The British Landlords and Officials

The planters and the colonial officials form the opposing force. The landlords are portrayed as exploitative and grasping, extracting labour and money from the helpless peasants and clinging to their money and prestige even when the indigo trade collapses. The officials support this order and try to remove Gandhi through legal pressure, bullying him, ordering him out of the district and dragging him to court. Yet they are shown to retreat when confronted by the peasants' unity and by Gandhi's firm, lawful defiance, dropping the case and finally agreeing to a settlement. As a group they represent the entrenched injustice of colonial rule, whose apparent power turns out to be brittle when met with organised, non-violent resistance. …