Jallianwala Bagh Massacre- 5 Important Things to Know
On 13th April 2020, India completes 101 years of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.
In Indian history, the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre is one of the most brutal and gruesome events. In the year 1919, the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre took place on the day of the popular Sikh festival Vaisakhi. Since that day, Indians commemorate this day to pay tribute to the lives of people who died in the Massacre.
The Massacre took place during the First World War when Acting Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered the British Indian Army to open fire into a mob of completely innocent and unarmed Indian civilians. The horrifying incident takes place in the Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab. According to government records, 400 people were killed in the massacre. Whereas over 1000 people were gravely injured. Both dead and injured numbers of people include women and children. However, these are only government records. Above this, what accelerates the conundrum of this historic gory is the inaccurate total number of people who died during the heavy fire.
Alongside this, here are a few major points that one should know about the incident-
The incident of bloodshed took place in Jallianwala Bagh. In 1919, it was beautiful a garden in Amritsar where commonly people gathered for traditional celebrations and fairs. Therefore, people recognize the event by the name Amritsar Massacre as well.
Prior to the massacre, angry mobs had an attack on an English missionary as they arrest two leaders of the independence movement. Upon this, the angry General Dyer imposes Matian Law on 12th April 1919. The truth of the matter is that the anger of a group of leading Britishers rained in the form of uncountable gunshots on the innocent Indians.
The Martian Law comes under action on 12th April 1919. However, people present in the Jallianwala Bagh were completely unaware. They were celebrating their traditional festival Vaisakhi. Amid all the blissful vibes of the Vaishakh festival, over 1000 people were brutally shot by the British Army. According to the records, prior to firing nobody receives any warning from the troops.
On 13th April 1919 at 9 am people begin their celebration of Vaishakhi. Approximately at 12 pm, thousands of people gathering takes place near Harmandir Sahib and Jallianwala Bagh. Apart from pilgrims, Amritsar had filled up over the preceding days with farmers, traders, and merchants attending the annual Baisakhi horse and cattle fair. The city police closed the fair at 14:00 that afternoon, resulting in a large number of people drifting into the Jallianwala Bagh.
Later in the evening, the British Indian Army appears on the front gate and all the narrow entrance of the garden. As the Army covers the gate, people in the Jallianwala Bagh had no other way to make an exit. Further, when the Army begins shooting aimlessly to the innocent people, they run to save their lives.
As per the reports, many people tried to escape the gun. Hence, they jump in the well of the garden following their deaths. Hundreds of women and children were found dead in the well.
What truly horrifies people about the incident is the level of anger in General Dyer toward innocents. According to the reports, the Army keep their guns firing during this massacre until the moment they ran out of ammunition. Dyer appears in front of the defenceless vulnerable people with Baluchi and Gorkha soldiers. Furthermore, they fire with rifles, two armored vehicles.
After the incident of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, Rabindranath waived knighthood imparted upon him by the Britishers. Rabindranath Tagore writes to the British viceroy, Lord Chelmsford repudiating his Knighthood in outrage at the mass murder of Jalianwalla Bagh.
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