The Indian National Congress was founded in December 1885 at the initiative of a retired British civil servant:

The Indian National Congress was founded in December 1885 at the initiative of Allan Octavian Hume (A. O. Hume), a retired British officer of the Indian Civil Service.

About A. O. Hume:

• He was born on 4 June 1829 in England.
• He joined the Indian Civil Service and served in the North-Western Provinces (Etawah), where he was the District Collector during the Revolt of 1857.
• He introduced reforms in education and the police, and worked to improve the condition of the people.
• He retired from the service in 1882, after differences with the government.
• He was also a famous ornithologist; he is called the "Father of Indian Ornithology", and wrote "The Game Birds of India, Burma and Ceylon".

His role in founding the Congress:

• In 1883, he wrote an open letter to the graduates of Calcutta University, urging them to form an organisation for the political and social advancement of India.
• He worked with Indian leaders to organise the first session of the Congress at Bombay in December 1885.
• He served as the General Secretary of the Congress for many years (1885-1906).

The "safety valve" theory:

• Some historians have argued that Hume founded the Congress as a "safety valve", to provide a peaceful outlet for the growing discontent among educated Indians, and so prevent a violent revolt like 1857.
• Other historians reject this theory, and say that Indian leaders were already working to form a national organisation, and used Hume as a "lightning conductor" to avoid suspicion from the government.

NCERT on the Congress:

• NCERT notes that the early Congress leaders were mostly from Bombay and Calcutta.
• Hume left India in 1894, and died in London in 1912.

Why not the other options?

• ✗William Wedderburn, George Yule and Henry Cotton were other British supporters of the Congress.