BACKGROUND TO CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND ROLE OF HINDUSTANI SEVA DAL IN BRITISH BOMBAY

This paper is purely based on primary sources i.e. Archival Files of Home Department Special and throws light on the activities in British Bombay organised by Hindustani Seva Dal in protesting British policy which prepared the very background for Civil Disobedience Movement launched by Gandhiji in 1930. There are so many Political parties in India and their small wings such as Student"s wing, Youth wing, Women wing, SC/ST wing etc. During Congress movement a Wing called Hindustani Seva Dal, the auxiliary Volunteer organization of the Indian National Congress was founded on 1st January, 1924 as per the Kakinada Session of the Indian National Congress, 1923. There was a Flag Satyagraha in Nagpur and many Satyagrahis were arrested and were sentenced. Many more Satyagrahis tendered apologies British Officers to avoid rigor imprisonments. But only the activists of Hubli Seva Mandal refused to do so. Then after the INC authorities came to know the need of such organization within Congress. The Dal faced much initial opposition from Congressmen, who were opposed to the idea of creating a militia like organisation in the Congress, seeing it as a threat to the idea of civilian dominance and as being inconsistent with the idea of non-violence.1 Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was elected as the President and Dr. N.S.Hardikar as Secretary. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was closely associated with the organisation, especially in the 1930s.