Event, Metaphor, Memory: Chauri Chaura, 1922-1992

Taking Gandhi's statements about civil disobedience to heart, in February 1922 residents from villages around the north Indian market town of Chauri Chaura attacked the local police station, murdering 23 police constables. Appalled that his teachings were turned to violent ends, Gandhi called off his Non-cooperation Movement and fasted to bring the people back to non-violence. In the meantime, the British government denied that the riot reflected Indian resistance to its rule and tried the rioters as common criminals. These events took on great symbolic importance among Indians and this book examines the way in which the event has been remembered, interpreted and used as a metaphor for the Indian struggle for independence.