What is the little known chronicle of the Quit India Movement hosted and hoisted in Mumbai?

On August 7th?and 8th?of the year 1942, a historic session of the All India Congress Committee under the presidentship of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was staged at the Gowalia Tank Maidan (later rechristened August Kranti Maidan). On August 8th, Mahatma Gandhi gave the clarion call of “do or die” as also “Quit India”, the vintage slogan coined by the towering socialist leader Yusuf Meherally (the epic phrase “Simon Go Back” was another brainchild of his.)

Gowalia tank, as the name suggests, was originally an underground tank frequented by Go Walias (cow owners) to bathe their cows. Later, a maidan was built on the tank premises but the old name remained. Gowalia Tank was reportedly a major Tram Terminus too. In close proximity to Gowalia Tank Maidan is Mani Bhavan, Mahatma Gandhi’s Mumbai residence, as also the headquarters of the Indian National Congress.?

At the AICC session, the lame terms put forth by Sir Stafford Cripps at the behest of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were outrightly rejected, but notwithstanding the ‘Quit India’ and ‘Do or Die’ slogans, it was unanimously decided that negotiations with the British should continue in parallel in expectation of a favourable turn of events.?

However, Mahatma Gandhi was arrested at Birla House in the wee hours of August 9 which was followed by the detention of another 50 leaders. Consequently, violent protests erupted all over the country. Underground activity was the hallmark of the Quit India movement and its Mumbai masterminds included Purushottamdas Trikamdas, Ram Manohar Lohia, and Achyutrao Patwardhan. Usha Mehta, and Chandrakant and Vitthal Jhaveri operated the secret Azad Radio of the Congress party for 90 days at a stretch. Nanik Motwani of Chicago Radio provided the needful technical assistance.???

Amid the mayhem, Aruna Asaf Ali managed to hoist the freedom flag at Gowalia Tank defying the heavy police cordon, and Kasturba Gandhi addressed a meet at Shivaji Park in Dadar. An ailing Mahatma Gandhi was released from captivity on May 6, following his 21 day fast at the prison. He stayed at the cottage of Jahangir Patel in Juhu and conducted crucial meetings with senior leaders from there.??

From August till October, as many as 3450 people were arrested in Mumbai, 37 people lost their lives, and 502 sustained serious injuries. The British squarely blamed Gandhi for the violence and casualties, but he outrightly dismissed the unfair allegation, and very unlike his normal stance, he did not condemn the violent protests of the natives.????

It is interesting to note how the police handled the law and order situation during the Quit India clashes. Since the protesters planned to make free use of hand grenades and desi bombs, the government appointed a special Sabotage Branch of the C.I.D. under the stewardship of an upright Maratha inspector. He understood the gravity of the situation and instructed his troops to bear in mind that the protesters were not criminals but freedom fighters representing a cause, and hence the need to exercise leniency in full measure. Consequently, many protestors were released without charge, and the arrested were duly produced in court. Barring exceptions, the desi police staffers exercised exceptional restraint in locking horns with the tricky circumstances.

Later, when an interim Congress government was set up in 1946, many complaints of police atrocities were made to Mumbai home minister Morarji Desai who examined each case scrupulously before giving the Sabotage Branch a clean chit. The head of the Sabotage Branch was none other than Babasaheb Gawde, the illustrious founder of Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir, a legendary charitable institution open to people of all castes and classes to help them become visionary leaders.

Motivated by different reasons, a few Indian leaders opposed the Quit India movement. . Congress leaders Kanhaiyalal Munshi and C. Rajagopalachari had stepped down from their positions prior to the launch of the movement.??Noted Humanist M. N. Roy proclaimed that India’s real enemies were Fascism and Nazism and hence pledged support to the British in its world war campaign. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar felt it was inappropriate to spread terror in such unruly fashion at a delicate hour. V. D. Savarkar was not opposed to Indian youth joining the British army under the policy of responsive cooperation. The communists openly opposed the Quit India movement barring its Navjeevan Sangathna faction which wholeheartedly backed Gandhi?

The contrarian views of all these prominent leaders were based on their sincere beliefs about what was best for India and her larger cause, and their opposition to the Quit India movement didn’t make any of them any less of a patriot than the rest.