Which one of the following aroused a wave of popular indignation that led to the massacre by the British at Jallianwala Bagh?

The immediate cause of the popular indignation that culminated in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre was the Rowlatt Act (officially the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act) of March 1919, which extended wartime repressive measures and allowed detention and trial without jury, provoking widespread anger across India [1]. Gandhi launched an all‑India hartal and organized protests against the Rowlatt measures, and unrest intensified in many towns including Amritsar where arrests of local leaders led to mass gatherings and demonstrations [3]. The government’s harsh response to the agitation — including troops firing on unarmed civilians at Jallianwala Bagh — occurred in the immediate aftermath of the Rowlatt agitation, linking the Act directly to the massacre and nationwide outrage [2].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 15: Emergence of Gandhi > The Rowlatt Act > p. 320
2. [3] India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > April 1919 > p. 42
3. [2] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Advent of Gandhi and Mass Mobilisation > b) Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre > p. 47