Gandhi - fasting to protest detention without charges

During World War II, Gandhi was imprisoned in the Aga Kahn Palace and held without charges for almost two years.

He wasn't the only one being detained; his wife, his secretary, and grand-niece were with him, and many other Congressmen and Congresswomen were being held elsewhere. The British had accused them of inciting violence, but brought no actual charges. There were no judicial proceedings where they could demonstrate that the charges were baseless; they were simply to be held until such time as the British deigned to release them.

In February 1943, 75 years ago, Gandhi began a 21-day fast as a protest. “You have condemned men and women before trying them and hearing their defense,” he wrote the Viceroy. “Surely there is nothing wrong in my asking you to show me the evidence on which you hold them guilty.... Proof should correspond to the canons of English jurisprudence.”

Gandhi's international reputation required some concessions. Doctors were invited to observe him during the fast, and reports were issued to the media about his health. Relatives were permitted to visit, including two of his sons. There was a crisis in the second week, and he was near death. The British made preparations for a media blackout if he succumbed... but Gandhi survived.

Although this was one of Gandhi's longest fasts, it is also one of his lesser known ones. Unlike his fasts for peace in the last years of his life, this one brought no dramatic changes. The British claimed this was a matter of national security, and he and others remained behind bars, and in some cases, would be held for the rest of their natural lives.

An earlier version of this article was published on February 19, 2018, as part of the 30-day Gandhi challenge, where participants abstain from alcohol for 30 days (Gandhi didn't drink) and fast for 24 hours. (Gandhi fasted for as many as 21 days.)