The Non-Cooperation Movement was going so strong, so why would Gandhiji suddenly stop it just because of one incident at Chauri Chaura? It feels like he gave up too easily.
In February 1922 at Chauri Chaura in Uttar Pradesh, a protesting crowd clashed with police and set fire to a police station, killing 22 policemen. Gandhiji was deeply committed to ahimsa (non-violence) as the foundation of the movement, not just a tactic. He believed that if the masses turned violent, the struggle would lose its moral authority and could spiral into chaos he could not control. He felt the people were not yet fully trained in non-violent discipline. So he suspended Non-Cooperation in 1922. Many leaders disagreed, but for Gandhiji the means mattered as much as the goal. This decision shows his principle that a just end cannot be achieved through unjust, violent means.
Sign in as a tutor to answer this doubt.