It is a tragic tale of brutality and disgrace. 99 years ago, on 13th April, 1919, one British General ordered his troops to fire at innocent Indians who had done nothing wrong, and who had no place to run. They were strategically walled in, and killed. The picture reminds one of holocaust, but it happened here in India.
#JallianwalaBagh massacre became a turning point in the history of India’s struggle for freedom. It was a barbaric act led by the KAAYAR, General Dyer and his troops.
Salutations to all the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh massacre ???????? pic.twitter.com/VgDwZywuHG— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) April 13, 2018
In Amritsar, on the day of Baisakhi, many Sikh families gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh to celebrate their holy day. Colonel Dyer, the Lieutenant- Governor of Punjab, misinterpreted it as a conspiracy to revolt against the British raj. He went to the garden with sinister motives.
The Jallianwala Bagh is a walled garden, with only one entrance. With tall walls on three sides, it has no route to escape. Dyer ordered his troops to fire into the unarmed crowds, including women and children. They fired incessantly for ten minutes.
Dyer stated that 1,650 rounds had been fired, a number apparently derived by counting empty cartridge cases picked up by the troops. Official British Indian sources gave a figure of 379 identified dead, with approximately 1,100 wounded. These were not mere numbers, it showed the callousness of the British in treating Indians as mere statistics.
It was a fatal mistake by the British, as it proved to the Indians that the rulers had no good intention for the Indians. For them, the masses were just a number who had to be controlled and exploited. Till then, those who believed in the benevolence of the British were disillusioned.
Dyer was later murdered by Udham Singh in London. But that was not enough as a vengeance for the innocent Indians.
Heartfelt tribute to the Martyrs of #JallianwalaBagh massacre !
It is 1 of the most cruel massacre in the history of world & a heart-wrenching memory for the entire nation.
We will NEVER forget their sacrifice for our motherland !
Jai Hind pic.twitter.com/zezqNNf87c— Maj Surendra Poonia (@MajorPoonia) April 13, 2018
It took heroes like Bhagat Singh, Azad and Bose to kill the spirit which Dyer represented. The incident at Jallianwala fired many young Indians to fight for their motherland. In fact, Bhagat Singh is believed to have carried the blood-stained mud from Jallianwala in a bottle with him as a reminder of the purpose of his life.
Jallianwala Bagh has become a symbol of the colonial atrocities. The walls of the bagh were like the cultural and economic drain imposed on the nation. The bullet marks were the scratches on the national pride. And the vengeance lay in, not only eliminating the rulers, but also restoring the national identity.
Today, as the nation battles with issues like rapes, concerns over privacy and rampant corruption, it would do well to remember that this freedom that we take for granted, is the result of many lives and many struggles.
Though today is the anniversary of an Indian tragedy, it is also a day that sparked many Indians to fight for their rights, for the life with dignity.
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