The Government used to tax salt from sea water. Gandhi made the salt tax the point of his attack against the British Government because it affected everyone of India's millions. He claimed that this tax was unfair and iniquitous and should be abolished, because salt was a necessity for the poor as well as the rich.
As a gesture of protest and to galvanise the people to resist the Government, Gandhi led a party of 79 Satyagrahis in a march to the sea coast at Dandi in Gujarat on 12th March 1930 to make salt from sea water in defiance of the law. Gandhi was arrested sleeping in a village and convicted.
At the same time Sarojini Naidu was leading a non-violent demonstration, at the salt pans at Dharasana in Gujarat State. There were 2500 volunteers dressed in the regulation uniform of rough home-spun cotton dhoties and triangular Gandhi caps. "Never before was the wave of patriotism so powerful in the hearts of mankind."
Sarojini Naidu exhorted them: "Gandhi's body is in jail, but his soul is with you. India's prestige is in your hands. Under any circumstances, you must not use any violence. You will be beaten but you must not resist, you must not raise a hand to ward off blows."
Slowly and steadily, the crowd trekked the half mile leading to the salt pans shouting the revolutionary slogan "Inquilab Zindabad."
Police soon rushed to the scene and rained blows on the innocent and non violent men. Not one of the Satyagrahis raised his hand against the lathi to fend off the blows. The watching crowd groaned in sympathetic pain at every blow.
Some of those that were struck had fractured skulls or broken shoulders. In a few minutes, the ground was littered with bodies. A group of volunteers came with stretchers and removed them to a nearby improvised hospital.
As soon as the ground was cleared fresh columns of volunteers poured in and the policemen gave them the same merciless treatment.
There was no fight, no struggle, the marchers simply walked on towards the sea until they were struck down.