HSLC 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017
The Civil Disobedience Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 as a powerful phase of India’s freedom struggle. The main aim of this movement was to weaken British authority by openly breaking unjust colonial laws through peaceful means. A historic beginning was made on March 12, 1930, when Gandhi, along with 78 followers including Sarojini Naidu, set out from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, covering a distance of about 240 miles. On reaching Dandi, Gandhi broke the Salt Law by making salt from seawater, an act that inspired people across the country. Soon, the movement spread rapidly to different regions of India.
In Assam, prominent leaders such as Hem Chandra Baruah, M. Tayebullah, Bishnuram Medhi and Ambikagiri Raychoudhury gathered at Judges’ Field in Guwahati to express support for Gandhi’s Salt Satyagraha. Leeladhar Barua, who was then a student of C.T. College, Calcutta, also joined the historic Dandi March, reflecting Assam’s emotional connection with the national movement.
At this stage, however, the Congress leadership in Assam felt that the province was not fully prepared for a large-scale mass movement. Leaders like Tarun Ram Phukan, R. K. Chaudhury and Nabin Chandra Bordoloi showed limited enthusiasm towards the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Despite these challenges, dedicated leaders such as Bishnuram Medhi, Hem Chandra Baruah, Mahammad Tayebullah and Ambikagiri Raychoudhury continued organisational work under difficult financial conditions. Recognising the need to revive the Congress in Assam, fresh leadership emerged under Bishnuram Medhi, Mahammad Tayebullah and Ambikagiri Raychoudhury, who reorganised the party by forming new committees and sub-committees.
These committees focused on collecting funds, breaking repressive laws, boycotting British goods, and running anti-opium and anti-liquor campaigns. Their efforts helped energise the movement across the province.
Young leaders like Omeo Kumar Das encouraged students to take part in the movement, though the initial response was modest. However, the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru on April 14 and Mahatma Gandhi on May 5, 1930, triggered widespread anger. Large numbers of students observed hartals in protest.
On May 6 and May 14, 1930, students in the Brahmaputra Valley boycotted educational institutions. Tensions increased further when R. J. Cunningham, the Director of Public Instruction, issued the Cunningham Circular in May 1930. The circular forced students and parents to sign declarations promising non-participation in political activities, with strict punishments such as fines, withdrawal of scholarships and even expulsion. Students strongly opposed this humiliating order, which intensified the Civil Disobedience Movement in Assam.
The Assam Chatra Sanmilan held a special session in Gauhati and decided to picket government institutions. Between July and August 1930, about 3,117 students out of 15,186 left their schools and colleges. Picketing soon spread to opium and liquor shops. Peasants also joined the movement by demanding a 50 per cent reduction in land revenue, and in some areas, forest laws were violated. Student protests were also reported from the Surma Valley, showing the wide reach of the movement in Assam.