Jalian Wala Bagh
Jalian Wala BaghThe British government in India, aware of the rising tide of nationalist sentiments responded with a policy of concessions and repressions. The much anticipated political autonomy never materialised and instead of one man, one vote, indians got partial constitutional reforms and some extremely represslve measures like the Rowlat Act of 1919. The system of Dyarchy was introduced.Though this gave elected representatives in the provinces more power, the Viceroy was still in control and could completely overrule his ministers' advice. To further strengthen the British government, the Rowlatt Act which authorised the government to imprison any person without trial or conviction in a court of law, was passed despite opposition trom every Indian member of the Central Legislative Council.
Three members ot the Council Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Madan Mohan Malviya and Mazhar-ul-Hat resigned in protest and the whole nation demonstrated its anger against such a repression of civil liberties. Gandhiji launched the Satyagraha Sabha to oppose the Rowlatt Act�members vowed to court arrest and there were demonstrations, hartals and stikes all over India. The British Government was determined to crush the agitation.
On 13 April, 1919 a large unarmed crowd gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to peacefully protest against the arrest of their popular leaders, Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlu and Dr. Satya Pal, both members of the Congress party. Jallianwala Bagh was a large open space enclosed on three sides by buildings with only one exit. General Dyer, the military commander of Amritsar was determined to make an example of this meeting and wanted to terrorise the people into submission. He surrounded the Bagh with his troops, closed off the exit and then ordered his soldiers to shoot into the crowd with their machine-guns and rifles.
The massacre was brutal and heartless the trapped crowd had nowhere to run or hide. Men, women and chiidren ran helter-skelter, some jumping into the well to escape the volley of bullets. When their ammunition was exhausted, Dyer ordered his men to leave the area, his ghastly deed done. Thousands died and many more were injured. Martial law was imposed on Punjab and its people were subjected to many humiliating atrocities. The wholesale slaughter at Jallianwala Bagh horrified the whole country. The brutality of the so called civilised foreign rulers and the need to fight for freedom were reiterated by this incident. Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest, preferring to stand by the side of his countrymen.
Ironically, General Dyer was born in India and though he was condemed by those in power in Britain, he was supported by many Britons in India after his gruesome act. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre also impacted on Jawaharlal Nehru's orientation-travelling down from Shimla after the incident, Nehru overheard some British soldiers agreeing that the killings would 'teach the bloody browns a lesson'. Nehru became an ardent nationalist and the killings came to be called 'the greatest recruiting poster for the Congress'. Today, the bullet scarred walis of Jallianwala Bagh enclose a memorial symbolising the eternal flame which is dedicated to those martyred here. Every year on April 13, Baisakhi day, homage is paid to those innocent patriots who died here.
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Created 12/14/95 by Kumud Ajmani