This Day in History:, Gandhi Begins Fast in
Protest of Caste Separation.
September 16, 1932.
Imprisoned by the British for conducting
a civil disobedience campaign, Mohandas Gandhi
conducted his hunger strike in his cell. .
The fast would last for
six days, ending when the
British conceded to Gandhi's terms.
Specifically, Gandhi protested a newly
ratified Indian constitution that had British support.
It imposed political
separation on India's lowest
classes — the "untouchables" — for 70 years.
Though he was born into a powerful caste,
Gandhi recognized the constitution's unfair division.
This is a god-given opportunity that has come to me to offer my life as a final sacrifice to
the downtrodden, Mohandas Gandhi, Yerwada Jail