In 1923, the colonial British government forcefully deposed Maharaja Ripudaman Singh of Nabha from his princely throne in Punjab. Maharaja Ripudaman was a Sikh ruler and supporter of the Akali as well as the nationalist movement. Due to these loyalties, and his frequent criticism of colonial rule, the British made moves to remove him from power. Believing it would be easier to control a child, the British placed Ripudaman’s eight year old son, Partap Singh, on the throne. This angered many, particularly those a part of the Akali movement, and in response, Sikhs from all over the world rose up in protest. The Jaito Morcha began as a movement in response to the British interfering in Maharaja Ripudaman’s rule. Jaito refers to the place where the event took place, and the term morcha means demonstration or agitation. Angered by the British involvement in Punjab’s government, the Sikh community planned a demonstration to show their discontent. The Jaito Morcha was a planned peaceful protest that began in February 1924. Jathas, or groups that marched together while wearing full uniform, were formed. The groups marched towards Gurdwara Tibbi Sahib, but on February 21 at Jaito, they were met by the Nabha administrator, Wilson Johnston who ordered his officers to open fire on the groups. Nineteen people were reported to have been killed, with 29 being injured. More jathas continued to arrive after this. They persisted and marched towards Jaito and held akhand paths, or continued recitations of the Guru Granth Sahib. The British continued to arrest members of the jathas, and disrupted the akhand paths, stopping them before they could reach the gurdwara, further angering the Sikh community. Sikhs from various parts of the world including Canada and China travelled to show their support and join the jathas. This collection contains records pertaining to the events of the Jaito Morcha, particularly with reference to events that took place before the Shahidi Jatha left Vancouver in 1924 to join the movement. Source: https://canadiansikhheritage.ca/sikh-movements/ and https://sacda.ca/Detail/objects/2834.