Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab, India.

The visit to this Jallianwala Bagh, a part of Amritsar, at Amritsar in Punjab state was a part of AMARNATH JI yatra on 05^th July 2014. This was a continuation Yatra to Kailash and Chardham ( Yamunothri, Gangothri, Badrinath and Kedarnath ), with the same Group, but with a change of Travel agency. The main itinerary in this Amarnath yatra includes Shiv Khori Cave, Shri Vaishno Devi Cave, Mata Kheer Bhawani Temple, Amritsar, Wagah border and Shri Raghunath Temple Jammu.

 

Name board on the left of the building 

As per the historians the root cause for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre was the Anarchical Revolutionary Crimes Act, 1919, passed in British Legislative Council. In 1919, the British Government was forced to deal with the nationalist surge amongst people in India and participating world war – I at the same time. To suppress the Nationalist movements, British Government had passed two bills in the British Legislative Council, known as also popularly known as Rowlet Act, since the same was recommended by a committee, headed by the Sidney Rowlet. These two controversial act gave the British tyrannical powers to arrest any individual in British India, if suspected to be involved in revolutionary activities can be put behind the bars for two years, without following any judicial procedures. 

Satyagraha against this Rowlet act was initiated by Mahatma Gandhi on 6^th April 1919. Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal. spearheaded the protest in Amritsar, Punjab against Rowlet act and inspired Hindu – Muslim unity amongst the people.  Michael O’Dwyer ordered to arrest both Dr Saifuddin and Satyapal on 9^th April 1919 and the same was carried out on next day.

 

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, was a unethical and violent event in the British rule of India. On 13 April 1919, a crowd of non-violent protesters, along with Baishakhi pilgrims about 10000 people, had gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh garden in Amritsar to celebrate Baisakhi and to protest against the arrest of two leaders Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satya Pal. It was learnt that an English missionary was attacked by the agitated mobs. A Curfew was imposed and pass system of entry and exit to Amritsar was also introduced. On the orders of Brigadier General Reginald Edward Henry Dyer, the Gurkha army of 50 riflemen and Sindh Regiment fired on the crowd for ten minutes until the ammunition supply was exhausted, directing their bullets on the gathering, blocking the gate. The place where crowd assembled was surrounded by the building on three sides and entry & exit are through a one gate only.  Due to this the death toll raised to 370 leaving 1500 wounded ( The actual figure was on the higher  side estimated to be of 1500 dead and more than 1500 injured ).

The bullet markings

This shocked the entire nation and the Government of India ordered an investigation of this incident ( the Hunter Commission ), which in 1920, censured Dyer for his actions and ordered him to resign from the military. The attack was condemned by the secretary of state for wars Winston Churchill as unutterable monstrous  and debate was held in House of Commons on 8^th July 1920. But the House of Lords praised Dyer and gave him a sword  with the motto “Saviour of Punjab”.  Dyer’s. Sympathizers collected large fund and presented to him.  The Nobel prize laureate Rabindranath Tagore renounced the knighthood that he had received in 1915, from the British Queen.  Mahatma Gandhi was initially hesitant to act, but he soon organising the first large scale and sustained non violent protest ( satyagraha ) campaign, the noncooperation movement, in 1920 -22 which thrust him to prominence in the Indian Nationalist Struggle.

Dyer was killed on March 13, 1940, by Udham Singh a member of Ghadar Party in revenge of Jallianwala Bagh massacre. In 1951 a memorial was set up  by the Government of India at Jallianwala Bagh to commemorate to sprit of Indian revolutionaries and the people who lost their lives in the Brutal massacre. In 1997, Queen Elizabeth visited Jallianwala Bagh and paid 30 seconds homage after removing her shoes and laying wreath on the pink granite memorial.  Latter in 2013, the British Prime Minister Cameron also visited and voiced his regret of the incident  as “shameful scar on British India History”. But no official apology statement was issued by the British Government till date. On March 2019,  the Yaad-e-Jallian museum was inaugurated  showcasing an authentic account of the massacre.

 

Memorial stupi 

HOW TO REACH

2 KM from Amritsar Bus Stand and 3.6 KM from Amritsar Railway Station.

Amritsar is 470 KM from New Delhi, 1731 KM from Mumbai, 2000 KM from Kolkata and 2649 KM from Chennai.

LOCATION OF THE MONUMENT      : CLICK HERE

Name board above the historic lane 

Martyrs well'

--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---