Nonviolent RaidS on Dharasana

“Whatever moral ascendancy the West held was lost here today. India is free.”

The nonviolent raid tactic has its roots in a watershed moment of the struggle for Home Rule in India: the raids on the Dharsana Salt Works.

After successfully leading the Salt March to the sea, which sparked mass civil disobedience against British rule, Gandhi had planned to step up the nonviolent rebellion by taking possession of the salt depots at Dharsana.

As was customary for Gandhi before taking action, he had written to the Viceroy asking him to remove the salt tax and the prohibition on private salt making. Gandhi and other leaders were soon arrested.

Ms. Sarojini Naidu, a famous Indian poet, took on leadership of the action. The first raid took place on May 21, 1930, with the most demonstrative raid taking place on June 1 of that year.

India, 1930

from the award-winning movie “GANDHI” (1982)

During the raids, columns of volunteers — as many as 2,500 at a time — gathered, walked silently and bravely defied the heavily guarded mines, knowing they would be beaten and perhaps killed. Some had to watch their colleagues collapse and die right before them, as they marched on to face the same dangerous fate.

The nonviolent raids on the Dharasana Salt Works are a perfect example of how nonviolent action can undermine the ruler’s power by dramatizing a crystal-clear contrast between steadfast resistance and ruthless repression.

As a result of the raids, the British Empire’s power and credibility in the colonies, and indeed around the world, suffered an irreparable blow.

But perhaps more importantly, the raids on Dharasana brought a shining new tactic to the arsenal of nonviolent militancy.

— Philippe Duhamel