Pal-Dadhav Massacre

On 7^th March, 2022, the Gujarat government marked 100 years of the Pal-Dadhvav killings, calling it a massacre “bigger than the Jallianwala Bagh”.

About Pal-Dadhav Massacre: It place on March 7, 1922, in the Pal-Chitariya and Dadhvaav villages of Sabarkantha district, then part of Idar state.

• The day was Amalki Ekadashi, which falls just before Holi, a major festival for tribals. Villagers from Pal, Dadhvav, and Chitariya had gathered on the banks of river Heir as part of the ‘Eki movement’, led by one Motilal Tejawat.
• The movement was to protest against the land revenue tax (lagaan) imposed on the peasants by the British and feudal lords.
• Following a firing order issued by Major H.G. Sutton, around 1,200 tribals were reportedly martyred on that fateful day. It is also said that wells in the area were filled with the bodies of the tribal people.
• Gujarat's 2022 Republic Day tableau included the Pal-Dadhvav massacre.