- For control of the Gurudawaras from Udasi Mahants
- Mahants honoured the Dyer
- British given control of the Golden Temple but not the treasury of the GT
- 1920: SGPC was set up for the GT’s management
- Akali Dal was established to get control of other Gurudwaras
- 1921: Nankana Tragedy: Mahants’ private army killed hundreds of the Akalis.
- Akalis came in support of the NCM
- Keys affair: Moderate Kharak Singh led the campaign for the keys of the GT treasury.
- British accepted as wanted to apply divide & rule @moderate and extremist Akalis.
- 1922: withdrawal of NCM
- 1922: Guru ka Bagh incident
- Akali wanted control of land around the Gurudwara
- British wanted to restore State Supremacy (∴ repression)
- As mvmt spread, brits accepted demands due to fear of disaffection in the Army
- pattern: 1907, Canal Colony Agitations
- 1925: Gurudwara Reforms Act: all gurudwaras under SGPC
Positives
- Worker class is now leaders of Punjabi and not pro british feudal elements
- Punjabi ryots politicized
- masses participated because of a religious issue & then mvmt merged into NCM
- rural urban unity
- hindu muslim unity supported akali
Negatives
- masses got charged religiously
- later contributed to communalism