Previous Year Question
The task of drafting Congress Inquiry Committee report on Jallianwala Bagh Massacre was entrusted to
Jawaharlal Nehru
Mahatma Gandhi
C.R. Das
Fazlul Haq
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April 1919 and the subsequent repressive measures in Punjab, the British Government appointed the Hunter Committee to investigate the disturbances.
Dissatisfied with the official inquiry, the Indian National Congress constituted its own non-official Punjab Inquiry Committee. Its prominent members included Mahatma Gandhi, C.R. Das, Abbas Tyabji and M.R. Jayakar, while Motilal Nehru was also associated with the inquiry process.
The committee travelled through different parts of Punjab and collected statements from eyewitnesses and victims. Its investigation considered material from more than 1,700 bona fide witnesses and also examined actions and trials conducted under Martial Law.
The resulting Congress Punjab Inquiry Report was mainly drafted by Mahatma Gandhi. Published in 1920, the report dealt not only with the Jallianwala Bagh massacre but also with the wider repressive actions of the British administration in Punjab.
Therefore, the principal responsibility for drafting the Congress Inquiry Committee report was entrusted to Mahatma Gandhi.