On this day, June 7, 1893, Mahatma Gandhi was forced to leave a first class compartment of a train in South Africa because of racial discrimination. As Gandhi refused to leave his seat, he was thrown out of the train. He told the officer that he will not leave the seat voluntarily, and the railway officers can throw him out if they want to. This was known as the first civil disobedience act of Gandhi. As, he was thrown out from the train, he had to spend the whole night in the cold weather at the Pietermaritzburg station.
Gandhi, who was a young Indian lawyer then, was on his way from Durban to Pretoria to fight a case of his client. Gandhi’s law firm had booked a first class ticket for him. At around 9 pm, a railway helper came to do the bedding. Soon after another passenger took a closer look at Gandhi and returned with a couple of officials. An officer told Gandhi that he need to change his seat and go to the van compartment.
Gandhi replied that he has a first class ticket. But the official insisted that he must vacate the first-class compartment to which Gandhi refused. When officer threatened to call a cop and forcibly push him out, Gandhi said, “Yes, you may. I refuse to go out voluntarily.”
