Jaito morcha 21 feb

1. JAITO MORCHA
(Agitation of Jaiton21
st
February)

2. GURUDWARA SHRITIBBISAHIB, GANGSARJAITO
JaitonisasmalltowninFaridkotDistrictofPunjab.It
islocatedontheFaridkotBathindaroad.Gurdwara
GurusardedicatedtoGuruGobindSinghis
locatedtowardswestofthistown.FamousGurdwara
TibbiSahibislocatedtowardseastofJaiton.This
placecametothelimelightduringtheAkali
movementJaitondaMorcha(agitationofJaiton).This
movementtookplacefrom1923to1925.

3. RipudamanSingh, Maharaja of Nabha
•JaitonMorchawasanAkaliagitationfortherestoration
ofMaharajaRipudamanSinghofNabha(aprincelystateinthe
Punjab)tohisthrone.TheMaharajahadstrongproAkali
sympathies.HehadsupportedtheGurukaBaghMorcha.He
starteddonningablackturbanasamarkofprotestagainstthe
massacreofthereformistsatNankanaSahib.
•HiscontactswiththeIndiannationalistleadershadirkedthe
Britishgovernment.Hewasforcedtoabdicateinfavorofhis
minorson,PartapSinghbyBritishGovernmentonJuly91923.
TheBritishofficialsdeclaredhisabdicationtobevoluntary.The
Akalisandthenationalistleaderscondemneditasanactof
highhandednessoftheBritishGovernment.

4. Master Tara Singh
MasterTaraSinghdenouncedthemeasureandconsideredit
equivalenttoremovalofMaharajaDuleepSingh’sfromthethrone
ofthePunjab.Acommitteewassetuptorestorethethroneof
MaharajaofNabha.PeopleofPunjabwererequestedtoobserve
July29,1923asadaytoprayforrestorationofthethroneofthe
Maharaja.

5. •TheShiromaniGurdwaraParbandhakCommitteedispatchedatelegramtoLord
Reading,theViceroyofIndiaonAugust2,1923,challengingtheofficialversion
thattheMaharajahadvoluntarilyrelinquishedhisgaddi(throne).TheViceroywas
requestedtoorderanindependentenquirytoestablishthetruth.Threedayslater,
thecommitteepassedaresolutionaskingitsexecutivecommitteetocarryona
peacefulcampaigntorestoreMaharajaRipudamanSinghbackonthethroneof
Nabha.ANabhagovernmentordinanceprohibitingpublicdiscussionoftheissue
wasdefiedbytheSikhs.Theystartedconveningmeetingstocondemnthe
depositionoftheMaharaja.

6. •Followingapublicmarch,adivan(congregation)washeldatJaito(located
inNabhaterritory)onAugust25,1923.Duringthiscongregation,sympathieswere
expressedtotheMaharajaandthegovernmentactionwasstronglycondemned.
NabhastateauthoritiesarrestedtheorganizersofthedivanonAugust27.The
divanwasoriginallyscheduledtoconcludeonAugust27,butthearrestsmadeby
policeprovokedtheAkalistocontinueitindefinitely.Theystartedaseriesof
akhandpaths(continuousrecitationsoftheGuruGranthSahib).Thepolicemade
morearrestsonSeptember14,1923.Duringarrest,thepolicedisplacedthe
granthisittingatanakhandpathandreplacedhimwiththeirownreader,
AtmaSingh.Thesacrilegecommittedbythepolicecreatedagreatcommotion
amongtheSikhs.

7. •TheShiromaniGurdwaraParbandhakCommitteecondemnedthisactiononSeptember29.
ThecommitteedeclareditsdeterminationtoobtaintheSikhs’righttofreeworship.
•Thegovernmentdeniedthattheakhandpathwasinterrupted.Thejathas(groupof
voluntarySikhs)keptpouringinatJaiton.TheSecretaryofStaterequestedtheViceroyto
stoptotheAkalioperationbyarrestandprosecutionofalltheorganizersasabettors.Asa
result,thePunjabGovernmentdeclaredboththeShiromaniGurdwara
ParbandhakCommitteeandtheShiromamAkaliDalasunlawfulassociations.Allthe60
membersoftheinterimShiromaniCommitteewerearrestedonchargesoftreasonagainst
theKing.AkalijathaswerestoppedtoenterNabhaterritory.Volunteerswerearrested,
beatenbypoliceandleftoffindistantdesertsareaswithoutfoodorwater.

8. The Martyr’s Group during Jaitonda Morcha
Tointensifytheagitation,theAkalisincreasedthesizeofthe
jathas.500AkalismarchedfromtheAkalTakhtOnFebruary9
1924.Theyreceivedunprecedentedwelcomeinvillagesandtowns
throughwhichtheypassed.S.Zimand,aNewYorkTimes
correspondentwhowitnessedthejathaonthemarch,observed
thatTheJathawasmovinginperfectorderandnonviolencewith
largecrowdsofpubliconitsrightandleft,fiveNishanSahibsin
thefrontandGuruGranthinthemiddle.Thejathareached
Bargari(avillageonNabhaFaridkotborder,locatedatadistance
ofabout10kmfromJaito)on20February1924.

9. •TheNabhaadministrator,WilsonJohnstontookpositionwithalargeforceatadistance
ofabout150metersfromGurdwaraTibbiSahib.ThejathamarchedtowardstheGurdwara
onFebruary21.ThevolunteersrefusedtoobeytheinstructionsofWilsonJohnstontostop
anddisperse.Theadministratororderedthearmytoopenfire.Intwovolleysoffirelasting
aboutfiveminutes,severalvolunteersdied.Theofficialestimateofthecasualtieswas19
deadand29injured.TheAkalifiguresweremuchhigher.
•ThefiringonthepeacefuljathaofAkaliscausedresentmentthroughoutthecountry.
Another500volunteersShahidijathaleftAmritsarforJaitoonFebruary28,1924.Itwas
takenintocustodyonMarch14.Thirteenmore500volunteers’jathasreachedJaitoand
courtedarrest.SikhjathasalsocamefromCanada,HongKongandShanghaitojointhe
campaign.

10. •TheGovernorofthePunjab,SirMalcolmHailey,triedthepolicyofcreating
aschisminthecommunitybycreatingparallelSikhSudharCommittees
representingmoderateandprogovernmentsections.A101strongjathawas
allowedtoperformanakhandpathatJaito.Butthisdidnotconciliatethe
generalSikhopinion.Italsodidnotaffectthetempooftheagitation.On
theissuethattheAkaliswereallowedtoperformanakhandpathatJaito,the
governmentwaspreparedtostartnegotiationsthroughPandit
MadanMohanMalviyaandBhaiJodhSingh.But,itwasadamantonthe
questionofmakingrestitutiontothedeposedMaharajaofhisstate.

11. •Inthemeantime,thePunjabGovernmentintroducedintheLegislative
CounciltheSikhGurudwarasBill.ItwasunanimouslypassedonJuly7,
1925.Afterthebillwaspassed,SirMalcolmHailey,GovernorofthePunjab,
announcedduringhisspeechtothePunjabLegislativeCouncilthatthe
AdministratorofNabhawouldpermitthebandsofpilgrimstoprecedefor
religiousworshiptoGurdwaraGangsaratJaito.Theannouncementwas
followedbythereleaseofmostoftheAkaliprisoners.TheAkalisstarteda
seriesof101AkhandPathrecitations.ItwasconcludedonAugust6,1925.