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Killings of Kamagata Maru
Passengers
In the year 1900 the census reported
2050 people from India on the North
American continent. The majority of
these people were Punjabis who had settled
in Canada. They had come with the hope
of finding work so that they could improve
their economic situation from what it
had been in the Punjab. Upon arrival
in Canada they encountered numerous
hardships and discrimination. Canadians
wanted the "brown invasion"
to stop. They felt that the growing
number of Indians would take over their
jobs in factories, mills and lumber
yards. It was these insecurities which
led British Columbia to pass stringent
laws discouraging the immigration of
Indians to Canada. Indians had to have
at least $200 on their person to enter
British Columbia and had to have come
via direct passage from India. These
were very unreasonable laws as the average
Indian only earned about ten cents a
day. The Canadian government was also
pressuring steamship companies to stop
selling tickets to Indians. In 1907
a bill was passed denying all Indians
the right to vote. They were prohibited
to run for public office, serve on juries,
and were not permitted to become accountants,
lawyers or pharmacists. All this was
done to stop the "brown Invasion."
On the other hand Japanese and Chinese
were immigrating in unlimited numbers.
In 1914 the Komagata Maru was an outright
challenge to these exclusionist laws.
The Komagata Maru was a Japanese steamliner
chartered by an affluent businessman,
Gurdit Singh, to bring Indian immigrants
to Canada. The ship's route departed
from Hong Kong, stopped in Japan and
then headed to Canada. Its passengers
included 376 Indians, all Punjabis,
among whom 340 were Sikhs, 12 Hindus,
and 24 Muslims. The ship was eventually
turned back at Vancouver where landing
was refused, and terminated eventually
at Calcutta.
"Bhai Gurdit Singh, Bhai Daljit
Singh and his friend Bhai Vir Singh
from Ferozepur were staying in the Sikh
Temple of Hong Kong in 1914. The story
of Chief Justice Hunter's judgment in
Victoria, B.C., about the release of
39 Asian Indians was on everybody's
lips. The emigrants were overjoyed.
Bhai Daljit Singh began selling tickets
for departures to Canada. However, the
British Government of Hong Kong was
watching the activities of Bhai Gurdit
Singh because the charter of Komagata
Maru was in his name. Two days before
the ship was to sail, Bhai Gurdit Singh
was arrested by Hong Kong police on
the charge of illegally selling tickets
for an illegal voyage and the ship placed
under police guard. The Sikh Police
of Hong Kong were often used to terrorize
prospective emigrants.
"Bhai Gurdit Singh was released
on bail on March 24, 1914. Mr. Severn,
chief secretary for the Governor of
Hong Kong, was known to Bhai Gurdit
Singh while he was in Malaya. Mr. Severn
told Singh that he had been waiting
instructions from England and Canada,
which never arrived. The governor granted
Singh permission for passage on April
4, 1914.
"That very day Komagata Maru left
Hong Kong with 150 passengers. On April
8 at Shanghai, 111 emigrants boarded
the ship, and on April 14, at the Port
of Moji, 86, at the Yokohama port, 14
more passengers boarded the Komagata
Maru totalling 376 passengers. From
Moji, Bhai Gurdit Singh took 1500 tons
of coal to sell in Canada and had intended
to buy lumber from B.C. to sell back
in the East. Finally, the Komagata Maru
left Yokohama on May 3, 1914.
"[There were words of caution from
several quarters to the passengers.]
Bhai Balwant Singh travelled in the
Komagata Maru from Moji to Kobe and
explained to the passengers the attitude
of the British Government of India,
Britain, and Canada towards their mission.
Gyani Bhagwan Singh, who was forcibly
deported from Canada on November 19,
1913, also the passengers at Yokohama
and told them the story of his own deportation.
Mahamad Barkatullah, the great teacher,
who was professor of Hindustani in the
University of Tokyo, also met the passengers
of Maru in Yokohama.
When Komagata Maru made it to Shanghai,
a German cable company sent a message
to the German press announcing the departure
of the steamer Komagata Maru from Shanghai
for Vancouver on April 14 with "400
Indians on board..."
"The news was picked up by British
press. The Vancouver daily "Province",
published the inflammatory news report
under the heading of "Boat Loads
of Hindus on Way to Vancouver".
The British Columbia press began giving
such headlines to their articles as
"Hindu Invasion of Canada".
The news of its departure reached the
British Columbia authorities. Their
instant reaction was that "Hindus
would never be allowed to land in Canada."
The Indians who had already settled
in Canada had also started to prepare
for the arrival of the Komagata Maru.
Meetings were held in the Gurdwaras
concerning what actions to take. Money
and provisions were collected to help
the passengers upon their arrival in
Vancouver. The entire Indian community
in Canada united to fight the opposition.
On May 23, 1914, the Komagata Maru reached
Vancouver and anchored near Burrard
Inlet. Both the Indians and the Canadian
authorities had been waiting for it.
The Canadians wanted to send the ship
back to where it had originated. The
Indians on the other side had lawyers,
money and other provisions ready to
help the passengers. The Canadian authorities
did not let the passengers leave the
boat claiming they had violated the
exclusionist laws. The claim was that
the ship had not arrived via direct
passage and most passengers did not
have the $200 that would have qualified
them to enter British Columbia. For
two months the passengers of the Komagata
Maru, the Indians in British Columbia,
and the authorities of British Columbia
were involved in a heated legal battle.
At the end of the two months only 24
passengers were given permission to
legally stay in Canada. On July 23,
1914 the Komagata Maru was forced to
leave Victoria harbor and return to
Hong Kong. (See Johnston in the bibliography)
The Komagata Maru approached Calcutta
on September 26, 1914. As it approached
Calcutta, a European gunboat signaled
the ship to stop. The ship was put under
guard and the passengers were held as
prisoners. Then the Komagata Maru was
taken to a place called Budge Budge,
about seventeen miles away from its
original destination of Calcutta. These
new developments took the passengers
of the ship by surprise. After two months
of litigation in Canada they were not
interested in any new developments of
this kind. Upon inquiry by Baba Gurdit
Singh as to the change of their course,
an official informed him that the passengers
were being sent to Punjab via a special
train. Many of the passengers did not
want to go to Punjab. They had business
to attend to in Calcutta, some wished
to look for work there, and most importantly,
the passengers wanted to place the Guru
Granth Sahib, which they had taken with
them on their journey, in a Calcutta
Gurdwara.
The British officials did not care
what the passengers wanted. They were
going to be put on a train to Punjab
and that would be the end of it. But
the passengers were adamant on going
to Calcutta. They were the rightful
owners of the ship and the British officials
had no reason to keep them on the ship
or send them to Punjab. They felt that
some action had to be taken, so they
decided to march to Calcutta.
Their main purpose on reaching Calcutta
was to hand over the holy Guru Granth
Sahib and to see the governor. The journey
was long and after numerous threats
by the police, they were left with no
choice but to head back to Budge Budge.
At Budge Budge, they were ordered to
board the ship once again. The passengers,
led by Baba Gurdit Singh, refused. A
policeman attacked Baba Gurdit Singh
with his baton but was stopped by a
fellow passenger. It was at this point
that firing started. Baba Gurdit Singh
was carried to safety. But not all passengers
were to be so fortunate. Twenty-nine
fell victim to the bullets of British
officials and 20 died. Here was another
senseless massacre of innocent Indians
at the hands of the British. The was
the tragic end of the passengers of
the Komagata Maru.
 The
Komagata Maru returned to India's waters
on September 26, 1914, leaving behind
only twenty-four passengers who could
prove residence in Canada. The repercussions
of the Government's actions - the Budge
Budge riot. The radicalization of those
abroad, the vigilante action against
informers, the murder of Hopkinson,
the execution of Mewa Singh, were overshadowed
by the outbreak of World War I, in August
1914. Today the only reminders of this
incident are a plaque near the Gateway
to the Pacific in Vancouver, B.C.and
a memorial plaque at Ross Street Gurdwara,
in Vancouver, B.C.
Sources.
1. Vig, M. "Lest We Forget."
MEHFIL v.3:3 (1993) : 12-13. Excellent
editorial. Permission being requested
from Mr. Vig.
2. Johnston, Hugh J.M. The Voyage of
the Komagata Maru: the Sikh Challenge
to Canada's Colour Bar. Delhi: Oxford
University Press. 1979. Excellent source.
3. Singh, Kesar. Canadian Sikhs (Part
One) and Komagata Massacre. Kesar Singh:
13487-98-A Avenue, Surrey, B.C. Canada
V3T 1C7. 1989.
4. Ward, W. Peter. "The Komagatu
Maru Incident" in White Canada
forever : popular attitudes and public
policy toward Orientals in British Columbia
/ W. Peter Ward. Montreal : McGill-Queen's
University Press, c1978; 2d ed. c1990,
pp 79-93 (both editions).
Dramatizations and Novels Based on the
Komagata Maru Incident
1. Singh, Kesar. Komagata Maru. Patiala:
Punjabi Pabalikeshana, 1993 novel(in
Punjabi).
2. Singh, Harcharn. Komagata Maru: kaumi
dukhanta. Chandigarh: Raghabira Racana
Prakashana, 1985 Play (in Punjabi).
3. Pollock, Sharon. "The Komagata
Maru Incident, a Play" in Six Canadian
Plays (first edition) ed. Tony Hamill,
Playwrights Canada Press, Toronto 1992,
pp. 229-286.
4. Vidyarthi, Ram Sharan. Komagata Maru
ki samudra yatra [1. Samskarana] Mirajapura
[Utter Pradesh] Krantikari Prakasana
[1970] (in Hindi).
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Copyright © Mr. Vig "Lest
we Forget"
Copyright © Johnston, Hugh J.M"The
voyage of Komagata Maru: the Sikh challenge
to canada's colour bar"
Copyright © Kesar Singh "Canadian
Sikhs and Komagata Massacre"
Copyright © Harcharan Singh "Komagata
maru kaumi dukhant"
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