Simon Commission: Indian Statutory Commission | Lala Lajpat Rai's Opposition to the Simon Commission and His Death

The Indian Statutory Commission, also known as the Simon Commission, was a group of seven members of the British Parliament, chaired by John Simon. This commission came to the Indian subcontinent in 1928 to study constitutional reforms in British India. One of its members was Clement Attlee, who later became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1945-1951).

Background

This commission was formed because in 1919, when the British government implemented the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, they announced that a commission would be sent to India after ten years to examine the impact and functioning of the constitutional reforms and to advise on further reforms.

The Muslim League and the Indian National Congress, along with prominent Indian leaders such as Nehru, Gandhi, and Jinnah, strongly opposed this commission because all its members were British, and there were no Indian members. However, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, and Chaudhry Rahmat Ali supported it.

The prominent Indian nationalist Lala Lajpat Rai led the protests against this commission in Lahore. During the protests, the police brutally assaulted him, and he died 18 days later on November 17, 1928.

The Government of India Act of 1919 introduced the system of dual government for governing the provinces of British India. Public opinion in India demanded changes to this system of governance, and the 1919 Government of India Act stipulated that a commission would be appointed after ten years to examine the progress of the government's scheme and suggest new measures for improvement. The Secretary of State for India, F.E. Smith, feared that the Conservative Party in power might lose the election to the Labour Party, and therefore he feared that party members and supporters would be appointed to the commission. Consequently, the commission was hastily appointed, comprising seven members of Parliament to examine the status of the Indian constitution. He also ensured that there were no Indians on the commission, as he believed that Labour MPs and Indian members would vote together. The Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, also supported the decision to exclude Indians, as he too believed they would vote together with the Labour MPs.

In India, some people were outraged and insulted by the fact that the Simon Commission, which was to determine India's future, had no Indian members. The Indian National Congress passed a resolution at its meeting in Madras (now Chennai) in December 1927 to boycott the commission and challenged the Secretary of State for India, Lord Birkenhead, to draft a constitution acceptable to Indians.

In view of the Congress's opposition, F.E. Smith sought to publicize the commission's meetings with "representative Muslims" in order to "instill in the large Hindu population the fear that the commission was dominated by Muslims and might produce a report highly detrimental to Hindus."

However, opinions were divided; some members of the Muslim League, as well as members of the Hindu Mahasabha and the Central Sikh League, supported cooperation. The Indian Council formed an All-India Committee for cooperation with the Simon Commission, and the Viceroy, Lord Irwin, selected its members. The committee members were: C. S. Naicker (Chairman), Arthur Frum, Nawab Ali Khan, Shivdev Singh Uberoi, Zulfiqar Ali Khan, Hari Singh Gour, Abdullah Al-Mamoon Suhrawardy, Kikabhai Premchand, and Prof. M.C. Raja.

In Burma (now Myanmar), which was also under the purview of the Simon Commission, there were fears that the Burmese union with India would continue, or that the constitution suggested for Burma by the commission would be less liberal than the one chosen for India; these fears led to tension and violence in Burma, culminating in the Saya San Rebellion.

The commission found that untouchables were being denied education and subjected to ill-treatment on the basis of caste.

Lala Lajpat Rai's Opposition to the Simon Commission and His Death

The Simon Commission left England in January 1928. Upon its arrival in Bombay on February 3, 1928, its members were greeted by a large crowd of protesters, although some in the crowd considered it a step towards self-rule. A strike was declared, and many people joined the march, carrying black flags and shouting "Simon, go back!" In Patna, the protests against the Simon Commission were led by M.A. Azazi. Similar protests took place in every major city in India visited by the seven British MPs.

One protest against the Simon Commission became particularly famous. On October 30, 1928, the commission arrived in Lahore, where protesters waving black flags greeted them. This protest was led by the Indian nationalist Lala Lajpat Rai, who had introduced a resolution against the commission in the Punjab Legislative Council in February 1928. The protesters blocked the road to prevent the commission members from leaving the railway station. To clear the way for the commission, the local police, led by Superintendent James Scott, started lathi-charging the protesters. Lala Lajpat Rai was seriously injured, and he died from his head injuries on November 17, 1928.