The Massacre That Created History
It has been 66 years since India got its freedom from the British rule. India attained freedom by following a policy of non violence and civil disobedience but the foundation of Indian freedom was built by the blood and bones of innumerable martyrs. The struggle for Indian independence is always associated with big names like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh and many other prominent persons. These names overshadow the contributions of innumerable unnamed persons who sacrificed their lives for the freedom struggle. The turning point in the history of Indian freedom struggle was the 1857 revolt. The event that sealed the fate of British rule in India was the brutal "Jallianwala Bagh Massacre." This massacre paved the way for Indian independence. It has been 94 years since this brutal and shameful event had happened but still it remains as an non healing wound in the hearts of millions of Indians.
Events That Led To Jalianwala Bagh Massacre
In the year 1919, there was considerable unrest among the people of India especially among the Sikhs. The tremors of the first World War (1914-1918) increased this unrest. In the 1915 Singapore Mutiny against the British happened during the first world War with the help of Ghadar conspiracy. This mutiny was suppressed by the British rule and the members of this mutiny, who were mostly Sikhs were put under trial by the British government. To root out such conspiracies, British government passed the "Rowlatt Act" on 10th March 1919. According to this act, any person who is suspected of criminal conspiracy against the British rule can be arrested and put into jail for 2 years without any trial. To protest against this act, Mahatma Gandhi called for a countrywide strike on April 6, 1919. People from all over India participated in this "Rowlatt Satyagraha" but the protests were violent and much stronger in Punjab. This irked the British government and they arrested two congress leaders Dr. Satya Pal and Dr. Saifudeen Kitchlew from Amritsar on April 10, 1919. On the same day, Gandhiji was prohibited from entering Punjab under the Defence of India Rules. People of Amritsar protested against this injustice by organising a general strike on April 10, 1919. The crowd of more than 50,000 people marched to the deputy commissioner office but they were stopped near a railway foot bridge by the British soldiers and they started firing at the crowd. In this incident 12 people were killed and more than 20 were injured.
On April 11, 1919, an English Missionary, Miss Marcella Sherwood reported that she had been molested by the crowds gathered in the Amritsar region. At that time Reginald E.H Dyer was the Brigadier General and he got furious when he heard this report and on April 12, he issued an order prohibiting all meetings and gatherings in Amritsar. He also authorized public whipping of people who came near British policemen. All these events led to the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre on April 13, 1919.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
On April 13, 1919, a multitude of people gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh (a public garden) to celebrate "Baisakhi fair", a Sikh festival and to protest against the extreme measures taken by the British government. The crowd mainly consisted of Sikhs which included children and women. The capacity of the crowd was more than 20,00 people. Brigadier General Dyer who had already prohibited such public meetings and gatherings, when heard about this gathering, he went to the Jallianwala Bagh with 50 soldiers. Most of the soldiers were Indian. The meeting was peaceful and two resolutions were passed against Rowlatt act and the firing on April 10. When the third resolution against the repressive policy of British government was proposed, Brigadier General Dyer, without any warning or ordering the crowd to disperse, opened fire on them. The firing continued for 20 minutes and more than 1650 rounds were fired into the helpless and screaming crowd. Some people were trampled to death by those who tried to escape. According to the official figures, 379 people were killed and more than 1500 injured in this brutal massacre but according to the studies conducted by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, the death count was estimated to be more than 1,000. It is the most brutal massacre in the history of India.
Foolish Brigadier General Dyer
After killing hundreds of innocent people, Dyer went back to his headquarters and explained to his superiors that he opened fire because he was confronted by a revolutionary army. This massacre turned him into a hero in Britain. He explained this heinous crime in one simple sentence saying that, "I think it quite possible that I could have dispersed 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." This massacre created a countrywide outrage and a result of which Dyer was removed from his duty. Leaders all over the world condemned this massacre. Winston Churchill called it "Monstrous" while the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, H.H Asquith, termed it as, "One of the worst outrages in the whole of our history." This massacre was a turning point in Indian freedom struggle because with this incident Mahatma Gandhi realized that the people of India will receive social justice only when a full self-government is achieved.
Udham Singh - The Avenger
During the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, there was a teenager named Udham Singh, who witnessed this cruelty of British rule. At that time he was only a teenager but he vowed to avenge the Amritsar Massacre. He later changed his name to Ram Mohammad Singh Azad, which signifies the unification of three major religions in India. On 13 March, 1940, a meeting of the East India Company was being held in the Caxton Hall, London. At that meeting Sir Michael O'Dwyer was also present, who was the governor of Punjab, when the Jalianwala Bagh massacre had occurred. At that time he had praised Dyer's action and termed it as a "Correct action." Udham Singh entered the meeting hall and fired six shots at Sir Michael and thus he avenged the massacre. On 31st July, 1940, he was hanged at Pentoville Jail, London. Before his death he said these words about Sir Micheal, "He was the real culprit. He deserved it. He wanted to crush the spirit of my people, so I had to crush him."
National Memorial
In the year 1951, Jallianwala Bagh was announced as a place of national importance. The place where hundreds of innocent Indians sacrificed their lives, is now a place for thousands of patriots who visit this sacred place daily. This site is located near the Golden Temple complex.
India got freedom but the condition of India is similar as it was 94 years ago, when Dyer ordered Indian soldiers to kill their own countrymen. Today also political leaders use Indian soldiers for their own gain and sometimes even against their own people.
Image Source: Wikimedia
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