[Gandhiji's own writing]

"..in Chauri Chaura (in Uttar Pradesh) people turned violent and set fire to a police station causing the death of 22 policemen."

From Swaraj to complete independence

The Non-cooperation movement was a great success .The mood of the people can be gauged from the fact that at the Congress session held at Ahmedabad in 1921, many people were no longer satisfied with the slogan of Swaraj which did not mean complete independence.

Early in February, Gandhiji decided to launch a no-tax campaigning Bardoli district in Gujarat. However, in Chauri Chaura (in Uttar Pradesh) people turned violent and set fire to a police station causing the death of 22 policemen. When the news reached Gandhiji, he decided to call off the non-co-operation movement.The Working Committee of the Congress met on 12, February 1922 and decided to concentrate on the popularising Charakha, promoting Hindu-Muslim unity and combating of untouchability. Gandhiji also took up the case of the promotion of national education. After the calling off of the non-cooperation movement, for a few years there were no nation-wide political campaigns or agitation and the constructive program of Gandhiji was taken up. But soon this lull was over. The Congress adopted the slogan of Complete Independence and a mighty movement known as the Civil Disobedience Movement was launched to achieve it.

The national movement now took on a wider character and adopted a comprehensive program for the social and economic reconstruction of Indian society once independence was attained.