Komagata Maru Incident

Komagata Maru Incident of 1914 was related to disallowance of Indians entry in Canada and their subsequent killing by Britishers when they returned back to India. In this article, you will learn Komagata Maru meaning, history of Komagata Maru incident and aftereffects providing key insights for GS Paper-I Indian History section of UPSC IAS Exam.

Table of Content

• What was Komagata Maru?        
• The Komagata Maru incident
• The Komagata Maru’s arrival at Vancouver           
• Komagata Maru lefts Vancouver
• Conclusion         
• Frequently Asked Questions       
• Reference           

What was Komagata Maru?

• Komagata Maru was the name of Japanese steamship built in 20^th century.

The Komagata Maru incident:

• In March 1914, the Komagata Maru ship has began its journey towards Canada.
• Canada had imposed strict restrictions on Indian immigration under a law “an Order in Council”.
• Order in Council has only allowed entry to those who had made a continuous journey from India.
• This law proved effective as there were no shipping lines that were offering such a route.
• In November 1913, the Canadian Supreme Court had permitted the entry of thirty-five Indians who had not made a continuous journey.
• This inspired Gurdit Singh, an Indiancontractor residing in Singapore, to charter a ship and transport Indians from various places in East and Southeast Asia to Vancouver of Canada.
  • The ship had carried a total of 376 Indian passengers.
• In Japan, Ghadar activists had visited the ship at Yokohama and delivered speeches and distributed literature.
• The Punjab press had warned of grave consequences if the Indians were denied entry into Canada, while some Canadian newspapers in Vancouver had raised concerns about an alleged “Mounting Oriental Invasion.”
• In response, the Canadian government closed the legal loopholes that was created by the Supreme Court judgment in November.

The Komagata Maru’s arrival at Vancouver

• The voyage of the Komagata Maru when reached in Vancouver, it was denied entry to the port and it was surrounded by the police.
• A “Shore Committee” was formed, led by Husain Rahim, Sohan Lal Pathak, and Balwant Singh, to advocate for the passengers’ rights.
• Fundraising and protest meetings were organized, and rebellion against British rule in India was threatened.
• In the United States, a campaign was launched under the leadership of Bhagwan Singh, Baikatullah, Ram Chandra, and Sohan Singh Bhakna, who advised people to prepare for rebellion.

Komagata Maru lefts Vancouver

• At last, the Komagata Maru was forced out of Canadian waters without allowing majority of Indian to enter Canada.
• Before reaching Yokohama, World War I had erupted.
• The British government had issued orders that prohibited passengers from leaving at any port along the way, except for Calcutta.
• Each port touched by the Komagata Maru ship stirred resentment and anger amongst the Indian community, becoming a catalyst for anti-British mobilization.
• After landing at Budge Budge of Calcutta, the passengers grew frustrated and provoked by the authorities’ hostile attitude.
• The passengers had refused to board the Punjab bound train.
• The passengers started clashes with the police, resulting in the death of eighteen passengers, the arrest of 202 individuals while some were able to escape.

Conclusion

In 2013, the Budge Budge station was renamed as Komagata Maru Budge Budge station to commemorate the martyrs of the Komagata Maru incident, who were killed by Britishers through bulltes. The Komagata Maru memorial was also built in Vancouver of Canda to commemorate the martyrs of Komagata Maru incident, 1914.

Ref:Source-1

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)