Jallianwala Bagh massacre

• 1. Background And Tensions

  ›

  On the 13th of April 1919, a large crowd gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab. They had come to protest against the Rowlatt Act and the arrest of pro-Indian independence activists Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal. The political unrest preceding this event was fueled by the Defence of India Act passed during World War I. This act limited civil and political liberties to combat revolutionary attacks in Bengal and Punjab. Revolutionary plots like the Ghadar Movement threatened British control, leading to harsh measures. In 1918, a sedition committee chaired by Sidney Rowlatt recommended extending these restrictions. The resulting Rowlatt Act allowed detention without trial and curbed free speech. Mahatma Gandhi emerged as a charismatic leader calling for civil disobedience. His protests achieved an unprecedented response across India. By early April 1919, disruptions to rail and telegraph systems were widespread. Some recorded that practically the whole of Lahore was on the streets with crowds estimated around 20,000 people.

• 2. The Massacre Event

  ›

  At 09:00 on Sunday morning, Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer announced a pass system and curfew beginning at 20:00 that night. He also banned all processions and public meetings of four or more persons. The proclamation was read in English, Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi but many ignored it or learned of it later. Dyer arrived at the Bagh at 17:30 with fifty troops armed with .303 Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifles. The Jallianwala Bagh was surrounded by buildings with only five narrow entrances. Most gates were kept permanently locked except one main entrance guarded heavily by troops backed by armoured vehicles. Without warning the crowd to disperse, Dyer ordered his troops to block exits and begin shooting toward dense sections where panicked crowds tried to leave. Firing continued for approximately ten minutes until ammunition ran low. Unarmed civilians including men, women, elderly people and children were killed. A cease-fire was ordered after troops fired about one third of their total supply. Dyer stated later that the purpose was not to disperse the meeting but to punish Indians for disobedience.

• 3. Casualty Estimates And Inquiry

  ›

  The number of total casualties remains disputed among historians and official records. Newspapers quoted an initial erroneous figure of 200 casualties offered by Associated Press. The Government of Punjab criticized by the Hunter Commission admitted actual figures could be higher. The Sewa Samiti society independently investigated and reported 379 deaths plus 192 seriously wounded. The Hunter Commission confirmed deaths of 337 men, 41 boys and a six-week-old baby. At a meeting held on the 12th of September 1919, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya concluded there were 42 boys among the dead with the youngest only seven months old. Indian National Congress instituted its own inquiry concluding over 1,500 casualties with approximately 1,000 killed. Winston Churchill reported nearly 400 slaughtered and three or four times the number wounded to Parliament on the 8th of July 1920. On the 14th of October 1919, the Disorders Inquiry Committee formed under William Lord Hunter began investigating recent disturbances in Bombay Delhi and Punjab. Dyer appeared before the commission alone without legal counsel stating he intended to open fire if he found a crowd assembled.

• 4. Immediate Aftermath And Retribution

  ›

  Dyer reported to superiors that he had been confronted by a revolutionary army receiving approval from Major General William Beynon via telegram. Michael O'Dwyer requested martial law imposed upon Amritsar granted by Viceroy Lord Chelmsford. Thousands detained subsequently some sentenced to penal transportation. At least 115 people killed by security forces days after the 13th of April according to historian Harish Puri. Both Secretary of State for War Winston Churchill and former Prime Minister H.H. Asquith openly condemned the attack calling it unutterably monstrous. In House of Commons debate on the 8th of July 1920 MPs voted 247 to 37 against Dyer supporting government stance despite many Britons still thinking him a hero saving British rule. Rabindranath Tagore received news by the 22nd of May 1919 renouncing his knighthood as symbolic protest written in letter dated the 31st of May addressed to Viceroy Lord Chelmsford. On the 13th of March 1940 Udham Singh shot and killed Michael O'Dwyer at Caxton Hall in London. Singh was an Indian independence activist from Sunam wounded during events in Amritsar who believed O'Dwyer approved Dyer's actions.

• 5. Legacy And Memorialization

  ›

  A trust founded in 1920 built a memorial designed by American architect Benjamin Polk inaugurated by President Rajendra Prasad on the 13th of April 1961 present Jawaharlal Nehru leaders. Bullet marks remain walls adjoining buildings today well into which people jumped drowned attempting escape protected monument inside park. Queen Elizabeth II spoke about events state banquet India the 13th of October 1997 describing Jallianwala Bagh distressing example history cannot rewritten moments sadness gladness learn build gladness. She visited site the 14th of October 1997 wearing pink apricot saffron dress religious significance Hindus Sikhs flag colours removed shoes laid wreath marigolds. During visit Philip asserted statement plaque saying about two thousand Hindus Sikhs Muslims martyred exaggerated must include wounded told killings General Dyer son met Navy. British Prime Minister David Cameron first serving PM to visit site February 2013 laying wreath calling deeply shameful event Winston Churchill rightly described monstrous ensure UK stands right peaceful protests delivered no official apology. On the 15th of April 2019 national memorial event titled Jallianwala Bagh 100 Years On held British Parliament hosted Jasvir Singh organized City Sikhs Faiths Forum London testimonies survivors read book Eyewitness Amritsar traditional musical performances minute silence remember killed century earlier.