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Question 11 of 66 · Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence
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The infamous 'crawling order' issued at Amritsar in April 1919, forcing Indians to crawl through a street where an Englishwoman had been assaulted, was issued by:

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Answer: Option D — General Reginald Dyer

Detailed Solution

The infamous "crawling order" was issued by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer at Amritsar in April 1919.

Background:

  • After the arrest of two popular leaders of Amritsar, Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal, on 10 April 1919, there were riots in the city.
  • During the riots, a British missionary, Miss Marcella Sherwood, was attacked and beaten while cycling through a narrow street (the Kucha Kaurichhan).

The crawling order:

  • Dyer ordered that any Indian who wished to pass through that street had to crawl on his belly along the street.
  • Soldiers were posted to enforce the order, and those who disobeyed were whipped.
  • The order was meant to humiliate Indians, and caused great anger.
  • It remained in force for several days.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre:

  • On 13 April 1919 (Baisakhi day), a large crowd gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.
  • Dyer brought troops, blocked the only exit, and ordered them to open fire without warning.
  • The firing continued for about ten minutes, until the ammunition was nearly exhausted.
  • Official figures said about 379 people were killed, but Indian estimates were much higher.

After the massacre:

  • Martial law was declared in Punjab, and there were many humiliating punishments, such as public floggings.
  • Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest.
  • Dyer was praised by many in Britain; the House of Lords supported him, and a fund was raised for him.
  • The Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab, Michael O'Dwyer, who supported Dyer, was later shot dead in London (1940) by Udham Singh.

NCERT on Jallianwala Bagh:

NCERT notes that the massacre caused a wave of anger across India, and led to the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Michael O'Dwyer was the Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab.
  • ✗General Frank Johnson commanded in Lahore.
  • ✗Sir Edward Maclagan later became Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab.

Quick tip

Remember: "crawling order" = General Reginald Dyer (Amritsar, April 1919; Miss Sherwood assaulted); Jallianwala Bagh (13 April 1919); O'Dwyer shot by Udham Singh (1940).

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Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the freedom struggle from Gandhi's return to India in 1915 to independence in 1947: the Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad movements, the Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh, the Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and Quit India movements, the Round Table Conferences, the Cripps Mission, the Cabinet Mission and the partition of India. Most questions ask about the year, cause or result of a movement, or the event that ended it. For example, the Chauri Chaura incident (1922) led Gandhi to call off the Non-Cooperation Movement, and the Dandi March (1930) started the Civil Disobedience Movement. Learning these events on a timeline is the best way to avoid confusion. Practise the Gandhian era questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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