April 13, 1919, a multitude of Punjabis gathered in Amritsar's Jallian wala Bagh as part of the Sikh Festival "Baisakhi fair" and to protest at these extraordinary measures. The Amritsar massacre, also known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, was named after the place where, on April 13, 1919, British and Gurkha soldiers opened fire on an unarmed forbidden gathering, killing hundreds of civilians. Indian soldiers smuggled arms into India to fight British rule. The Pre-war Indian nationalist sentiment revived as moderate and extremist groups of the Indian National Congress ended their differences in order to unify. In 1916, the Congress succeeded in establishing the Lucknow Pact, a temporary alliance with the All-India Muslim League.
Rowlatt Act
Rowlatt Act was named after the Rowlatt Commission who had sent recommendations to the Imperial Legislative Council. The Act was also known as the “Black Act” or “Black Bill” by the Indians who protested it. This law was strongly opposed by the people of India because it gave the British government even more authority over them. This new Act allowed the British to arrest and jail anyone the wish without trial if they are thought to be plotting against the British. The Viceroy Government also had the power to silence the press with this new Act which which lead to a call to revolt in the form of a Hartal.