The commission was appointed in 1927 to review the constitutional working of the Government of India Act 1919. It arrived in India in 1928, and its all-British composition triggered widespread protests because no Indian was included on the panel.

“Hundreds of Indigenous leaders and citizens protest at Parliament, walking out of a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, over issues including treaty, truth-telling and sovereignty.”

The exclusion of Indian political leaders from the commission was met with a storm of criticism in India. The commission was boycotted by the Indian National Congress and a section of the Muslim League because there was no Indian representation, and public sentiment followed the leaders’ rejection.

Plans to boycott the Simon Commission, with a strike arranged as protest against exclusion of Indians, were reported in advance of its arrival in India.[9] A hartal, which signifies a widespread work stoppage, was scheduled in Bombay and other locations for February 3, coinciding with the commission's arrival, in response to the exclusion of Indians from the commission.[9] It was anticipated that the commission members would "encounter a nation more focused on organizing the boycott" than on cooperating with their constitutional work.[9]

The Simon Commission was strongly opposed by the Indian National Congress and many other political groups because it contained only British members and no Indians. Similar protests occurred in every major Indian city the seven British MPs visited.

British government formed the Simon Commission in November 1927 to report on India's constitutional development in order to implement promised constitutional reforms. Because it had seven members of the British Parliament but no Indians, it was opposed by Nehru, Gandhi, Jinnah, the Muslim League, and the Indian National Congress, and Indians saw it as an insult to their dignity and a violation of their right to self-determination. In a conference in Madras in December 1927, the Indian National Congress resolved to boycott the Commission and challenged Lord Birkenhead, the Secretary of State for India, to draft a constitution that would be acceptable to the Indian people.

The people of India agitated against the Simon Commission because it was composed entirely of British members, excluding any Indian representation, despite being tasked with reviewing India’s constitutional framework. The Indian National Congress and other political organizations boycotted the commission and launched protests and demonstrations against its arrival, giving rise to the popular slogan “Simon Go Back.” As no Indian was on the committee it was met with boycott unanimously throughout India by all parties, and widespread opposition focused on the insult of having India’s constitutional future decided without any Indian member.

Because the Simon Commission did not have any Indian representatives, "it received strong criticism" and the Indian National Congress and most other Indian political groups refused to take part in it.[4] When the Commission arrived in February 1928, "there were huge protests all over the country" with strikes, black-flag demonstrations, and the slogan "Simon Go Back," and police used force such as lathi charges against protesters including leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru.[4] The commission "upset many because only British members were appointed" and this "made people very angry, leading to protests and harsh criticism."[4]

The boycott of the Simon Commission was a significant moment in the Indian freedom struggle, reflecting the rejection of British interference in Indian self-government. Massive protests and demonstrations took place across the country, and the lack of Indian representation became a major point of criticism.

The commission consisted of Sir John Simon and six other members; all of them were members of the British Parliament and there was not a single Indian as member. The commission was an insult to Indians: these White men were to shape the future of India, and the people of India rose as one against this step. Under Lala Lajpat Rai’s leadership it was resolved to boycott the Simon Commission; he moved a resolution in the Central Legislative Assembly in February 1928 declaring that the present constitution of the Commission and its terms of reference were unworthy of acceptance and advising the Government to have nothing to do with the Commission.

At its Madras session in December 1927, the Indian National Congress resolved to boycott the Simon Commission "at every stage and in every form."[1] The Muslim League split, with Muhammad Ali Jinnah's faction joining the boycott, and the Hindu Mahasabha and the Liberal Federation also endorsed non-cooperation.[1] Nationalist organisations refused to testify before the Commission and organised black-flag demonstrations wherever the commissioners travelled; when the Commission landed at Bombay on 3 February 1928, it was met by a hartal and crowds chanting "Simon Go Back," and similar mass mobilisation followed across India.[1]

A detailed account of the "Simon Go Back" agitation notes that "the Commission was met with a boycott during its 1928 tour of India" and that it was "the first all-India struggle after the non-cooperation movement of the early twenties."[2] The Congress and most other political parties resolved to oppose the Statutory Commission, passing a resolution at Madras calling for a boycott, and "on the day the Commission arrived in Bombay there was a near complete hartal almost everywhere in the country."[2]

The Simon Commission was boycotted by Indians in 1927 primarily because it was composed entirely of British members, which was seen as an insult. Many Indians believed the British had broken their promise by appointing it two years early, and they organized opposition to it.

On 3rd February 1928 the Indian Statutory Commission, popularly known as the Simon Commission, arrived in Bombay to study constitutional reform in British India and suggest further reforms. The commission consisted of seven members, all of whom were British, and since the British administration had failed to include even a single Indian in the Commission, it was strongly opposed by national leaders and freedom activists; during the annual session of the Indian National Congress held at Madras in 1927, it was decided to boycott the commission. On the arrival of the commission in India, the entire country observed a hartal, meetings were held all over the country to condemn the appointment of the commission, protesters thronged every city where the commission went, and all over the country the cry of ‘Simon Go Back’ was raised.

The people of India were outraged because the Simon Commission, which was to determine the future of India, did not include a single Indian member. The commission was met with boycott unanimously throughout India by all parties.

The Simon Commission was one of the most significant and controversial events in the political history of British India. Appointed by the British government to investigate constitutional reform, it was boycotted and met with the slogan “Simon Go Back” because no Indians were included among its members, leading to widespread protests and making it a symbol of colonial disregard for Indian political aspirations.

A short explanatory reel notes that in 1928 "the Simon Commission arrived in India with no Indian member — sparking massive protests across the nation" and popularising the slogan "Simon Go Back."[8] It highlights the role of freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai, who lost his life after leading these protests against the commission.[8]

The Simon Commission arrived in India with no Indian member, sparking massive protests across the nation. The slogan “Simon Go Back!” became widely associated with the protests.