The Ghadr leaders were successful to agitate and stir up the Britons quite drastically. The activities made the autocrats rise up and take notice of the clandestine activities happening around them. They could not anticipate that such daring and intimidating activities could actually be committed by any `native`. As a result, they were armed with every measure to repress them to the full. The Ghadrites had made a decision to work from the country, instead of remaining in hiding overseas. The effects of the gory war were far-reaching and several Indians lost their lives in the ruthless bloodshed.

The British authorities however had received prior information about the arrival of Ghadr Party leaders and workers in India. They armed themselves with the legislative measures by issuing the `Foreigners Ordinance` on 29th August 1914 in order to prevent the entry of `undesirable aliens` in India. On 5th September 1914, it was followed by `Ingress into India Ordinance` devised to check the movements of returning emigrants which empowered the provincial governments to check the people entering India. Even though they were Indian residents, the authorities had the power to order them to vacate a particular area, or to take them to a particular place or to confine their movements to their villages. The provincial governments were also empowered to punish them or even imprison them without trial. Since the people entering India were Punjabis, the Punjab government sent its police to the Calcutta shores. The Bengal police with the help of Punjab police used to beleaguer the passengers arriving in India. Their names, addresses and particulars were noted. The `suspects` were nabbed and under police escort, were taken by train to Ludhiana where the interrogation centre was set up. The revolutionaries got prior information of these harsh measures and they started taking steps to avoid the police dragnet. Pt. Jagat Ram and Kartar Singh Sarabha reached Madras on 15th September 1914 and reached Punjab safely.

Kamagatamaru was the first ship to reach the shores of Calcutta on 27th September 1914 after the issuing of `Ingress into India Ordinance`. The passengers of Kamagatamaru were subjected to bullets at Budge Budge Ghat. This left nineteen dead, twenty-one injured, seventy-two imprisoned, while many others went missing. This infuriated not only those who suffered the blows, but also all those countrymen who had national love close to their bosom.

After Kamagatamaru, the first ship Chai Sang reached Calcutta on 12th October 1914 with fifty-seven Ghadrites. The second ship was Nam Sang that reached Calcutta on 13th October 1914 carrying eighty-three Ghadr leaders including Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna, Bhai Jawand Singh and Bhai Bir Singh Bahowal. After some more arrivals, the ship Tosha Mam reached on 29th October 1914 bringing 173 Ghadr leaders and workers. Of all the emigrants returning in November and December, those of Tosha Mam were termed as "most dangerous" by the Sedition Committee. Pt. Kanshi Ram Marholi reached Calcutta on 2nd November 1914 by the ship Lama. He had brought some money and had also got booked some boxes of weapons. Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna, Bhaijawala Singh Thathian, Bhai Wasakha Singh, Bhai Kesar Singh Thathgarh and Bhai Sher Singh Vain Poin, Master Udham Singh Kasel, Mangal Singh Bhanger and Lai Singh Dhotian were the central leaders of the Ghadr Party who, among others, were arrested on their landing in India either at Calcutta or at Madras.

Although the arrest of these leaders was a hindrance to their planning, but it did not dampen the spirit of those who had escaped the dragnet of the police. Kartar Singh Sarabha, aged eighteen was an active revolutionary. He had been contacting all those who had escaped and an important meeting was held in the house of Bhai Nanak Singh in Amritsar on 16th and 17th October 1914. Distribution of Ghadr literature and `Ailan-i-Jang` was planned. The duties were assigned. The villages were allotted. The new arrival of Ghadr leaders and workers was to be noted and they were to be informed and associated. The decisions were also taken on (i) how to raise the funds; (ii) how to collect arms, and (iii) how to establish contacts with Bengal patriots. Pt. Kanshi Ram Marholi joined them in the second week of November 1914, while Vishnu Ganesh Pingle joined them in the third week of that month.

Bhai Prem Singh Sur Singhia, Bhai Gujar Singh Bhakna, Bhai Jawand Singh Nangal, Bhai Uttam Singh Hans, Bhai Isher Singh Dhudike, Bhai Gandha Singh, Bhagat Singh Kacharabhan and others dispersed in the villages allotted to them for carrying the Ghadr propaganda and preparing the people to join the movement. Bhai Parmanand had a close association with the Ghadr leaders and his shop in Machhi Hatta in Lahore was the meeting point for the revolutionaries. He also served as link between the Punjab Ghadr work and San Francisco headquarters.

The revolutionaries also intended to establish contacts with Rash Behari Bose, a renowned revolutionary who had engineered the conspiracy to throw a bomb on Lord Hardinge on 23rd December 1912 in Delhi. Kartar Singh Sarabha went to Benaras for this purpose. Parmanand Jhansi and Ram Saran Das Talwar also visited Benaras.

Kartar Singh Sarabha and Ram Saran Das Talwar also tried installing a press to re-publish Ghadr literature but was unsuccessful. However, they got copies of `explosive Ghadr literature` reprinted and arranged its distribution in the public and in barracks even situated at far off places. Kartar Singh Sarabha and Bhai Nidhan Singh Chugh also urged on and enrolled the students of Islamia High School Ludhiana for this purpose.

Areas were also allocated to the Ghadr leaders for working in the military barracks. Bhai Hirde Ram was sent to Jalandhar Cantonment. Kartar Singh Sarabha went to Ferozepur, Bhai Harnam Singh Kahuta visited Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Mardan, Piara Singh Langari had gone to frontier stations of Banu Kohat to stimulate the troops there. Kartar Singh Sarabha accompanied by a student also visited Ambala, Meerut, Kanpur, Agra, Allahabad, Dinapur, Benaras, Lucknow and Faizabad military cantonments for instigating the defence personnel to join the national struggle for liberation. Vishnu Ganesh Pingle was assigned work in Meerut Cantonment. Pt. Jagat Ram Hariana went to the independent area of western frontiers for weapons where he was arrested on 23rd November 1914.

The task of attacking the Magazines successfully in all the barracks was not feasible and was laden with danger. Therefore to start with, the Ghadr leaders selected two cantonments as their target, viz. (1) Mian Mir Cantonment of Lahore, and (2) Ferozepur Cantonment; both were strategically very crucial, as these controlled the entire Punjab and Northern Command Magazines. Once these Magazines were taken possession of by the Ghadr workers, the jawans of all other barracks would have arisen in revolt. Meetings were held at clandestine places and plans were finalised that the workers of Lahore and Amritsar area, across river Beas, were to work for the attack on Mian Mir Cantonment while the workers of Doaba and Malwa, down river Beas, were to work for the assail on Ferozepur Cantonment. A central committee was established to guide the leaders and workers of these two fronts and to coordinate their activities, and the date of attack was finalised for 26th November 1914. The plans, however, could not come into being. Rather, the Ghadrites suffered some reversals in the Pheru Shehar incident on 27th November when an encounter took place with the police in which some of them were killed and few others including Kanshi Ram Marholi were arrested and subsequently prosecuted and executed.

After the first failure, contacts were established with the revolutionaries of Bengal and the Benaras group of radicals. Also, the bomb manufacturing was undertaken in right earnest along with the procurement of weapons from outside. Vishnu Ganesh Pingle, Kartar Singh Sarabha and Parmanand Jhansi played the leading role and Rash Behari Bose joined the struggle. The cyclostyled propaganda literature was produced and circularised in the villages. Lahore became the headquarters and all the leaders spread in far-flung army units and cantonments to prepare the jawans for revolt.

Finding that things were going well and in accordance with the plan, it was decided on 12th February 1915 to attack the Mian Mir and Ferozepur Cantonments on the night of 21st February 1915. On the same day, it was also decided that 128th Pioneer Regiment in Meerut under the command of Bhai Phula Singh and 12 Battalion under the command of Bhai Isher Singh would rise in revolt and they were to take possession of Meerut. They were then to move to Delhi under the command of VG. Pingle and declare the establishment of the Indian Republic. Then the jawans in all the barracks from Bannu up to Dinapur were to rise up in revolt in their own areas. Kartar Singh Sarabha was to be in Ferozepur while Vishnu Ganesh Pingle was to be in Meerut for leading 128th Pioneer and 12th Battalion to Delhi. All other leaders were also allotted their duties. Now the Ghadr Party was all set for the final operation fixed for 21st February. The jawans of 23rd Battalion in Mian Mir were waiting with bated breath to hear the first shot of the Ghadrites on the appointed date.

Sant Wasakha Singh Dadhehar, Bhai Hazara Singh, Bhai Bishan Singh Bhalwan, Bishan Singh, Bhai Kehar Singh in village Marhana, Bhai Inder Singh, Jawand Singh and Kala Singh in village Sursingh and Bhai Inder Singh in village Bhasin were directed to first attack and loot the weapons from police station Lopoke on 20th February 1915 and then to reach Lahore on 21st February 1915. Ghadr literature and `flags` were also sent for distribution among the villagers.

The Ghadr leaders and workers of Malwa and Doaba assembled on 14th February 1915 in Gujarwal and chalked out their plan to attack Ferozepore Cantonment on 21st February. On 17th February, an akhandpath was held by Sant Randhir Singh in village Dhandari near Ludhiana to keep the people and workers in attendance for the projected attack on 21st February.

Last minute contacts were maintained with 23rd Battalion in Mian Mir and 26th Battalion in Ferozepur Cantonment.

But success would elude the Ghadr leaders as betrayers had entered into the rank of these dedicated patriots. The plan was leaked out in advance by these betrayers to the British police, which defeated the planned attack and also led to large-scale arrests of Ghadr leaders from their hideouts and from clandestine places of operation. The last blows were struck by the British when Kartar Singh Sarabha and his companions were arrested on 2nd March 1915 and Vishnu Ganesh Pingle was arrested on 23rd March 1915.

The Ghadr leaders were prosecuted in a number of criminal cases. Besides the Lahore Conspiracy Case, there were four Supplementary Lahore Conspiracy Cases, two Mandi Conspiracy Cases, two Burma Conspiracy Cases and one Lahore City Conspiracy Case. There were other cases also, like the Pherushahar Murder Case, Anarkali Murder Case, Padhri Murder Case, Walla Bridge Murder Case, Jagatpur Murder Case, Nangal Kalan Murder Case, Thikriwal (Gurdaspur) Army Act Case and Chawarian and Srigobindpur (Gurdaspur) Dacoity Case.

According to the summary of the criminal cases arising out of the Ghadr movement given by Isemonger and Slattery at the end of the Ghadr Conspiracy Report, 279 emigrants were tried. Out of them 46 were hanged, 64 were sentenced with expatriation for life and 125 were awarded lesser punishments. And the movement died down for the time being. No less than Michael O` Dwyer, the then Lt. governor of Punjab admitted that "had the 1914-15 conspiracy to overthrow the British rule not been crushed, we could hardly have recruited 3 to 4 lakhs of Punjabis for being sent to war".