The Komagata Maru Incident

The Komagata Maru was a Japanese steam liner that sailed from Hong Kong to Shanghai, China, Yokohama, Japan, and then to British Columbia, Canada, in 1914, carrying 376 passengers from Punjab, India, most of whom were not allowed to land in Canada and were returned to India. Of these, 340 were Sikhs, 24 were Muslims, and 12 were Hindus, and all were British subjects. This was one of the most notorious "incidents" in the history of exclusion laws in Canada and the United States designed to keep out immigrants of Asian origin.

Gurdit Singh, from Sarhali, Amritsar, was a well-to-do businessman in Singapore who was aware of the problems that Punjabis were having in getting to Canada. There were "continuous journey" restrictions contrived in the Canadian exclusion laws to exclude asians through institutional racism. Singh wanted to get round these initially by hiring a boat from Calcutta to Vancouver. His aim was both to help his compatriots whose journeys had been blocked.

At that time, Canada had recently passed several bills limiting the civil rights of Indians, including the right to vote, to hold public office, to serve on juries, or practise as pharmacists, lawyers, and accountants.

Indians were not targeted by open exclusion laws from Canada, as was the case with the Chinese. India, like Canada at the time, was part of the British Empire. The Imperial authorities in London had noted Indian resentment when the White Australia policy was put in place in 1905 and was in turn adopted by New Zealand.

When Canada started making provisions to block immigration from India, it was warned by London to be cautious in its approach, and to be aware that its actions might inflame nationalist fervour in India. This in mind, an ingenious method was devised. To be admitted to Canada, immigrants had to come by "continuous journey" from their country of birth and enter with at least $200 cash on their persons.

This Continuous Journey regulation did not mention race or nationality and on the surface seemed fair and applicable to all immigrants. It was however an open secret that the regulation was to apply only to people from British India. Canadian Pacific did run a very lucrative shipping line between Vancouver and Calcutta. However, the Canadian government forced the company to stop this service. It was now impossible to come via continuous journey to Canada.

This was one of many hidden measures that Canada undertook to enforce a hidden "white Canada" policy. To put these measures in context, restrictions on Asian immigration were being enacted at a time when Canada was accepting massive numbers of European immigrants (over 400,000 in 1913 alone - a figure that remains unsurpassed to this day.)

In chartering the Komagata Maru, Gurdit Singh's goal was to challenge the continuous journey regulation and open the door for immigration from British India to Canada.

Hong Kong became the departure point. The ship was scheduled to leave in March, but Singh was arrested for selling tickets for an illegal voyage. He was later released on bail and given permission by the Governor of Hong Kong to set sail, and the ship left Hong Kong on April 4 with 165 passengers. More passengers joined at Shanghai April 8, Moje arrived in Yokohama on April 14. It departed from Yokohama on May 3 with its complement of 376 passengers. and arrived in Burrard Inlet, near Vancouver, on May 23. "This ship belongs to the whole of India, this is a symbol of the honour of India and if this was detained, there would be mutiny in the armies" a passenger told a British officer. The Indian Nationalist revolutionaries Bhagwan Singh, Barkatullah and Balwant Singh joined the ship on route. Balwant Singh was head priest of the Gurdwara in Vancouver and had been one of three delegates sent to London and Indiia to represent the case of Indians in Canada. Ghadarite literature was disseminated on board and political meetings took place on board.When the Komagata Maru arrived in Canadian waters, it was not allowed to dock. The Conservative Premier of British Columbia, Richard McBride, gave a categoriacal statement that the passengers would not be allowed to disembark. Meanwhile a "Shore Committee" had been formed with Hussain Rahim and Sohan Lal Pathak involved. Protest meetings were held in Canada and the USA. At one, held in Dominion Hall, Vancouver, it was resolved that if thepassengers were not allowed off, Indo-Canadians should follow them back to India to start a rebellion (or Ghadar. The shore Committee raised $22,000 dollars as an installment on chartering the ship. They also launched a test case legal battle in the name of Munshi Sigh, one of the passengers. On July 7, the full bench of the Supreme Court gave a unanimous judgement that under new Orders-In-Council, it had no authority to interfere with the decisions of the Department of Immigration and Colonization. The Japanese Captain was relieved of duty by the angry passengers, but the Canadian government ordered the harbour tug, Sea Lionto push the ship out on its homeward journey. On July 19, the angry passengers mounted an attack. Next day the Vancouver newspaper The Sun reported: "Howling masses of Hindus showered policemen with lumops of coal and bricks... it was like standing underneath a coal chute".The government also mobilised HMS Rainbow, a decommissioned ship of the Royal Navy standing idle in the Esquinmalt. Under the command of Commander Hose, with troops from the Irish Fusiliers, 72nd Highlanders, and the 6th DCOR regiments. In the end, only 24 passengers were admitted to Canada, since the ship had violated the exclusion laws, the passengers did not have the required funds, and they had not sailed directly from India, another requirement to make entry more difficult. The ship was turned around and forced to sail back to Asia, departing on July 23.

The Komagata Maru arrived in Calcutta, India on September 26. Upon entry into the harbour, the ship was forced to stop by a European gunboat, and the passengers were taken prisoner. The ship was then diverted approximately 17 miles to Budge Budge, where the British intended to put them on a train bound for Punjab. The passengers wanted to stay in Calcutta, and marched on the city, but were forced to return to Budge Budge and reboard the ship. The passengers protested, some refusing to reboard, and the police opened fire, killing 20 and wounding nine others. This incident became known as the Budge Budge Riot.Gurdit Singh managed to escape and lived in hiding till 1922. He was urged by Gandhi to give himself up as a true patriot. He was imprisoned for five years.

In 1951, the government of the new Republic of India erected its first monument and it was at Budge Budge to commemorate the massacre at Budge Budge.A plaque commemorating the 75th anniversary of the departure of the Komagata Maru was placed in the Sikh gurdwara (temple) in Vancouver on July 23, 1989.A plaque commenmorating the 80th anniversary of the arrival of the Komagata Maru was placed in the Vancouver harbour in 1994.