<P> On 5 February 1922 a clash took place at Chauri Chaura, a small town in the district of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh . A police officer had attacked some volunteers picketing a liquor shop . A whole crowd of peasants that had gathered there went to the police chowki (pron. - chau key) (station). The mob set fire to the police chowki with some 22 police men inside it . </P> <P> Mahatma Gandhi felt that the revolt was veering off - course, and was disappointed that the revolt had lost its non-violent nature . He did not want the movement to degenerate into a contest of violence, with police and angry mobs attacking each other back and forth, victimizing civilians in between . Gandhi appealed to the Indian public for all resistance to end, went on a fast lasting 3 weeks, and called off the non-cooperation movement . </P> <P> The Non-cooperation movement was withdrawn because of the Chauri Chaura incident . Although he had stopped the national revolt single - handedly, on 10 March 1922, Gandhi was arrested . On 18 March 1922, he was imprisoned for six years for publishing seditious materials . This led to suppression of the movement and was followed by the arrest of other leaders . </P> <P> Although most Congress leaders remained firmly behind Gandhi, the determined broke away . The Ali brothers would soon become fierce critics . Motilal Nehru and Chittaranjan Das formed the Swaraj Party, rejecting Gandhi's leadership . Many nationalists had felt that the non-cooperation movement should not have been stopped due to isolated incidents of violence, and most nationalists, while retaining confidence in Gandhi, were discouraged . </P>

South indian famous leader of non cooperation movement