Tensions had been mounting since correspondence between Vladimir Lenin and Mahatma Gandhi was discovered in August. On the 31st of October, the Indian National Congress led a rally promoting Indian nationhood through Delhi, in accordance with German laws. Police response was increasingly violent, leading to minor riots by the evening. German troops soon arrived with what they believed were captured tear gas canisters from the British administration, whose instructions were in Hindi. They released them upon the crowd on favourable wind, only realising their mistake when several Germans began coughing blood.
They had released 200 tons of Chlorine gas upon Delhi's citizenry. Estimates put the death toll between 3-5 thousand, as the streets were densely packed and many roads were blocked by the police. The Indian War of Independence began soon after.