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Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh | ISC Class 11 History

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HistoryISC Class 11 · Gandhian Nationalism 1916-1922

The Rowlatt Act, Satyagraha and Jallianwala Bagh (ISC Class 11 History)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The Rowlatt Act of March 1919 allowed arrest without warrant and trial without jury; Gandhi's Satyagraha Sabha called an all-India hartal on 6 April 1919. After arrests in Amritsar, General Dyer's troops fired on a crowd at Jallianwala Bagh on 13 April 1919; the Hunter Committee criticised him, and Indian faith in British justice broke.

Follow the chain in 1919: an unjust law led to a hartal, arrests, the Jallianwala Bagh firing and a loss of faith in British justice.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand The Rowlatt Act, Satyagraha and Jallianwala Bagh

Why the Act. The Defence of India Act (1915) would lapse after the war and the government wanted to keep emergency powers; revolutionary activity in Bengal and Punjab (the Ghadar movement) alarmed officials; officials feared post-war unrest (high prices, demobilised soldiers, the Russian example). Justice Sidney Rowlatt's Sedition Committee (1918) recommended the new law.

Terms (Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, March 1919). Arrest without warrant and detention without trial for up to two years; special courts of three High Court judges, no jury and no appeal, with evidence not allowed under ordinary law; powers to restrict the press and demand securities. It passed despite the united opposition of Indian members of the Imperial Legislative Council; Jinnah resigned. Indians said "no vakil, no daleel, no appeal".

Rowlatt Satyagraha. Gandhi called it the Black Act and formed the Satyagraha Sabha (February 1919) whose members pledged to disobey. Hartal: Delhi on 30 March, most of India on 6 April 1919, with shops closed, fasting and prayer; Hindus and Muslims joined. Gandhi was stopped from entering Punjab and detained (April 1919). In Amritsar Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal were arrested on 10 April; crowds attacked buildings, Europeans were killed and the army under Dyer took control. Gandhi withdrew the satyagraha on 18 April 1919, calling it a "Himalayan miscalculation" to launch civil disobedience before people were trained in non-violence.

Jallianwala Bagh (13 April 1919). Meetings were banned in Amritsar but the ban was not widely known. On Baisakhi a large crowd, many villagers at the fair, gathered in the walled Bagh with narrow exits. Dyer blocked the main exit and ordered firing without warning for about ten minutes. Hunter Committee figures: 379 killed and over a thousand wounded; Indian estimates were higher.

Aftermath. Martial law in Punjab: floggings, the crawling order, bombing of crowds at Gujranwala. Dyer spoke of a "moral effect". Tagore renounced his knighthood and Gandhi returned his Kaiser-i-Hind medal. The Hunter Committee criticised Dyer; he was removed from command but not punished, and some in Britain praised him. The Congress inquiry condemned the massacre; Indian faith in British justice broke.

The Rowlatt Act, Satyagraha and Jallianwala Bagh: key facts

Rowlatt timeline
  • Sedition Committee 1918
  • Act March 1919
  • Hartal 30 March (Delhi), 6 April
  • Gandhi withdraws 18 April
Amritsar
  • 10 April: Kitchlew and Satyapal arrested
  • 13 April: Jallianwala Bagh
  • About ten minutes of firing
Casualties
  • Hunter Committee: 379 killed
  • Over 1,000 wounded
  • Indian estimates higher
Act terms
  • Arrest without warrant
  • Detention without trial up to two years
  • No jury, no appeal

How to answer The Rowlatt Act, Satyagraha and Jallianwala Bagh questions

Expect 4-mark reasons or terms, and 8-mark Jallianwala causes and impact; source-based items use the Himalayan miscalculation.

  1. 1Give reasons for the Act in order: lapsing powers, revolutionaries, post-war fears.
  2. 2State the main terms and the Indian slogan.
  3. 3Narrate satyagraha and events at Amritsar with dates.
  4. 4Describe Jallianwala and its impact on opinion.

The Rowlatt Act, Satyagraha and Jallianwala Bagh in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Days of the crisis

Suppose a student wants the gap between the hartal of 6 April 1919 and the massacre on 13 April 1919, and between the massacre and Gandhi's withdrawal on 18 April.

Find the two gaps.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. 13 - 6 = 7 days.
  2. 18 - 13 = 5 days.

Answer: 7 days and 5 days.

Memory hook: Subtract the days.

A banned meeting

Suppose a town bans meetings, but many villagers coming to a fair do not know the ban.

Which event does this recall?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The ban in Amritsar was not widely known.
  2. Villagers came for Baisakhi and gathered at Jallianwala Bagh.

Answer: Jallianwala Bagh, 13 April 1919.

Memory hook: Fair crowd, unknown ban.

Tricks to remember The Rowlatt Act, Satyagraha and Jallianwala Bagh

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • No vakil, no daleel, no appeal

    Three losses: lawyer, argument, appeal.

    Use it when: Rowlatt slogan.

  • Hartal 6, Bagh 13, withdraw 18

    April: 6, 13, 18.

    Use it when: Dates.

The Rowlatt Act, Satyagraha and Jallianwala Bagh: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Act date · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

The Rowlatt Act was passed in:
(a) March 1919
(b) April 1919
(c) December 1919
(d) March 1920

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Before the hartal.

Answer: (a) March 1919.

Example 2: Terms · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

State three main terms of the Rowlatt Act.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Arrest without warrant.
  2. Detention without trial for up to two years.
  3. Special courts of three judges with no jury and no appeal.

Answer: Arrest without warrant, detention up to two years, special courts without jury or appeal.

Example 3: Reasons · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain why the government passed the Rowlatt Act in 1919.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Wartime powers under the Defence of India Act were about to lapse.
  2. Revolutionary activity in Bengal and the Ghadar movement in Punjab alarmed officials.
  3. Fear of post-war unrest: high prices, demobilised soldiers and the Russian Revolution.
  4. The Rowlatt (Sedition) Committee of 1918 recommended the law.

Answer: To keep emergency powers amid fear of revolutionaries and unrest, on the Rowlatt Committee's advice.

Example 4: Impact of Jallianwala · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain the impact of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on Indian opinion and on British policy.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Indian faith in British justice was broken.
  2. Tagore renounced his knighthood and Gandhi returned his medal.
  3. The Hunter Committee criticised Dyer but he was not punished.
  4. Moderates and masses alike turned against the Raj.

Answer: It broke faith in British justice and united the moderates and masses against the Raj.

Example 5: Source work · 5 marks · Source-basedHOTS / competency

Read the extract and answer.
Gandhi withdrew the satyagraha on 18 April 1919, calling it a "Himalayan miscalculation" to have launched civil disobedience before people were trained in non-violence.
(i) On what date was it withdrawn? [1]
(ii) What did Gandhi mean by "Himalayan miscalculation"? [2]
(iii) Which events had shown the lack of non-violent training? [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (i) 18 April 1919.
  2. (ii) That it was a huge error to launch civil disobedience before people had learnt non-violence.
  3. (iii) The riots in Bombay, Ahmedabad and Punjab and the violence in Amritsar after the arrests of 10 April.

Answer: (i) 18 April (ii) a huge mistake to start before training (iii) riots in Punjab and Amritsar.

Where students lose marks in The Rowlatt Act, Satyagraha and Jallianwala Bagh

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Dating Jallianwala Bagh to 6 April

    Dates are mixed.

    Do this: 13 April 1919 (Baisakhi).

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Confusing the Hunter figures

    Indian estimates are quoted as official.

    Do this: Hunter: 379 killed, over 1,000 wounded; Indian estimates higher.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Missing the satyagraha

    Only the massacre is written.

    Do this: Add the hartal and Gandhi's withdrawal.

    Usually costs: 2 marks.

Exam tips

  • List the Act's terms in three points.
  • Give the April dates in order.
  • Use neutral wording when describing Dyer.
  • Mention both Tagore and Gandhi's responses.

Practice questions on The Rowlatt Act, Satyagraha and Jallianwala Bagh

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Who ordered the firing at Jallianwala Bagh?
    (a) Lord Chelmsford
    (b) Sir Michael O'Dwyer
    (c) General Dyer
    (d) Sidney Rowlatt

    Hint

    Troops entered the Bagh.

    Answer

    (c) General Dyer.

  2. Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Who were Kitchlew and Satyapal and why were they arrested?

    Hint

    Amritsar leaders.

    Answer

    They were local leaders in Amritsar, arrested on 10 April 1919 during the Rowlatt agitation; their arrest led to crowds, violence and the army taking control.

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Hunter Committee figures give 379 killed and over 1,000 wounded at Jallianwala Bagh. Find the minimum total casualties and the number killed per minute of firing if the firing lasted about ten minutes (to one decimal).

    Hint

    Add; then divide by 10.

    Answer

    Minimum casualties = 379 + 1,000 = 1,379. Killed per minute = 379/10 = 37.9, about 38 a minute (an average, since the figures are approximate).

  4. Q4 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    Explain the measures taken under martial law in Punjab after Jallianwala Bagh.

    Hint

    Floggings, crawling order, bombing.

    Answer

    Public floggings, the crawling order in the street where a missionary had been attacked, and the bombing of crowds at Gujranwala.

  5. Q5 · 3 marks · Assertion-reasonHOTS / competency

    Assertion (A): Gandhi's first all-India mass movement was the Rowlatt Satyagraha.
    Reason (R): The hartal of 6 April 1919 drew people in towns across India.
    (a) Both true and R explains A
    (b) Both true but R does not explain A
    (c) A true, R false
    (d) A false, R true

    Hint

    First all-India mass movement.

    Answer

    (a) Both A and R are true and R explains A.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Maximum detention under the Act?Show answer

    Two years.

  2. 2.Gandhi withdrew the satyagraha on?Show answer

    18 April 1919.

  3. 3.Hunter Committee death figure?Show answer

    379.

  4. 4.Which festival on 13 April?Show answer

    Baisakhi.

  5. 5.Who resigned in protest from the council?Show answer

    Jinnah.

The Rowlatt Act, Satyagraha and Jallianwala Bagh: frequently asked questions

Why was it called the Black Act?

Gandhi condemned it as unjust.

Was Dyer punished?

He was removed from command but not punished.

Why did Gandhi call it a miscalculation?

The people were not trained in non-violence.