Centenary of the Chauri Chaura Incident.

Why in news?

• Chauri Chaura incident is said to have given a new direction to the country’s freedom struggle.
• Chauri Chaura is a town in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Chauri Chaura Incident:

• On 4^thFebruary, volunteers congregated in the town, and after the meeting, proceeded in a procession to the local police station, and to picket the nearby Mundera bazaar.
• The police fired into the crowd killing some people and injuring many volunteers.
• In retaliation, the crowd proceeded to set the police station on fire.
• Some of the policemen who tried to escape were caught and battered to death. A lot of police property, including weapons, was destroyed.
• Mahatma Gandhi condemned the crime of the policemen’s killing. The volunteer groups in nearby villages were disbanded, and a Chauri Chaura Support Fund was set up to demonstrate “genuine sympathy” and seek atonement.
• Gandhi decided to stop the Non-Cooperation Movement, which he saw as having been tainted by unforgivable violence.