The day was April 13, 1919. It was supposed to be a joyous Baisakhi. Pilgrims along with peaceful protestors had gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to celebrate the Sikh festival. Little did they know that their celebrations were soon going to turn into one of the deadliest moments in India's history.
The blood that flowed
Also known as the Amritsar massacre, thousands of people were fired upon by the British Indian Army soldiers at the orders of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer. The General had ordered his troops to kneel and fire at the unarmed crowd of men, women, and children. The troops surrounded the entire garden and covered all the entries and a few narrow exit points before opening fire at the dense crowd for around 10 minutes. The crowd included thousands of Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims as well.
The total number of deaths occurred is disputed as the British Raj officials estimated that 379 people were killed and 1100, severely injured in the attack. However, according to the Indian National Congress, the casualty number is more than 1500 with 1000 killed. It was not only the shooting that killed the people. Several were killed in stampedes while fleeing the spot. Around 120 bodies were fished out from the well. Many wounded, who could not move died during the night.
The Aftermath
General Dyer reasoned these killings terming them as punishment for those who defied his ban on conducting public gatherings.
Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi, as a sign of condemnation, renounced their British Knighthood and Kaiser-i-Hind medal respectively. In 1922, the infamous Rowlett Act that allowed the internment of suspects without trial was repealed by the British.
It has been 98 years since the massacre, but the eerie echo of bullets still brings back the ghosts of Amritsar's bloody past. It also makes us wonder if India has waited too long, with unrealistic expectations for Britain to apologise for this event during their reign in India.
Although the British have termed this incident as shameful, no sentiment of guilt was expressed as such. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor recently pointed out that Jallianwala Bagh's Centenary celebrations in 2019 will be a good opportunity for the British to apologise for their shameful act. While talking about his book 'Era of Darkness', he said that either the Prime Minister or a member of the Royal family can convey apologies for the incident as well as all the wrongs done by them during their 200 years rule.
Years have gone by; umpteen number of protests have taken place. The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre still continues to be a black spot in the history of India.
