The Indian Prime Minister recently paid tribute to the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that occurred in 1919. The 13th of April, 2020, marked the 101st anniversary of this tragic event. This historical incident, often referred to as the Massacre of Amritsar, has had a profound impact on India’s history and its relations with Britain.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: An Overview
On April 13, 1919, a crowd of unarmed Indians gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh, an open space in Amritsar, Punjab. British troops opened fire on this peaceful assembly, resulting in hundreds of deaths and even more injuries. This event, now commemorated with a national monument at the site, was a turning point for India, intensifying the struggle for nationalism and freedom from British rule, championed by Mahatma Gandhi.
Pre-Massacre Events: Repressive Measures and Rising Tensions
During World War I (1914-1918), the British Indian government imposed stringent emergency powers to counter subversive activities. There was widespread expectation among Indians that these restrictive measures would be relaxed post-war, paving the way for increased political autonomy. The Montagu-Chelmsford Report of 1918 suggested limited local self-rule, fueling these hopes.
However, in 1919, the governmental enactment of the Rowlatt Acts extended the wartime restrictions, causing widespread discontent, notably in Punjab. A one-day general strike, called ‘Rowlatt Satyagraha’, was initiated by Gandhi in early April. The arrest and removal of prominent Indian leaders Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew from Amritsar incited violent protests, leading to the imposition of a ban on public gatherings. In response, Brig. Gen. Reginald Edward Harry Dyer was charged with restoring order.
The Day of the Massacre
On the afternoon of April 13, at least 10,000 people, including women and children, had gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh. The crowd consisted of both individuals defying the public gathering ban and those who were there to celebrate Baisakhi, a spring festival. With Dyer and his troops sealing off the only exit, the gathering turned into a crisis. The troops fired indiscriminately into the crowd without any warning until they ran out of ammunition.
Post-Massacre Aftermath: A Boost to the Indian Freedom Movement
In the wake of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Rabindranath Tagore, the Bengali poet and Nobel laureate, renounced his 1915 knighthood in protest. Gandhi spearheaded his first large-scale nonviolent protest campaign, the Non Cooperation Movement (1920-22). An investigation into the Massacre, directed by the then government of India (the Hunter Commission), censured Dyer for his actions in 1920 and asked him to resign from the military. This incident further strained the Indo-British relationship and strengthened the resolve for independence among Indians.