UPSC Prelims 2001 Q71: Modern History – Gandhian Mass Movements (1915 - 1942)
The Hunter Commission was appointed after the
- (a) Black hole incident
- (b) Jalian Walla Bagh massacre
- (c) Uprising of 1857
- (d) Partition of Bengal
Answer: (b) Jalian Walla Bagh massacre
Explanation
Event after which the Hunter Commission was appointed
| Commission | Event |
|---|---|
| Hunter Committee (1919) | Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April 1919 and the Punjab disturbances |
| Chairman | Lord William Hunter; included three Indian members |
| Congress inquiry | Its own committee (Gandhi, Motilal Nehru, C. R. Das and others) called it 'unjustified' |
| Hunter Commission (1882) | A different body, on education |
The Disorders Inquiry Committee under Lord Hunter was set up in October 1919 to look into the Jallianwala Bagh firing ordered by General Dyer. Note that a separate Hunter Commission of 1882 dealt with education.
Answer: (b) Jalian Walla Bagh massacre.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. The 'Black Hole' incident was in 1756.
- (b) CORRECT. The Hunter Committee inquired into the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
- (c) Incorrect. No Hunter inquiry followed the 1857 uprising.
- (d) Incorrect. The Partition of Bengal (1905) was not inquired into by Hunter.
Key point
Two Hunter bodies: 1882 (education, under Ripon) and 1919 (Jallianwala Bagh). Rabindranath Tagore returned his knighthood in protest at the massacre.
Remember
Hunter Committee (1919) = Jallianwala Bagh.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the 1882 education commission and the 1919 inquiry.
- Linking it to 1857 because both were massacres.
- Not dating the Hunter Committee to 1919.
Exam tip
Two Hunters: education in 1882, Amritsar in 1919.
Sources
- Bipan Chandra et al. — India's Struggle for Independence, chapter on the Rowlatt Satyagraha and Jallianwala Bagh
- NCERT Class VIII — Our Pasts III, chapter 'The Making of the National Movement'