Wagon tragedy
Encyclopedia
The Wagon tragedy was the death of 67 prisoners on 20 November 1921 in the Malabar region of Kerala
state of India
. The prisoners had been taken into custody following Mappila Rebellion against British Colonial rule and Hindu landlords their deaths through apparent negligence discredited the British Raj
and generated sympathy for the Indian independence movement
.
In order to attract more Muslim
support to the National Movement
, Mahatma Gandhi
and the national leaders of India supported the Khilafat movement
and merged it to the famous Non Co-operation Movement; This succeeded in bringing almost all sections of Indians under one flag for a Pan-Indian movement for the first time.The southern Malabar district welcomed this movement in a great spirit. But in Eranad and Walluvanad
taluks it took the form of an armed rebellion by Muslim
Mappila
community who were largely tenants being exploited by British and their supporters high caste Hindu landlords.After a series of events that culminated in violent clashes between police and protesters, Martial law
was introduced and the rebellion mostly crushed. The British packed 100 prisoners into a railway goods wagon at Tanur railway station to be sent to the Podanur Coimbatore district
jails. By the time they reached their destination 67 of the prisoners had died from suffocation. A monument to this notorious tragedy can be now seen at Tirur.
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
state of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The prisoners had been taken into custody following Mappila Rebellion against British Colonial rule and Hindu landlords their deaths through apparent negligence discredited the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
and generated sympathy for the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
.
In order to attract more Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
support to the National Movement
National Movement
National Movement may mean:* Movimiento Nacional, the Francoist political structure in Spain* National Movement , a defunct neo-fascist political party in Luxembourg* Þjóðvaki, a defunct political party in Iceland....
, Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
and the national leaders of India supported the Khilafat movement
Khilafat Movement
The Khilafat movement was a pan-Islamic, political campaign launched by Muslims in British India to influence the British government and to protect the Ottoman Empire during the aftermath of World War I...
and merged it to the famous Non Co-operation Movement; This succeeded in bringing almost all sections of Indians under one flag for a Pan-Indian movement for the first time.The southern Malabar district welcomed this movement in a great spirit. But in Eranad and Walluvanad
Walluvanad
This article is about an erstwhile Nair feudal state in Kerala, India, for ancient Dravidian people of Valluvar, see Valluvar or Valluvanadu...
taluks it took the form of an armed rebellion by Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Mappila
Mappila
Mappila or Moplah refers to a Muslim community of Kerala, primarily in the northern region called Malabar, which arose in Malabar as a result of the pre and post Islamic Arab contacts. Significant numbers of the community are also present in the southern districts of Karnataka and western parts of...
community who were largely tenants being exploited by British and their supporters high caste Hindu landlords.After a series of events that culminated in violent clashes between police and protesters, Martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
was introduced and the rebellion mostly crushed. The British packed 100 prisoners into a railway goods wagon at Tanur railway station to be sent to the Podanur Coimbatore district
Coimbatore District
Coimbatore District is one of the more affluent and industrially advanced districts of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is known as the Manchester of South India. It one of the most industrialized towns of Tamil Nadu. It has the highest GDP among the districts of Tamil Nadu, even ahead...
jails. By the time they reached their destination 67 of the prisoners had died from suffocation. A monument to this notorious tragedy can be now seen at Tirur.