Today we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre which occurred April 13, 1919 in Amritsar. Just a few days ago I got to see this memorial so I will share some pictures from it below. The history of this massacre is deeply embedded into the political situation at the time so it is difficult to provide a short summary without digging into the history both before and after. If you want to read more, see the sources below.
Jallianwala bagh is a garden belonging to Sardar Himmat Singh Jallevalia as he was from the village Jalla. It is closeby to Harmandir Sahib so when you are walking on the way you can see the bagh. Following the first World War there was quite a bit of unrest amongst the Indian population, who increasingly wanted independence. The people were suffering due to loss of casualties, inflation and taxation, as well as losses from the 1918 flu. Due to the unrest, a committee called the Rowlatt Committee, named after Judge Rowlatt who was president of the committee, was headed to investigate conspiracies tied to the revolution movement. The committee recommended two bills, and finally the Rowlatt Act was passed on March 10, 1919. This act allowed emergency measures like indefinite jail time without a trial for anyone suspected of terrorism, arrest without warrant, juryless trial, and denying the person right to know evidence against them, etc.
In Punjab, there were peaceful strikes against this act. Governor of Punjab Michael O’Dwyer decided to deport two of the leaders, Dr Satyapal and Dr Saif Udin Kitchlew from Amritsar on April 9. This led to a strike in Amritsar and citizens protesting, however officers fired on the citizens, killing 20-30 people which further incited a mob. Brigadier-General Reginal Dyer then set up army rule, although it wasn’t even officially proclaimed until April 15 (AFTER the massacre). He prohibited meetings and gatherings on April 12. Nonetheless, Sikhs came together on April 13thfor Vaisakhi. They were having a peaceful meeting of approximately 15-20,000 at Jallianwala Bagh to pass some resolutions.
General Dyer appeared and ordered firing into the crowd without warning. Civil Surgeon Dr Williams DeeMeddy estimated 1526 casualties, and the Indian National Congress estimated 1000, the majority Sikhs. There were 120 bodies found from those who jumped into the well. Many were injured and left to die from their injuries. The youngest casuality was found to be a 6 week infant. In a further Enquiry, General Dyer was found guilty of mistaken notion of duty and relieved of his command. He had made no efforts to peacefully end the meeting of the crowds and had purposefully blocked the main exists. Dyer himself admitted his intention had NOT been to disperse the crowds. Even Winston Churchill stated “‘The crowd was unarmed, except with bludgeons. It was not attacking anybody or anything… When fire had been opened upon it to disperse it, it tried to run away. Pinned up in a narrow place considerably smaller than Trafalgar Square, with hardly any exits, and packed together so that one bullet would drive through three or four bodies, the people ran madly this way and the other. When the fire was directed upon the centre, they ran to the sides. The fire was then directed to the sides. Many threw themselves down on the ground, the fire was then directed down on the ground. This was continued to 8 to 10 minutes, and it stopped only when the ammunition had reached the point of exhaustion.’” Former British Prime Minister Asquith is reported to have said it was "one of the worst outrages in the whole of our history” upon learning of the events.
The fallout was extensive. Following this horrendous act, the Gyanis of Harmandir Sahib conferred a saropa upon this General, which led Sikhs to call for the Gurdwara Reform movement, demanding the mahants to be removed from the control of the Gurdwaras. As a result, the Shiromani Committee was formed. The Rowlatt Act was subsequently repealed in 1922. Udham Singh observed this massacre as a child leading to his role in the independence of India. Indeed this event had a critical role in the history of India’s independence.
Coming upon the 100thanniversary of this tragic event, we remember those who were killed at Jallianwala Bagh. Here are some pictures from my visit to the memorial site at the bagh. As we were walking through the narrow entrance, you can't help but get a heavy feeling in your chest. May we always remember our history.
"General Dyer conducted soldiers for firing on innocent crowds of Indians through this passage"
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| The well |
References
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