He was received at the railway station in Lucknow by a mammoth crowd and what Gandhi was able to see made him feel that the entire populace of the city had assembled there. He made elaborate surveys and collected a large body of impartial and objective evidence on the situation in the state.

A couple of Indian Congress leaders, including Motilal Nehru and Madan Mohan Malviya had already reached Punjab and Gandhi had detailed discussions with them on the future course of action for the struggle.

Gandhi insisted that non-violence and the principles of Satyagraha have to be held firmly. Apart from his own writings, he used the help of other publications too towards this end.

One significant support was from the newspaper ‘Bombay Chronicle’ and its editor B. G. Horniman. This Englishman was a friend of India, and one of the few Britons who supported India’s cause. The British Government was angry with Horniman and he was arrested and deported back to England.