On the eve of the centenary of the massacre on Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Governor V P S Badnore led hundreds of people from all walks of life on a candle march to pay homage to the martyrs. Here, Singh termed the expression of regret by British Prime Minister Theresa May on the massacre as "inadequate" and said that nothing short of a formal apology from Britain will do. The march started from the historic Townhall and culminated at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial as slogans like `Inquilab Zindabad' rent the air.
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Comments written by the British High Commissioner Dominic Asquith during his visit at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on the centenary year of the massacre. (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)
The massacre at Jallianwala Bagh was a moment in history, a turning point in India’s struggle for Independence. It was a crime that stunned the nation by the scale of its brutality; it showed the true face of the Raj to those who still had faith in the ‘mai-baap’ government. Gandhi called off the satyagraha against the Rowlatt Acts, but a year later, came back with the biggest mass movement yet seen against the government. The die was cast, and the National Movement moved into a different trajectory thereon, acquiring with time an unstoppable momentum. READ MORE HERE
(Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)
On the centenary of the Jallianwala tragedy, our homage to martyrs & sympathy to the family members who sacrificed their lives for the country. It would have been most gratifying had the Indian govt. succeeded in extracting an apology from the British for this gruesome massacre.
In between the VVIP functions, the memorial was opened for public atJallianwala Bagh (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)
In between the VVIP functions, the memorial was opened for public atJallianwala Bagh (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)
In between the VVIP functions, the memorial was opened for public atJallianwala Bagh (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)
In between the VVIP functions, the memorial was opened for public atJallianwala Bagh (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)
Guard of honour at Jallianwala Bagh (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)
UK's Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn has sought for an unequivocal apology for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Every time the British government tries to dodge the issue of a formal apology for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, life of one man, whose actions have caused so much grief across continents, comes back into sharp focus. Between the titles “Butcher of Amritsar” and “Saviour of Punjab”, Colonel Reginald Harry Edward Dyer remains to date, the most divisive figure of the massacre of April 13, 1919.
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After 25 civilians were killed in Amritsar by the British police on April 10, 1919 in the days leading up to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the protests spread to different parts of Punjab — many of them now in Pakistan. In Lahore, protesters marched from Lahore Gate to Anarkali Bazaar raising slogans on the same evening, forcing the police to open fire and arrest nine people for “rioting”. Several protests followed in Lahore on April 12, 1919 — one in which crowd tore pictures of the British monarch, and another where Hindu leaders addressed a gathering at Lahore’s Babri mosque.
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Meanwhile, a visit to the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar ahead of the 100th anniversary of the massacre proved there is little oversight when it comes to vandalism of heritage sites. The Jallianwala Bagh that holds so much historical significance, is itself in need of preservation. But for the fences around the bullet-riddled red stone and the ‘Martyrs well’, the main attraction so to speak — the sanctity of the place — seems to be under threat. Read more here
PM Modi, President Kovind, Rahul Gandhi pay respects to victims. See more pictures here bit.ly/2VIW5JB
Journalist Justin Rowlatt whose great grandfather Sir Sidney Rowlatt authored the infamous Act that hundreds were protesting against in Jallianwala Bagh that day, has called the Rowlatt act a “draconian piece of legislation”. Rowlatt writes that the Rowlatt Act and its repercussions were very much in his mind when he started his work in the Delhi bureau of the BBC.
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Congress president Rahul Gandhi paid homage to the victims of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on its 100th anniversary today. "Today is the centenary of the brutal Jallianwalla Bagh massacre, a day of infamy that stunned the entire world and changed the course of the Indian freedom struggle. The cost of our freedom must never be forgotten."
Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, "India today observes the centenary of ghastly Jallianwala Bagh massacre at Amritsar. My heartfelt tributes and homage to everyone who sacrificed their lives at Jallianwala Bagh. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. The nation will remain indebted to Jallianwala Bagh martyrs."
BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia has written a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind demanding a posthumous award for British journalist Benjamin Guy Horniman, who he said “narrated the truth of Jallianwala Bagh massacre by defying brutal British Censorship in 1919”.
“Benjamin Guy Horniman (1873-1948) as an editor of the paper ‘The Bombay Chronicle’ narrated the truth of Jallianwala Bagh massacre by defying brutal British censorship in 1919. He had to undergo a sentence of two years’ rigorous imprisonment. The paper ‘The Bombay Chronicle’ had to suspend its publication and Horniman was deported to Britain,” said Kalia.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the victims of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, "Today, when we observe 100 years of the horrific Jallianwala Bagh massacre, India pays tributes to all those martyred on that fateful day. Their valour and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Their memory inspires us to work even harder to build an India they would be proud of."
British High Commissioner to India Sir Dominic Asquith lays wreath at #JalianwalaBagh memorial on commemoration of 100 years of the massacre.
British High Commissioner Dominic Asquith at Jallianwala Bagh in the centenary year of the massacre (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)
British High Commissioner Dominic Asquith at Jallianwala Bagh in the centenary year of the massacre (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)
British High Commissioner Dominic Asquith at Jallianwala Bagh in the centenary year of the massacre (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)
Congress President Rahul Gandhi lays wreath at Jallianwala Bagh memorial on commemoration of 100 years of the massacre. Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh and state minister Navjot Singh Sidhu also present.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi lays wreath at memorial (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)
Congress president Rahul Gandhi lays wreath at memorial (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)