ABSTRACT
The first Independence Day, January 26, 1930, came around soon after the Lahore Congress session, and it was the celebration of this event that brought the Lahore Student Union and me into conflict with the college authorities. Hundreds of national flags were sold openly in the city, and people displayed them boldly. University students enthusiastically welcomed this day and proudly wore the national flag on the lapels of their coats. For the first time, people began to recognize a flag different from the Union Jack. The students of Maclagan Engineering College in Mughulpura (a suburb of Lahore) were no exception. While the authorities at other colleges ignored this gesture of defiance, the Maclagan College authorities decided on a different course. One of the professors, an Englishman, took offense at this blatant expression of sympathy with Congress, fined the students, and expelled them from his class. In sympathy with their fellow students, the entire college went on strike. They sent word to the Lahore Student Union asking for support.
