The Rowlatt Act was passed in 1919 and basically authorised the government to imprison people (Indians) without trial. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) was extremely critical of this act and argued that not everyone should be imprisoned if only certain people were committing these political crimes. These acts led to severe indignation from Indian leaders and the public which caused the government to implement repressive measures. Indians found that constitutional opposition to the act was fruitless so on April 6th, a "hartal" was organised where Indians would suspend all business and fast as a sign of their hatred for this legislation. However, the hartal in Delhi was overshadowed by tensions running high which resulted in rioting in the Punjab and other provinces. Gandhi saw that the Indians were not ready for such a stand due to these riots and suspended it. The Rowlatt Act came into effect in March 1919. In the Punjab the protest movement was very strong, and on April 10th, two outstanding leaders of the congress Dr.Satya Pal and Dr. Saifuddin Kithlew, were arrested and taken to an unknown place. A protest was held in Amritsar, which led to the Amritsar Massacre 1919.