rebellion against the British Raj in World War I. The mutiny was planned to start in the key state of Punjab, followed by mutinies in Bengal and rest of India. Indian units as far as Singapore were planned to participate in the rebellion. The plans were thwarted through a coordinated intelligence and police response. British intelligence infiltrated the Ghadarite movement in Canada and in India, and last-minute intelligence from a spy helped to crush the planned uprising in Punjab before it started. Key figures were arrested, and mutinies in smaller units and garrisons within India were also crushed.

Intelligence about the threat of the mutiny led to a number of important war-time measures being introduced in India, including the passages of the Foreigners Ordinance, 1914, the Ingress into India Ordinance, 1914, and the Defence of India Act 1915. The conspiracy was followed by the First Lahore Conspiracy Trial and Benares Conspiracy Trial which saw death sentences awarded to a number of Indian revolutionaries, and exile to a number of others. After the end of the war, fear of a second Ghadarite uprising led to the recommendations of the Rowlatt Acts and thence the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Babbar Akali movement

The Babbar Akali movement was a 1921 splinter group of "militant" Sikhs who broke away from the mainstream Akali movement over the latter's insistence on non-violence in resisting British rule in North India, and gurdwara reforms removing any British control.

The militant unit was established as Shahadat Dal (Association of Martyrs) in September 1920, later evolving into the Babbar Akali movement. By 1922, they had organized themselves into a military group and begun killing informers, government officials, and ex-officials. They also published an illegal newspaper describing British exploitation of India. It was declared an unlawful association by the British in April 1923. They used religious imagery and discussed the loss of Sikh sovereignty in the Anglo-Sikh wars which helped them enjoy popular support. The Babbar Akali movement recruited from World War I veterans dissatisfied with broken land grant promises and former members of the Ghadar Party. Most of its members were killed in police encounters, 670 were taken alive and "523 were sentenced to death, 11 to transportation for life and 38 to various terms of imprisonment". Babbar Khalsa International was established in an attempt to emulate the Babbar Akalis.

Jaito Morcha

Jaito Morcha: The word "Jaito" refers to the name of the place near the location where this event took place and the word "morcha" means a "demonstration" or "agitation". Jaito Morcha is the name given to the Akali agitation that took place in February 1924 for the restoration to his throne of Maharaja Ripudaman Singh of Nabha, a Sikh princely state in the Punjab.

The Maharaja had strong pro-Akali sympathies and had overtly supported the Guru-ka-Bagh Morcha and donned a black turban as a mark of protest against the massacre of reformists at Nankana Sahib. His contacts with Indian nationalist leaders and involvement in popular causes had irked the British government.

On 9 July 1923, he was forced to abdicate in favour of his minor son, Partap Singh. Although the British officials pronounced his abdication voluntary, the Akalis and other nationalist sections condemned it as an act of high handedness on the part of the government.

Master Tara Singh denounced the measure as equivalent to Maharaja Duleep Singh's removal from the throne of Punjab. The committee set up to have the Maharaja of Nabha restored to the gaddi (throne) appointed 29 July 1923 to be observed in all the principal towns of the Punjab as a day of prayer in his behalf.

Morcha Guru Ka Bagh

At Guru-ka-Bagh, twenty kilometres from Amritsar, Sikhs' capacity for suffering and resistance was put to further trial after freeing many Gurdwaras through peaceful resistance. Sundar Das, the mahant, had by mutual negotiations made over the shrine to the Shiromani Committee, taken the Sikh baptism and parted with his mistresses except one whom he honourably married.

But he later denied part of the agreement, saying that, though he had surrendered the Gurdwara to the Shiromani Committee, the piece of land known as Guru-ka-Bagh attached to it was still his property. He objected to Sikhs cutting down trees on that land for the langar. The police, willing to oblige him, arrested on August 9, 1922, five Sikhs on charges of trespassing. These arrests were made not on Sundar Das' complaint, but on a confidential report received by the police. The following day, the arrested Sikhs were hurriedly tried and sentenced to six months' rigorous imprisonment.

Komagata Maru

Komagata Maru sailed from British Hong Kong, via Shanghai, China, and Yokohama, Japan, to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1914, carrying 376 passengers from Punjab province in British India. The passengers comprised 337 Sikhs, 27 Muslims and 12 Hindus, all Punjabis and British subjects. Of these 376 passengers, 24 were admitted to Canada, but the other 352 were not allowed to disembark in Canada, and the ship was forced to leave Canadian waters. The ship was escorted by HMCS Rainbow, one of Canada's first two naval vessels. This was one of several incidents in the early 20th century in which exclusion laws in Canada and the United States were used to exclude immigrants of Asian origin. 18 Sikhs and 2 Muslims had died in riots.

Battles

About a thousand men in black turbans and khaki or white clothes gathered and since kirpans of more than 4 feet were banned the British sent 300 Baluchis and Pathans to quell the rebellion. Black flags with the Katar, dhal kirpan formation were seen flying above the crowds. The people suffered alot but won the battle in the end. The remaining men went to the Ghadar movement or the Babbar Akalis.

Second battle

In Tarn Tarn a few Babar Akalis hid and they saw British Gurkha troops pass by. They were hiding in a farm of sugar cane when they pounce on their enemies and ripped them to shreds with their kirpans and guns. Babar Akali horsemen with spears were also seen killing the troops. The Babbar Akalis stole their weapons.

Later in the day the British sent another Gurkha regiment and they too died by the same strategy.

Final battle

Shortly before the Babar Akalis were to be disbanded for financial reasons and that the British East India Company was already leaving the Ghadar Party did many silent protests. The British sent men to quell the silent protests. Bikaner Camel Corps and Police were sent to shoot them on sight. Akali-Nihangs of the Taruna Dal and Babar Akalis teamed up to kill them on their way to Nankana Sahib. The Babbar Akalis sent all their soldiers but the police force killed all of them. Later The Akali-Nihangs also launched a battalion of horse mounted men which proved to be faster than the camels and killed all of them.

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