Komagata Maru: Not Just a Voyage

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On Komagata Maru, a Japanese steamship that sailed from Hong Kong to Canada were 376 passengers from Punjab. It was the year 1914 and the revolutionary struggle for freedom had begun across India. These patriots too publicly showed concern for their motherland on the lines of their Ghadarite brothers. However, the Canadian government admitted only 20 passengers into the country and rest were deported. The Canadian government argued that the ship had violated the exclusion laws. The ship returned to India. As soon as it arrived at Calcutta, the police swung into action and tried to arrest the most vocals amongst them. The leaders had staunch followers, so a fight ensued. The police opened fire at the passengers killing 19 and injuring many of them including the nine years old son of Baba Gurdit Singh. Most of the passengers were arrested and detained in the jails including the minor son of Baba Gurdit Singh, who himself gave a slip to the police.

Malwinderjit Singh Waraich and Gurdev Singh Sidhu are eminent authors associated with legal cases involving Komagata Maru incident.

Rebutting the claim of the passenger victims of the ship to be treated as freedom fighters in CWP (PIL) No. 8377 of 2003, titled: Malwinderjit Singh Waraich Versus Union of India before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh, it was averred that "Merely because occupants of the Komagata Maru left the country in the year 1914-15 and spent some amount and suffered some sort of assault (sic) does not establish that they participated in the freedom movement or there is any connection with the freedom struggle."

Let it may be looked upon as an off the cuff observation. The relevant citation from an official publication 'History of the Freedom Movement in India', Vol. III, by Sh. Tara Chand, reads:

"An offshoot of the revolutionary activities abroad was the Komagata Maru case. The facts were that a number of Sikhs from India travelled by a Japanese Ship-Komagata Maru, to enter British Columbia in western Canada. The Canadian authorities refused them permission to land and the ship had to return. The ship reached Budge Budge near Calcutta, on the 29th September, 1914.

Arrangements were made to dispatch them by a special train which excited the suspicion of the men. Most of them refused to entertain and marched towards Calcutta. The police tried to stop them but they refused. Troops and more police were sent for and it appeared to the Sikhs that force would be used against them. Their leader Baba Gurdit Singh was approached by a sergeant of the European police with intention to coerce him.