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Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy: The massacre left at least 379 dead, axis for official figures, thought that Indian sources estimated that the toll was more than 1,000.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: The memorial stands as a symbol of suffering, courage and the struggle of India for freedom. (File photo)
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: April 13, 1919 marks one of the darkest chapters of the colonial of India. Thousands of Indians gathered on this day at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to celebrate Baisakhi, an important SIJ festival and to protest peacefully against the Rowlatt Draconiano acted by the British government. What they did not know was that this peaceful congregation would end in a spill of non -imagined blood. Jallianwala Bagh now stands as a memorial and a symbol or suffering, courage and the struggle of India for freedom.
This year, marks 106 years from the dark day. Let’s take a look at the cause, history, importance and how it took revenge on the 1919 massacre:
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: Causes
Following the First World War, the riots wounded over low heat in India. The hopes of greater self -government vanished when the British and acted to the Rowlatt law in 1919, allowing the authorities to judge and detain people without judgment. The movement caused outrage, which led Mahatma Gandhi to ask for the movement of non -violent civil disobedience.
On April 6, 1919, a Hartal (strike) at the national level paralyzed large parts of the country. Mahatma Gandhi was prevented from entering Punjab, and two outstanding local leaders of the movement were deported from Amritsar.
The tensions intensified in the days before the massacre and the public reaction was rapid and severe.
On April 10, the British troops opened fire against the protesters who tried to cross a railway bridge in Amritsar, killing about 20 people. Later that night, five Europeans were killed by an angry crowd. In response, Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, Sun Michael O’Dwyer, delivered control of the city to the army, led by Brigade General Reginald Dyer.
Dyer implemented hard measures such as cutting water and electricity supplies and prohibiting public meetings. However, when their orders were adequately communicated to the public, they remain in dispute.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: History
Despite the ban, around 20,000 people, many of the restrictions, gathered in Jallianwala Bagh, a walled garden with only a few narrow outputs. Dyer arrived with a contingent or 50 soldiers and without emitting any warning, ordered that they open fire against the crowd.
The troops shoot 1,650 rounds in minutes. People hurried to cover, but the outputs were blocked. Many were trampled, others jumped into a well in a desperate attempt to escape.
The massacre left at least 379 dead, according to official figures, thought that Indian sources estimated that the toll was more than 1,000, with more than 1,500 injured.
Horror did not end there. Martial law and public flagellations were imposed and humiliations continued in the next few days.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: Meaning
Jallianwala Bagh’s massacre was a decisive moment in the struggle for the freedom of India. He broke the illusion of British benevolence and turned many Indians moderated into staunch nationalists. Rabindranath Tagore resigned from his British gentleman in protest, and Gandhi intensified his campaign of civil disobedience.
The incident arrested the cruelty of colonial domain and promoted a generation of Indians to fight for independence.
The man who avenged: Udham Singh
Two decades later, on March 13, 1940, a quiet act of revenge in London took place. Udham Singh, a survivor of Jallianwala Bagh’s massacre and a revolutionary fighter for freedom, shot and killed Michael O’Dwyer in Caxton Hall. Singh held O’Dwyer for the massacre, as the lieutenant governor who had sanctioned Dyer’s actions.
Udham Singh was arrested on the spot and the responsibility of the law was given. He adopted the name Ram Mohammad Singh Azad, symbolizing the Community Unity, and remained challenging through his trial. He was hanged on July 31, 1940. Udham Singh was honored in India as Shaheed-Azam (martyr of the nation).
Its ashes are preserved in Jallianwala Bagh, as a powerful reminder of sacrifice and resistance.
- Location:
Punjab, India, India
