How did British authorities respond to the Quit India Movement?

British authorities responded to the Quit India Movement with swift, often brutal suppression, erroneously believing that imprisoning the movement's leadership would stifle the protests.12

Key actions taken by the British included:

• Mass Arrests: Invoking the Defence of India Act, which permitted detention without trial, authorities arrested Mahatma Gandhi and dozens of other Indian National Congress leaders, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Abul Kalam Azad, and Vallabhbhai Patel.123
• Confinement: Fearing worldwide condemnation and concerned for his age, the British confined Gandhi to the Aga Khan’s summer palace in Pune rather than a standard prison.12
• Suppression and Censorship: The government banned Congress committee meetings and enforced strict press censorship to prevent news of the movement from spreading.13
• Military Force: As protests escalated, the military was deployed to disperse crowds. In some instances, the British used airplanes to machine-gun and bomb protesters, resulting in at least 1,000 deaths and approximately 60,000 arrests by the end of 1943.42