The enthusiasm with which the people all over India responded to Gandhi’s call and took part in the hartal surprised the observers and even Gandhi had not imagined that he had such a vast and strong hold on the minds of Indian masses at that time. 

The British Government of India which had thought that Gandhi was one of their trusted ‘recruiting sergeant’ has emerged now into the role of a rebel and they were not going to swallow it easily.  Gandhi was now in demand everywhere and he traveled far and wide. 

The Government which was lazy so far, not knowing about the spreading ‘Gandhi Effect’ on the Indian masses, now decided to stop it. 

They served him with a notice forbidding him from entering the province of Punjab where he was about to move into. Gandhi refused to obey the orders. And promptly was he arrested and brought to Bombay with another order restricting him from going out of the city.