102-664: The Jallianwala Bagh massacre , also known as the Amritsar massacre , took place on 13 April 1919. A large crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar , Punjab, British India , during the annual Baishakhi fair to protest against the Rowlatt Act and the arrest of pro-Indian independence activists Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal . In response to the public gathering, the temporary brigadier general R. E. H. Dyer surrounded
204-539: A police officer . Marcella Sherwood later defended Dyer, describing him as "the saviour of the Punjab". For the next two days, the city of Amritsar was quiet, but violence continued in other parts of Punjab. Railway lines were cut, telegraph posts destroyed, government buildings burnt, and three Europeans murdered. By 13 April, the British government had decided to put most of Punjab under martial law . The legislation restricted
306-653: A ban on all processions and public meetings of four or more persons. The proclamation was read and explained in English, Urdu , Hindi , and Punjabi , but many either paid it no heed or learned of it only later. Meanwhile, local police had received intelligence of the planned meeting in the Jallianwala Bagh through word of mouth and plainclothes detectives in the crowds. Dyer was informed of the meeting at 12:40 and returned to his base at around 13:30 to decide how to handle it. By mid-afternoon, thousands of Indians had gathered in
408-507: A central pylon. It is white and shaped like a flame. Engraved are faces of 'martyrs' and below are given their names. The Martyr's gallery contains a number of paintings including some of political leaders and a painting of the inside of Jallianwala Bagh, showing a number of people dead on the ground. The addition to the painting of the Gurkha's was painted in at a later date. The names of those killed are not included. A portrait of Udham Singh
510-526: A flame titled Amar Jyoti (Eternal Flame) is seen burning to the right under a domed meditation area. The 'Martyrs Well' is surrounded by the Martyr's memorial, a large structure with a sign giving a figure of "120" as the number of bodies that were recovered from the well. It was designed by American architect Benjamin Polk and inaugurated in 1961. A number of the bullet holes in the walls are preserved. One of
612-649: A garden, which came to be known as Jalle Waliyan da Bagh or Jalleyan Bagh , with the name "Jallah" deriving from his estate, Jallah Jagir, in Ludhiana. His family became known in the Lahore Durbar as the Jallewalia Sardars. After the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on 13 April 1919, the site gained symbolic importance. A commemorative committee was formed and, in 1923, they purchased the Bagh for RS 565,000.. Jallianwala Bagh or
714-483: A grave error." Dissenting members argued that the martial law regime's use of force was wholly unjustified. "General Dyer thought he had crushed the rebellion and Sir Michael O'Dwyer was of the same view", they wrote, "[but] there was no rebellion which required to be crushed." The commission's report concluded that: The minority report of the Indian members further added that: Jallianwala Bagh Jallianwala Bagh
816-554: A number of civil liberties, including freedom of assembly ; gatherings of more than four people were banned. On the evening of 12 April, the leaders of the hartal in Amritsar held a meeting at the Hindu College–Dhab Khatikan. At the meeting, Hans Raj , an aide to Kitchlew, announced a public protest meeting would be held at 16:30 the following day in the Jallianwala Bagh , to be organised by Muhammad Bashir and chaired by
918-508: A senior and respected Congress Party leader, Lal Kanhyalal Bhatia. A series of resolutions protesting against the Rowlatt Act, the recent actions of the British authorities and the detention of Satyapal and Kitchlew was drawn up and approved, after which the meeting adjourned. On Sunday, 13 April 1919, Dyer, convinced a major insurrection could take place, banned all meetings. This notice was not widely disseminated, and many villagers gathered in
1020-418: A strong leadership base giving the country political direction. Indian nationalism is as much a diverse blend of nationalistic sentiments as its people are ethnically and religiously diverse. Thus the most influential undercurrents are more than just Indian in nature. The most controversial and emotionally charged fibre in the fabric of Indian nationalism is religion. Religion forms a major, and in many cases,
1122-680: A temporary alliance with the All-India Muslim League . British political concessions and Whitehall's India Policy after World War I began to change, with the passage of Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms , which initiated the first round of political reform in the Indian subcontinent in 1917. However, this was deemed insufficient in reforms by the Indian political movement. Mahatma Gandhi , recently returned to India, began emerging as an increasingly charismatic leader under whose leadership civil disobedience movements grew rapidly as an expression of political unrest. The recently crushed Ghadar conspiracy,
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#17330927888491224-454: A wall. The place derives its name from the Jallianwalia family. In 1919, in response to excluding Mahatma Gandhi from visiting Punjab, the secret deportation of Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal on 10 April and the reactions to the Rowlatt Act , Punjab had witnessed attempts of Indians to gather and protest. On the morning of Baisakhi , 13 April 1919, to the sound of military drums by
1326-634: A wide array of Muslims to the independence struggle and the Congress Party. The Aligarh Muslim University and the Jamia Millia Islamia stand apart – the former helped form the Muslim league, while the JMI was founded to promote Muslim education and consciousness upon nationalistic and Gandhian values and thought. While prominent Muslims like Allama Iqbal , Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan embraced
1428-522: Is a historic garden and memorial of national importance close to the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar , Punjab , India, preserved in the memory of those wounded and killed in the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre that took place on the site on the festival of Baisakhi Day , 13 April 1919. The 7-acre (28,000 m ) site houses a museum, gallery and several memorial structures. It is managed by
1530-597: Is based not merely on territorial extent of its sovereignty. Nationalistic sentiments and expression encompass that India's ancient history, as the birthplace of the Indus Valley civilisation , as well as four major world religions – Hinduism , Buddhism , Jainism and Sikhism . Indian nationalists see India stretching along these lines across the Indian subcontinent . India today celebrates many kings and queens for combating foreign invasion and domination, such as Shivaji of
1632-662: Is on display in the gallery. One of the seven urns containing his ashes are kept in the museum. Using newspaper clippings and letters from Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and others, 45 panels depicting the Amritsar massacre are displayed. The site is managed by the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust formed under the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act, 1951 passed by the Parliament of India . The initial trustees of
1734-530: The Bagh to celebrate the Baisakhi festival and to peacefully protest against the arrest and deportation of two national leaders, Satyapal and Saifuddin Kitchlew . At 09:00 on the morning of 13 April 1919, the traditional festival of Baisakhi , Dyer proceeded through Amritsar with several city officials, announcing the implementation of a pass system to enter or leave the city, a curfew beginning at 20:00 that night, and
1836-660: The Indian National Congress in India by the political reformer A.O. Hume intensified the process by providing an important platform from which demands could be made for political liberalisation, increased autonomy, and social reform. The leaders of the Congress advocated dialogue and debate with the Raj administration to achieve their political goals. Distinct from these moderate voices (or loyalists) who did not preach or support violence
1938-573: The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 and the Bangladesh Liberation War , Indian nationalism reached its post-independence peak. However by the 1980s, religious tensions reached a melting point and Indian nationalism sluggishly collapsed in the following decades. Despite its decline and the rise of religious nationalism, Indian nationalism and its historic figures continue to strongly influence the politics of India and reflect an opposition to
2040-540: The Jallianwala Bagh (garden) near the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar. Many who were present had been worshipping earlier at the Golden Temple and were merely passing through the Bagh on their way home. The Bagh was (and remains today) an open area of 6–7 acres (2.4–2.8 ha), roughly 200 by 200 yards (180 m × 180 m) in size, and surrounded on all sides by walls roughly 10 feet (3.0 m) in height. Balconies of houses three to four stories tall overlooked
2142-513: The Kenya Colony , historian Huw Bennett has pointed out that this new policy was not always followed. The army was retrained with less violent tactics for crowd control. The level of casual brutality and the lack of any accountability stunned the entire nation, resulting in a wrenching loss of faith of the general Indian public in the intentions of the United Kingdom. The attack was condemned by
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#17330927888492244-615: The Leader of Opposition in Loksabha (lower house of Parliament) or in absence of Leader of Opposition, the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Loksabha. It also amended that a nominated trustee may be removed by the Central Government before the end of five years term. Since the massacre, Jallianwala Bagh has been the site of a number of official and publicized visits. One of
2346-532: The Maratha Empire , Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi , Kittur Chennamma , Maharana Pratap of Rajputana , Prithviraj Chauhan and Tipu Sultan . The kings of Ancient India , such as Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka of the Magadha Empire, are also remembered for their military genius, notable conquests and remarkable religious tolerance . Akbar was a Mughal emperor, was known to have a good relationship with
2448-469: The Satyagraha movement led by Gandhi . A military picket shot at the crowd, killing several protesters and setting off a series of violent events. Riotous crowds carried out arson attacks on British banks, killed several British people and assaulted two British women. On 11 April, Marcella Sherwood, an elderly English missionary, fearing for the safety of the approximately 600 Indian children under her care,
2550-520: The Secretary of State for War , Winston Churchill , as "unutterably monstrous", and in the UK House of Commons debate on 8 July 1920 Members of Parliament voted 247 to 37 against Dyer. The ineffective inquiry, together with the initial accolades for Dyer, fuelled great widespread anger against the British among the Indian populace, leading to the non-cooperation movement of 1920–22. Some historians consider
2652-511: The Viceroy of India , Lord Chelmsford , he wrote "I ... wish to stand, shorn, of all special distinctions, by the side of those of my countrymen who, for their so called insignificance, are liable to suffer degradation not fit for human beings." Gupta describes Tagore's letter as "historic". He writes that Tagore "renounced his knighthood in protest against the inhuman cruelty of the British Army to
2754-452: The 'All India' organization from the independence process and came to see Jinnah, who advocated separatism, as the sole representative of Indian Muslims. This was viewed with dismay by many Indian nationalists, who viewed Jinnah's ideology as damaging and unnecessarily divisive. In an interview with Leonard Mosley , Nehru said that he and his fellow Congressmen were "tired" after the independence movement, so were not ready to further drag on
2856-520: The Associated Press, e.g., "News has been received from the Punjab that the Amritsar mob has again broken out in a violent attack against the authorities. The rebels were repulsed by the military and they suffered 200 casualties." The Government of Punjab, criticised by the Hunter Commission for not gathering accurate figures, only offered the same approximate figure of 200. When interviewed by
2958-456: The Bagh and estimate the size of the crowd, which he reported was about 6,000; however, the Hunter Commission estimates that a crowd of between 10,000 and 20,000 had assembled by the time Dyer arrived. Dyer and Deputy Commissioner Irving, the senior civil authority for Amritsar, took no actions to prevent the crowds from assembling or to disperse them peacefully. This would later be a serious criticism levelled at both Dyer and Irving. An hour after
3060-400: The Bagh, and five narrow entrances opened onto it, several with lockable gates. Although it was planted with crops during the rainy season, for much of the rest of the year it served as a local meeting place and recreation area. In the centre of the Bagh was a samadhi (cremation site) and a large well partly filled with water which measured about 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter. Apart from
3162-535: The British response that ended in the massacre. On 10 April 1919, there was a protest at the residence of Miles Irving , the Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar . The demonstration was to demand the release of two popular leaders of the Indian Independence Movement , Satyapal and Saifuddin Kitchlew , who had been arrested by the government and moved to a secret location. Both were proponents of
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3264-527: The Government. Cloake reports that despite the official rebuke, many Britons still "thought him a hero for saving the rule of British law in India." Rabindranath Tagore received the news of the massacre by 22 May 1919. He tried to arrange a protest meeting in Calcutta and finally decided to renounce his British knighthood as "a symbolic act of protest". In the repudiation letter, dated 31 May 1919 and addressed to
3366-580: The Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust, and was renovated between 2019 and 2021. The 7-acre (28,000 m ) site is located in the vicinity of the Golden Temple complex. The Bagh was founded by Sardar Himmat Singh Bains, Jagirdar of Alawalpur , Dhogri and other villages in the area, as well as additional villages in Gurdaspur, Multan, Kohat, and Peshawar amounting to an annual income of RS 3,00,000. He also held Jallah, valued at RS 20,000 annually, in district Ludhiana while also serving as an ambassador to
3468-522: The Riyasat of Nabha . His father, Chaudhary Gulab Rai Bains, was a grand Zamindar of Mahilpur and Jagirdar of Achharwal and villages near Adampur in the 1760s. In 1812, the Maharaja of Nabha introduced Sardar Himmat Singh to Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh , who was impressed by Himmat Singh's abilities and appointed him as his personal advisor and Vakil-i-Multaq . In 1812 Sardar Himmat Singh Founded
3570-560: The Roman Catholic Church as well as with his subjects – Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains. He forged familial and political bonds with Hindu Rajput kings. Although previous Sultans had been more or less tolerant, Akbar took religious intermingling to new level of exploration. He developed for the first time in Islamic India an environment of complete religious freedom. Akbar undid most forms of religious discrimination, and invited
3672-415: The Rowlatt Act achieved an unprecedented response of furious unrest and protests. Especially in Punjab, the situation was deteriorating rapidly, with disruptions of rail, telegraph, and communication systems. The movement was at its peak before the end of the first week of April, with some recording that "practically the whole of Lahore was on the streets, the immense crowd that passed through Anarkali Bazaar
3774-734: The Trust were named as Jawaharlal Nehru , Saifuddin Kitchlew , Maulana Abul Kalam Azad , the President of the Indian National Congress , the Governor of Punjab , the Chief Minister of Punjab and three people nominated by the Central Government . In November 2019, the act was amended thus removing the President of the Indian National Congress as a trustee and replacing that position with
3876-464: The art of Satyagraha , typified with a strict adherence to ahimsa (non-violence), and civil disobedience . This permitted common individuals to engage the British in revolution, without employing violence or other distasteful means. Gandhi's equally strict adherence to democracy, religious and ethnic equality and brotherhood, as well as activist rejection of caste-based discrimination and untouchability united people across these demographic lines for
3978-464: The assault, issued an order requiring every Indian man using that street to crawl its length on his hands and knees as a punishment. Dyer later explained to a British inspector: "Some Indians crawl face downwards in front of their gods . I wanted them to know that a British woman is as sacred as a Hindu god and therefore they have to crawl in front of her, too." He also authorised the indiscriminate public whipping of locals who came within lathi length of
4080-555: The boundaries of caste , linguistic groups and ethnicity. In 1925, K.B. Hedgewar founded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Nagpur , Maharashtra, which grew into the largest civil organisation in the country, and the most potent, mainstream base of Hindu nationalism . Vinayak Damodar Savarkar coined the term Hindutva for his ideology that described India as a Hindu Rashtra , a Hindu nation. This ideology has become
4182-445: The central element of Indian life. Ethnic communities are diverse in terms of linguistics, social traditions and history across India. An important influence upon Hindu consciousness arises from the time of Islamic empires in India . Entering the 20th century, Hindus formed over 75% of the population and thus unsurprisingly the backbone and platform of the nationalist movement. Modern Hindu thinking desired to unite Hindu society across
Jallianwala Bagh massacre - Misplaced Pages Continue
4284-427: The cities town criers , 1919 Punjab Brigadier General R.E.H. Dyer 's new rules. He had placed restrictions on leaving the city without a permit, banned all "processions of any kind" and any congregation of more than four people, and announced around the city that "any person found in the streets after 8 pm will be shot". The announcements came at a time of noise and unusual heat, and missed key locations around
4386-523: The city, so that they were not widely disseminated. Dyer was subsequently informed at 12.40 pm that day that a political gathering was to be held at Jallianwala Bagh. By the time Dyer arrived with 90 Sikh , Gurkha , Baloch , Rajput troops from 2 - 9th Gurkhas , the 54th Sikhs and the 59th Sind Rifles , there was a crowd of 20,000; a mix of speakers, listeners, picnic-makers, men, women and children of all ages, including Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Christians. Dyer then ordered his troops to fire at
4488-515: The commemoration of the centenary of the massacre. In 1920 a Trust was formed with the aim of creating a memorial at the massacre site. The memorial was closed to the public in February 2019 for the renovation work, and reopened in August 2021. The renovation was criticized by various historians, political leaders and some of the kin of the martyrs; many said that the renovations were improper and had erased
4590-598: The context of the British war effort and the threat from the separatist movement in India, the Defence of India Act 1915 was passed, limiting civil and political liberties. Michael O'Dwyer , then the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, was one of the strongest proponents of the act, in no small part due to the Ghadarite threat in the province. The costs of the protracted war in money and manpower were great. High casualty rates in
4692-657: The cornerstone of the political and religious agendas of modern Hindu nationalist bodies like the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad . Hindutva political demands include revoking Article 370 of the Constitution that grants a special semi-autonomous status to the Muslim-majority state of Kashmir , adopting a uniform civil code, thus ending a special legal frameworks for different religions in
4794-442: The country. These particular demands are based upon ending laws that Hindu nationalists consider to be special treatment offered to different religions. In 1906–1907, the All-India Muslim League was founded, created due to the suspicion of Muslim intellectuals and religious leaders with the Indian National Congress , which was perceived as dominated by Hindu membership and opinions. However, Mahatma Gandhi 's leadership attracted
4896-465: The crowd without firing, but they would have come back again and laughed, and I would have made, what I consider, a fool of myself." Dyer further reiterated his belief that the crowd in the Bagh was one of "rebels who were trying to isolate my forces and cut me off from other supplies. Therefore, I considered it my duty to fire on them and to fire well". After Mr. Justice Rankin had questioned Dyer, Sir Chimanlal Setalvad enquired: Sir Chimanlal: Supposing
4998-433: The crowds. Approximately 1,650 rounds were fired and the number, killing and injuring many; the numbers are disputed. During the troubles of 1947 several surrounding buildings had been destroyed. In 1951, the government of India established the site as a 'memorial of national importance'. The site was renovated between 2019 and 2021. The central government had earmarked ₹ 20 crore (US$ 2.4 million) in 2019 for
5100-549: The earliest was during the public enquiry by the Indian Congress, when Jawaharlal Nehru visited the site in the immediate aftermath of the massacre. His investigation revealed 64 bullets in one part of the wall. The site was visited by the Queen Elizabeth II in 1961, 1983 and 1997, and British Prime Minister David Cameron visited in 2013. During Prince William and Kate's official visit to India, Jallianwala Bagh
5202-710: The episode a decisive step towards the end of British rule in India . During World War I , British India contributed to the British war effort by providing men and resources. Millions of Indian soldiers and labourers served in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, while both the Indian administration and the princes sent large supplies of food, money, and ammunition. Bengal and Punjab remained sources of anti-colonial activities . Revolutionary attacks in Bengal, associated increasingly with disturbances in Punjab, were enough to nearly paralyse
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#17330927888495304-754: The first time in India's history. The masses participated in India's independence struggle for the first time, and the membership of the Congress grew over tens of millions by the 1930s. In addition, Gandhi's victories in the Champaran and Kheda Satyagraha in 1918–19, gave confidence to a rising younger generation of Indian nationalists that India could gain independence from British rule. National leaders like Mahatma Gandhi , Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel , Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru , Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose , Maulana Azad , Chakravarti Rajagopalachari , Rajendra Prasad and Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan brought together generations of Indians across regions and demographics, and provided
5406-674: The formation of a committee of inquiry into the events in Punjab. Referred to as the Disorders Inquiry Committee, it was later more widely known as the Hunter Commission. It was named after the chairman, William, Lord Hunter , former Solicitor-General for Scotland and Senator of the College of Justice in Scotland. The stated purpose of the commission was to "investigate the recent disturbances in Bombay , Delhi and Punjab, about their causes, and
5508-473: The garden of the Jallah-man, with its well, implies that it was once green and flowering. Over the years it had become popular as a recreation ground and an area of rest for those visiting the nearby Golden temple. In 1919, it was a dried-out plot, surrounded by tightly packed multi-occupancy buildings divided by some narrow streets, and having only one entrance and exit route. It was unoccupied and surrounded by
5610-406: The garden, one of which reads: This site is saturated with the blood of thousands of Indian patriots who were martyred in a nonviolent struggle to free India from British domination. General Dyer of the British army opened fire here on unarmed people. Jallianwala Bagh is thus an everlasting symbol of non-violent & peaceful struggle for the freedom of India The Flame of Liberty is represented by
5712-608: The governor of Punjab V.P. Singh Badnore and other officials when they visited the site in April 2019 to attend a commemoration ceremony organised by the Ministry of Culture . Other visitors in 2019 included Rahul Gandhi . Indian nationalist Indian nationalism is an instance of territorial nationalism , which is inclusive of all of the people of India, despite their diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds . Indian nationalism can trace roots to pre-colonial India, but
5814-423: The hearts of the people, and I am sure it is going to be a short-lived partition." Acharya Kripalani , President of the Congress during the days of Partition, stated that making India "a strong, happy, democratic and socialist state" would ensure that "such an India can win back the seceding children to its lap... for the freedom we have achieved cannot be complete without the unity of India." Yet another leader of
5916-413: The hills for the summer. The Amritsar massacre, and other events at about the same time, have been described by some historians as the result of a concerted plan by the Punjab administration to suppress such a conspiracy. James Houssemayne Du Boulay is said to have posited a direct causal relationship between the fear of a Ghadarite uprising in the midst of an increasingly tense situation in Punjab, and
6018-432: The inquiry, Dyer refused this suggestion and appeared alone. Initially questioned by Lord Hunter, Dyer stated he had come to know about the meeting at the Jallianwala Bagh at 12:40 hours that day but did not attempt to prevent it. He said that he had gone to the Bagh with the deliberate intention of opening fire if he found a crowd assembled there. Dyer told the commission, "I think it quite possible that I could have dispersed
6120-551: The institution of Amanullah Khan in his place. As a reaction to the Rowlatt Act, Muhammad Ali Jinnah resigned from his Bombay seat, writing in a letter to the Viceroy, "I, therefore, as a protest against the passing of the Bill and the manner in which it was passed tender my resignation ... a Government that passes or sanctions such a law in times of peace forfeits its claim to be called a civilised government". Gandhi's call for protest against
6222-439: The investigation led by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya concluded that there were 42 boys among the dead, the youngest of them only 7 months old. The Hunter commission confirmed the deaths of 337 men, 41 boys and a six-week-old baby. In July 1919, three months after the massacre, officials were tasked with finding who had been killed by inviting inhabitants of the city to volunteer information about those who had died. This information
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#17330927888496324-460: The main exits and begin shooting toward the densest sections of the crowd in front of the available narrow exits, where panicked crowds were trying to leave the Bagh. Firing continued for approximately ten minutes. Unarmed civilians, including men, women, elderly people and children were killed. This incident came to be known as the Amritsar massacre. A cease-fire was ordered after the troops fired about one third of their ammunition. He stated later that
6426-644: The massacre but expressed "deep regret" in 2019. The massacre caused a re-evaluation by the Imperial British military of its role when confronted with civilians to use "minimal force whenever possible" (although the British Army was not directly involved in the massacre; the British Indian Army was a separate organisation). However, in the light of later British military actions during the Mau Mau rebellion in
6528-587: The massacre, but news spread in India and widespread outrage ensued; details of the massacre did not become known in Britain until December 1919. This event caused many moderate Indians to abandon their previous loyalty to the British and become nationalists distrustful of British rule. Dyer reported to his superiors that he had been "confronted by a revolutionary army", to which Major General William Beynon replied via telegram: "Your action correct and Lieutenant Governor approves." O'Dwyer requested that martial law should be imposed upon Amritsar and other areas, and this
6630-431: The matter for years with Jinnah's Muslim League, and that, anyway, they "expected that partition would be temporary, that Pakistan would come back to us." Gandhi also thought that the Partition would be undone. The All India Congress Committee , in a resolution adopted on 14 June 1947, openly stated that "geography and the mountains and the seas fashioned India as she is, and no human agency can change that shape or come in
6732-497: The meanwhile, Dyer became seriously ill with jaundice and arteriosclerosis, and he was hospitalised. Although the members of the commission were divided by racial tensions following Dyer's statement, and though the Indian members decided to write a separate minority report, the commission's final report, comprising six volumes of evidence and released on 8 March 1920, unanimously condemned Dyer's actions: In "continuing firing as long as he did, it appears to us that General Dyer committed
6834-520: The measures taken to cope with them". The members of the commission were: After meeting in New Delhi on 29 October, the commission took statements from witnesses over the following weeks. Witnesses were called in Delhi, Ahmedabad , Bombay, and Lahore . Although the commission as such was not a formally constituted court of law, meaning witnesses were not subject to questioning under oath, its members managed to elicit detailed accounts and statements from witnesses by rigorous cross-questioning. In general, it
6936-405: The meeting began as scheduled at 17:30, Dyer arrived at the Bagh with a group of 50 troops. All fifty were armed with .303 Lee–Enfield bolt-action rifles. Dyer may have specifically chosen troops from the Gurkha and Sikh ethnic groups due to their proven loyalty to the British. He had also brought two armoured cars armed with machine guns; however, the vehicles could not enter the compound through
7038-442: The members of the committee a senior civil servant in Punjab admitted that the actual figure could be higher. The Sewa Samiti society independently carried out an investigation and reported 379 deaths, and 192 seriously wounded. The Hunter Commission based their figures of 379 deaths, and approximately 3 times that number injured, suggesting 1,500 casualties. At the meeting of the Imperial Legislative Council held on 12 September 1919,
7140-412: The militant movement in India, especially in Punjab and Bengal. On the recommendations of the committee, the Rowlatt Act , an extension of the Defence of India Act 1915 to limit civil liberties, was enacted. The passage of the Rowlatt Act in 1919 caused large-scale political unrest throughout India. Ominously, in 1919, the Third Anglo-Afghan War began in the wake of Amir Habibullah 's assassination and
7242-430: The millions of my countrymen, surprised into dumb anguish of terror. The time has come when badges of honour make our shame glaring in the incongruous context of humiliation ..." English Writings of Rabindranath Tagore Miscellaneous Writings Vol # 8 carries a facsimile of this hand written letter. On 14 October 1919, after orders issued by the Secretary of State for India Edwin Montagu , the Government of India announced
7344-399: The narrow entrances. The Jallianwala Bagh was surrounded on all sides by houses and buildings and had only five narrow entrances, most of which were kept permanently locked. The main entrance was relatively wide, but was guarded heavily by the troops backed by the armoured vehicles so as to prevent anyone from getting out. Without warning the crowd to disperse, Dyer ordered his troops to block
7446-536: The notion that Hindus and Muslims were distinct nations, other major leaders like Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari , Maulana Azad and most of Deobandi clerics strongly backed the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian independence struggle, opposing any notion of Muslim nationalism and separatism . The Muslim school of Indian nationalism failed to attract Muslim masses and the Islamic nationalist Muslim League enjoyed extensive popular political support. The state of Pakistan
7548-521: The number of rounds fired and the period of shooting, the Indian National Congress instituted a separate inquiry of its own, with conclusions that differed considerably from the British Government's inquiry. The casualty number quoted by the Congress was more than 1,500, with approximately 1,000 being killed. Indian nationalist Swami Shraddhanand wrote to Gandhi of 1,500 deaths in the incident. The British Government tried to suppress information of
7650-537: The participation of wise Hindu ministers and kings, and even religious scholars to debate in his court. The consolidation of the British East India Company 's rule in the Indian subcontinent during the 18th century brought about socio-economic changes which led to the rise of an Indian middle class and steadily eroded pre-colonial socio-religious institutions and barriers. The emerging economic and financial power of Indian business-owners and merchants and
7752-404: The passage was sufficient to allow the armoured cars to go in, would you have opened fire with the machine guns? Dyer: I think probably, yes. Sir Chimanlal: In that case, the casualties would have been much higher? Dyer: Yes. Dyer further stated that his intentions had been to strike terror throughout Punjab and in doing so, to reduce the moral stature of the "rebels". He said he did not stop
7854-413: The people of Punjab". Gupta quotes from Tagore's letter to the Viceroy, stating "The enormity of the measures taken by the Government in Punjab for quelling some local disturbances has, with a rude shock, revealed to our minds the helplessness of our position as British subjects in India ... [T]he very least that I can do for my country is to take all consequences upon myself in giving voice to the protest of
7956-516: 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." After Churchill's speech in the House of Commons debate, MPs voted 247 to 37 against Dyer and in support of
8058-659: The people with his Gurkha and Sikh infantry regiments of the British Indian Army . The Jallianwala Bagh could only be exited on one side, as its other three sides were enclosed by buildings. After blocking the exit with his troops, Dyer ordered them to shoot at the crowd, continuing to fire even as the protestors tried to flee. The troops kept on firing until their ammunition was low and they were ordered to stop. Estimates of those killed vary from 379 to 1,500 or more people; over 1,200 others were injured, of whom 192 sustained serious injuries. Britain has never formally apologised for
8160-450: The pilgrims passing through, Amritsar had filled up over the preceding days with farmers, traders, and merchants who were attending the annual Baisakhi horse and cattle fair. Because the city police closed the fair at 14:00 that afternoon, many of those who had been attending it drifted into the Jallianwala Bagh, further increasing the number of people who happened to be there when the massacre began. Dyer arranged for an aeroplane to overfly
8262-462: The presence of Raja Mahendra Pratap 's Kabul mission in Afghanistan (with possible links to Bolshevik Russia), and a still-active revolutionary movement especially in Punjab and Bengal (as well as worsening civil unrest throughout India) led to the appointment of a sedition committee in 1918 chaired by Sidney Rowlatt , an Anglo-Egyptian judge. It was tasked to evaluate German and Bolshevik links to
8364-404: The professional class brought them increasingly into conflict with the British authorities. A rising political consciousness among the native Indian social elite (including lawyers, doctors, university graduates, government officials and similar groups) spawned an Indian identity and fed a growing nationalist sentiment in India in the last decades of the nineteenth century. The creation in 1885 of
8466-460: The purpose of this action "was not to disperse the meeting but to punish the Indians for disobedience." The following day Dyer stated in a report, "I have heard that between 200 and 300 of the crowd were killed. My party fired 1,650 rounds". Apart from the many deaths that resulted directly from the shooting, a number of people died by being crushed in the stampedes at the narrow gates or by jumping into
8568-587: The regional administration. Of these, a pan-Indian mutiny in the British Indian Army planned for February 1915 was the most prominent amongst a number of plots formulated between 1914 and 1917 by Indian nationalists in India, the United States and Germany. The planned February mutiny was ultimately thwarted when British intelligence infiltrated the Ghadar Movement , arresting key figures. Mutinies in smaller units and garrisons within India were also crushed. In
8670-402: The rigorous cross-examination questioning and unwell, Dyer was then released. Over the next several months, while the commission wrote its final report, the British press, as well as many MPs, turned increasingly hostile towards Dyer as the full extent of the massacre and his statements at the inquiry became widely known. Lord Chelmsford refused to comment until the commission had been wound up. In
8772-477: The sectarian strands of Hindu nationalism and Muslim nationalism . Among antient texts, the Indian subcontinent came to be called Bharat under the rule of Bharata . The Maurya Empire was the first to unite all of India , and South Asia (including parts of Afghanistan ). Much of India has also been unified by later empires, such as the Mughal Empire , Maratha Empire . India's concept of nationhood
8874-467: The shooting when the crowd began to disperse because he thought it was his duty to keep shooting until the crowd was dispersed fully, and he believed that minimal shooting would not prove effective. In fact, he continued the shooting until the ammunition was almost exhausted. He stated that he did not make any effort to tend to the wounded after the shooting: "Certainly not. It was not my job. Hospitals were open and they could have gone there." Exhausted from
8976-506: The solitary well on the compound to escape the shooting. A plaque, placed at the site after independence, states that 120 bodies were removed from the well. Dyer imposed a curfew time that was earlier than the usual time; as a result, the wounded could not be moved from where they had fallen, and many of them therefore died of their wounds during the night. The number of total casualties is disputed. The following morning's newspapers quoted an erroneous initial figure of 200 casualties, offered by
9078-423: The tragedy of the massacre. The entrance to Jallianwala Bagh is via a narrow passage, the same passage that was the only entry and exit point at the time of the massacre and the same route that General Dyer and his troops took to reach the grounds. At the entrance is a statue of Udham Singh . Once entered, some old trees can be seen in the garden with some buildings at the back. With the words ' Vande Mataram ',
9180-431: The walls with bullet holes has a plaque reading: The wall has its own historic significance as it has thirty-six bullet marks which can be easily seen at present and these were fired into the crowd by the order of General Dyer. Moreover, no warning was given to disperse before Dyer opened fire which was gathered here against the Rowlatt Act. One Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty Rounds were fired Other plaques are seen inside
9282-468: The war, increasing inflation after the end, compounded by heavy taxation, the deadly 1918 flu pandemic , and the disruption of trade during the war escalated human suffering in India. The pre-war Indian nationalist sentiment was revived as moderate and extremist groups of the Indian National Congress ended their differences to unify. In 1916, the Congress was successful in establishing the Lucknow Pact ,
9384-421: The way of its final destiny... at when present passions have subsided, India's problems will be viewed in their proper perspective and the false doctrine of two nations will be discredited and discarded by all." V.P. Menon , who had an important role in the transfer of power in 1947, quotes another major Congress politician, Abul Kalam Azad , who said that "the division is only of the map of the country and not in
9486-471: The worst, most dreadful, outrages in the whole of our history". In the House of Commons debate of 8 July 1920, Churchill said, "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,
9588-418: Was estimated to be around 20,000". Many officers in the Indian army believed revolt was possible, and they prepared for the worst. The British Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab, Michael O'Dwyer , is said to have believed that these were the early and ill-concealed signs of a conspiracy for a coordinated revolt planned around May, on the lines of the 1857 revolt , at a time when British troops would have withdrawn to
9690-562: Was felt the commission had been very thorough in its enquiries. After reaching Lahore in November, the commission wound up its initial inquiries by examining the principal witnesses to the events in Amritsar. The commission held its official sittings at the Lahore Town Hall near Anarkali Bazaar . On 19 November, Dyer was ordered to appear before the commission. Although his military superiors had suggested he be represented by legal counsel at
9792-539: Was fully developed during the Indian independence movement which campaigned for independence from British rule . Indian nationalism quickly rose to popularity in India through these united anti-colonial coalitions and movements. Independence movement figures like Mahatma Gandhi , Subhas Chandra Bose , and Jawaharlal Nehru spearheaded the Indian nationalist movement. After Indian Independence , Nehru and his successors continued to campaign on Indian nationalism in face of border wars with both China and Pakistan. After
9894-473: Was granted by Viceroy Lord Chelmsford . Thousands were detained in the subsequent days, some being sentenced to penal transportation. According to historian Harish Puri , at least 115 people were killed by security forces in the days after 13 April. Both Secretary of State for War Winston Churchill and former Prime Minister H. H. Asquith , however, openly condemned the attack, Churchill referring to it as "unutterably monstrous" and Asquith calling it "one of
9996-489: Was incomplete due to fear that those who participated would be identified as having been present at the meeting, and some of the dead may not have had close relations in the area. Winston Churchill reported nearly 400 slaughtered, and three or four times the number wounded to the Westminster Parliament, on 8 July 1920. Since the official figures were obviously flawed regarding the size of the crowd (6,000–20,000),
10098-593: Was not on their itinerary. Others from Britain include Sadiq Khan , the Mayor of London in 2017, and Dominic Asquith and the Archbishop of Canterbury , Justin Welby in 2019. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the grounds in 2015 and politician Kiren Rijiju visited in 2016 as part of an India-Pakistan border visit. Proposed renovations to Jallianwala Bagh were presented to India’s vice president Venkaiah Naidu ,
10200-523: Was on her way to shut the schools and send the children home. While travelling through a narrow street called the Kucha Kurrichhan, she was caught by a mob who violently attacked her. She was rescued by some local Indians, including the father of one of her pupils, who hid her from the mob and then smuggled her to the safety of Gobindgarh Fort . After visiting Sherwood on 19 April, the local commander of Indian Army forces, Brigadier General Dyer, enraged at
10302-572: Was the nationalist movement, which grew particularly strong, radical and violent in Bengal and in Punjab . Notable but smaller movements also appeared in Maharashtra , Madras and other areas across the south. The controversial 1905 partition of Bengal escalated the growing unrest, stimulating radical nationalist sentiments and becoming a driving force for Indian revolutionaries. Mahatma Gandhi pioneered
10404-600: Was ultimately formed following the Partition of India . Indian nationalists led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to make what was then British India, as well as the 562 princely states under British paramountcy, into a single secular, democratic state. The All India Azad Muslim Conference , which represented nationalist Muslims, gathered in Delhi in April 1940 to voice its support for an independent and united India . The British Government, however, sidelined
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