**Ahmedabad, India –** A dramatic and potentially explosive escalation of the independence movement unfolded today as Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Salt March, a defiant march to the sea to protest the British government’s salt monopoly. The event, witnessed by hundreds of Indian nationalists and a significant contingent of British troops, has already resulted in clashes and arrests, signaling a pivotal moment in the struggle for Indian self-rule.

The march, beginning in Sabarmati Ashram, commenced shortly after dawn. Approximately 800 participants, largely comprised of volunteers from across India, began their 240-mile trek to Dandi, a coastal village in Gujarat, to illegally manufacture salt. The journey, intended as a symbol of resistance against the unjust taxation of salt, was immediately met with a visible British response.

Reports indicate that as the marchers reached the outskirts of Dandi, a British police contingent, led by Inspector-General Herbert Edward Miles, attempted to block their progress. Initial attempts at negotiation proved fruitless. A tense standoff ensued, culminating in a series of violent clashes. Accounts suggest that both sides sustained injuries, with several Indian nationalists and a handful of British officers reportedly wounded.

“It was a truly humbling sight,” recounted a local farmer, Ram Singh, who observed the events from his field. “To see these men, ordinary men and women, facing down the might of the British Empire, unarmed, yet so resolute… it was a demonstration of the spirit of India.”

Despite the violence, Gandhi remained undeterred. Following the initial skirmishes, he and a small group of marchers proceeded to the sea and began the process of extracting salt, effectively defying the government’s legal restrictions.

“We are not seeking to overthrow the government through violence,” Gandhi declared in a brief statement to reporters following the salt extraction. “We are simply demanding our rights, our dignity, and the freedom to earn our own livelihood.”

The immediate consequences of the Salt March are significant. Hundreds of Indian nationalists have been arrested, and the British government has declared a state of emergency in the region. Further troop deployments are anticipated, and the situation remains highly volatile. The long-term implications of this act of defiance are yet to be seen, but it is clear that the Salt March represents a dramatic shift in the dynamics of the independence movement and a bold challenge to British authority. The world watches with bated breath as this pivotal moment unfolds in India.