The people of Ballia actively took part in the nationwide hartal that was declared on 17th November 1921 as a symbol of boycott of the Prince of Wale’s visit to India.
In Ballia, the famous mela of Dadri started two days before the arrival of the Prince. The police tried to prevent any meetings or hartal from happening by arresting their local leader Babu Murli Manohar and restricting the entry of Congress members. Despite the camps set up around the mela by British officials, Congress volunteers with thousands of supporters managed to enter and impose hartal. Even though the police tried to provoke the masses to loot the closed shops by removing security, Congress volunteers guarded the whole mela area for 15 days and nights. The Congress succeeded as complete hartal was observed on 17th November in the Ballia district, with all shops closed in the city, including the mela area.
The movement that emerged to boycott the Prince of Wales’ arrival in India acted as a catalyst to consolidate various anti-government activists to work together for the freedom struggle and made a huge impact in Poorvanchal as well.
Source: Indian Culture Portal