2. AGENDA
1) REVISING THE TRAGEDY
2) LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TRAGEDY
3) WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE JALLIANWALA BAGH
TRAGEDY
4) QUESTIONS TO TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
3. REVISION
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre took place on 13 April 1919 when troops of
the British Indian army under the command of Acting Brig-Gen Reginald
Dyer fired rifles into a crowd of Indians, who had gathered in Jallianwala
Bagh , Amritsar, Punjab. The civilians had assembled for a peaceful
protest to condemn the arrest and deportation of two national leaders,
Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew. it was attended by more than 10,000
men, women and children. There was just one entrance to the park
which was blocked by the british army on the orders of general dyer.
after blocking the gate, the army started firing at the unarmed people
who had no means of escaping.
The Jallianwala Bagh is a symbol of the freedom struggle. A monument
to symbolize the sacrifices of innocent Indians killed in the massacre
was built and was open to public in 1961, after an inauguration by the
then President of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad, exactly 42 years after the
date of the tragedy.
4. The jallianwalah bagh massacre, also known as the amritsar massacre. it is
named after the jallianwala bagh [temple] in the northern indian city of amritsar.
on april 13, 1919, british indian army soldiers started shooting at an unarmed
gathering of men, women and children. the person in charge was brigadier-
general reginald dyer, the military commander of Amritsar. the shooting lasted
about ten minutes. according to official british raj sources, 379 people were
killed. according to other sources, there were over 1,000 deaths, with more than
2,000 wounded, and civil surgeon dr. smith said that there were 1,526 casualties.
Prior to the incident at Jallianwala Bagh, an English missionary named Marcella
was attacked and left for dead in the streets by an angry mob protesting against
the arrests of two popular leaders of the Indian Independence Movement, Satya
Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew. Jallianwala Bagh was a tricky place. Except for the
main entrance to the open place, the area was surrounded by building and walls
on all sides. • The firings stopped only when the soldiers ran out of ammunition.
MORE ABOUT JALLINANWALA BAGH TRAGEDY
5. UDHAM SINGH
orphanage a member of the revolutionist Ghadar party who was on
a mission of revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.
On 13 March 1940 in the Caxton Hall, London, where a meeting of
the East India Association was being held, he was serving water to
all the Members at the meeting on rowlatt act. Udham Singh fired
five to six shots from his pistol. He became a revolutionary and
killed General Reginald dyer, who was governor of the Punjab when
the Amritsar Massacre had taken place, to avenge the massacre. On
the 31st July, 1940, Udham Singh was hanged at Pentonville jail,
London.
He was the real culprit. He deserved it. He wanted to crush the spirit
of my people, so I [had to] crush him. Udham Singh, telling the trial
court why he killed Michael O'Dwyer The Jallianwala Bagh
massacre accentuated political awakening in India and brought
Mahatma Gandhi to the forefront of Indian political life.
6. AFTER THE TRAGEDY
Non - cooperation movement: -
After the Jallianwala Bagh incident Mahatma Gandhi started the Non-
Cooperation Movement. According to this movement, people were asked
not to cooperate with the British Government
Memorial: -
A trust was formed later 1920 to build a memorial at the site after a
resolution passed by the Indian National Congress. In 1923, the trust
purchased land for the project. A memorial, designed by American
architect Benjamin Polk, was built on the site and inaugurated by the
President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad on April 13, 1961, in the presence
of Jawaharlal Nehru and other leaders. A flame was later added to the site.
It is presently one of the most visited places in Amritsar.