13 April 1919 - The Red Letter Day
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, also known as Amritsar Massacre, is an important event in India's freedom struggle. On 13 April 1919, British troops fired on a peaceful crowd of unarmed Indians at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, killing several hundred people and wounding many more. The people had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh to celebrate Vaisakhi, the harvesting festival.
The firing that took place in Jallianwala Bagh stopped only when the soldiers ran out of bullets. This incident was a turning point in India’s freedom struggle.
BACKGROUND
In 1919, the British government imposed the Rowlatt Act which was passed by the Imperial Legislative Council.
With this act, British troops could arrest citizens without an initial trial. The main purpose behind this was to resist people from demanding freedom. It was the colonizer’s instrument to eliminate the upsurging nationalism in citizens.
On account of this act, on April 9, Nationalist Leaders, Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal who were accused of holding a protest meeting were arrested. They were not given any prior warning before arrest. The situation in Punjab was deteriorating rapidly by disruptions in rail, telegraph, and communication.
The arrest of leaders caused resentment in the public. There were peaceful protests demanding to remove this act as it violated basic human rights. Soon, the whole process turned violent. The police resorted to firing which killed some protestors.
Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, Senior British Officer, was tasked to restore order. For that, he imposed Martial Law.*
ON THE DAY OF THE MASSACRE
Unaware of martial law, people wished to celebrate Vaisakhi on April 13, 1919. They assembled in Jallianwala Bagh of Amritsar.
Reginald Dyer arrived at this scene. He ordered the corps to block the exit. There was only a single exit point. No warning was issued to scatter the people. The forces under General Dyer started to fire on innocent people.
OUTCOME
The entire nation was stunned at the cruelty displayed by the colonizers in Amritsar. Public figures like Rabindranath Tagore and Gandhi protested. As a result, Tagore renounced his knighthood and Gandhi gave up the title of ‘Kaiser-i-Hind’ which was given to him by the Britishers.
The Massacre went on to impact many people for the next few decades.
Bhagat Singh was just eleven at the time of the massacre. For his ‘Naujawan Bharat Sabha’,* the massacre acted as a symbol. It showcased the inconsiderate nature of Britishers towards Indians that eventually resulted in the Non-Coperation movement and fuelled the revolutionary fervor in favor of Indians.
Another crucial figure in the freedom struggle Sardar Shaheed Udham Singh was a political activist and member of the Ghadar party. He was deeply affected by the Jallianwala massacre.
After waiting for almost 21 years, in 1940, he shot Michael O’Dwyer in Caxton Hill at a meeting of the East India Association and the Royal Central Asian Society. Michael O’Dwyer was the Lieutenant Governor in Amritsar at the time of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919. Singh considered him responsible for the inhumane incident.
Sardar Shaheed Udham Singh's trial was fast-tracked to prevent him from using the trial to spread his ideology. He was hanged to death on July 31, 1940, at Pentoville Prison.
The event of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre shaped the trajectory of the freedom struggle. The brutal side of colonial rulers became visible. People demanded ‘Purna Swaraj’. They were not in favor of a government led by imperial rules. Eventually, it led to the formation of Non-Coperation and the Khilafat movement.
What followed was the struggle to gain liberation at any cost.
The rest is history.
- * Martial law is the condition when the Military takes control over the civilian form of government.
- * Naujawan Bharat Sabha was a left-wing Indian association that sought to foment revolution against the British Raj by gathering together youth and disseminating Marxist ideas..