In 1917, a committee was set up under Sir Sydney Rowlatt to look into the militant activities of the Indian freedom fighters.
On the basis of its report, the Rowlatt Act was passed in March 1919 by the Imperial Legislative Council. The Rowlatt Act gave the Viceroy extraordinary powers to quell the rising discontent of the Indian masses.
According to this act, any person could be arrested on the basis of suspicion. No appeal or petition could be filed against such arrests. This act was called the ‘black Act’ and it was widely opposed.
An all-India hartal was organized on 6th April 1919. People came out in support of the hartal in various cities. Shops were shut down, and workers in railway workshops went on strike.
The British administration decided to clamp down on the nationalists. But the Rowlatt Act could not crush the will of the people. Instead, it only strengthened the resolve of the Indians not to give up the struggle until India attained independence.