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An eyewitness record of 1922 trial of Mahatma Gandhiji Author: Late “Kalaguru” Ravishankar Raval (1892-1977) * -adapted in English by Dr. Kanak Raval, Portland, OR. USA from the original Gujarati text. This is adapted from the original text in Gujarati published in “Gujaratma Kalana Pagaran” -an autobiography of Shri Ravishankar Raval. In 1922, the British Raj sued Mahatma Gandhiji for sedition. History has recorded it as “The Great Trial” and it is well documented elsewhere. Amongst the few chosen ones in the audience, Ravishankar Raval had witnessed that closed doors trial. Sometime in 1950s he documented the whole event in his autobiography. What is interesting is that he recreated the only picture of the trial (shown on the right) as the press photographers were strictly prohibited from covering the event. This oil painting of the court scene was based on the original pencil sketch done surreptitiously by him under the very eyes of the court. Here follows Ravishankar Raval’s own account of the Gandhi Trial of 1922 in his own words. “As many as 22 policemen were burnt alive by a rampaging mob after the police fired on a procession of Satyagrahis (Activists) in Chauri Chaura near Gorakhpur, India on February 4, 1922. Mahatma Gandhi was shaken by the violence of Chauri Chaura and abruptly called off the non-co-operation movement in 1922 when the movement was at its peak. Gandhiji while at Bardoli, Gujarat, on hearing about the Chauri Chaura massacre said: “Chauri Chaura was a 'divine warning' that the masses were not yet prepared for launching a non-violent struggle to gain freedom for the country.” In turn, he directed the people to carry out ‘Rachanatmak Karyakram’ (Constructive activities). He considered himself fully responsible for the massacre and went on fasting as atonement. On completion of his fasting, he went to Delhi and got the All India Congress Committee (AICC) to pass a resolution to cancel the proposed Satyagrah (nonviolent resistance) with a provision for any individual person to practice Satyagrah as guided by one’s conscience. However even after the AICC resolution to withdraw the Satyagrah, India’s British Raj continued to arrest people on a large scale though it was less so in Gujarat. Gandhiji advised people to maintain peace but added that he would consider the individual requests for Satyagrah. He cautioned, “Do not go on strike if the Government arrests me. It would be my greatest honor if my compatriots maintain exemplary peace while I am behind the bars”. ==Hunting the Lion== Now the Raj had resolved to crush the freedom movement completely. On March 10, 1922, Gandhiji and Shankarlal Banker as an editor-producer of NAV JIVAN-YOUNG INDIA were accused for treason and arrested. On March 11, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel wrote under the title ‘Hunting the Lion’: “British Raj has finally dared to imprison the supreme leader of India for his novel and miraculous experiment in the history of the world for liberty and protection of Dharma(Justice). But sooner or later Raj will surrender to the will power of this greatman” Gandhiji and Banker did not submit any appeal in their defense so magistrate Brown intended to file a bill of indictment with the court of inquiry. The case was to be conducted in a room of the newly built Circuit House at Ahmedabad. As per the advice of Gandhiji, the local Congress leaders directed the populace to stay away from that area. Even then, the authorities declared the daylong curfew in the city of Ahmadabad and the security forces heavily guarded the Circuit House. Only the individuals with special permits were allowed to enter the premises. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hunting the Lion–An eyewitness record of 1922 trial of Mahatma Gandhiji」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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