1919 massacre of Jallianwala Bagh
THE period of British imperialism in the Indian subcontinent is considered as an era in which communal disharmony, despotism and exploitation were at the peak. A renowned Indian historian Shashi Tharoor writes in his book “An Era of Darkness:
The British Empire in India” that “Indians had to literally pay for their own oppression during the British Empire in the Indian sub-continent.
The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 is an infamous proof to British Raj’s heinous attempt to mute the voices of Indians through undue violence and extreme subjugation.
The Jallianwala Bagh incident also known as Amritsar Massacre happened on 13 April 1919 when the British troops under command of the then Governor Punjab Sir Michael O’Dwyer opened fire on civilians protesting in the Jallianwala Bagh.
The quiet Jallianwala Bagh was turned into a screaming hell within minutes and hundreds of people were dead and wounded.
The hail of bullets turned the park into a slaughter house and Dwyer arrogantly said that “the bullets were not fired to disperse the public but to teach them a lesson for disobedience”.
Almost 379 people were killed and 1200 injured which included Sikh and Muslim population in large and this barbaric event gave Dwyer a special place in the niche of frightfulness and cruelty during British rule in India.
The history and reasons of this brutal incident date back to the passing of Rowlett Act in early 1919 by the Legislative Council in India without approval of its Indian representatives and public opinion.
After the World War I, Indians were in a pleasant illusion that due to their heroic sacrifices and loyalty to colonial masters in the war, they would be granted certain political autonomy and self-government.
But soon their expectations were turned down on British suspicions about secret activities of Indians against the British government, in the form of Rowlett Act which was against all the ideas of justice and law.
It actually aimed to give unquestionable and unlimited powers to the British Administration and police curbing the public rights.
The police could put anyone under arrest and no one was allowed to even hire a lawyer of defence. India played a huge role in inciting and inflaming the nationalistic feelings among Indians.
It failed to suppress the passion of Indians to gain independence in fact it increased discontent and hatred among pubic for their colonial masters.
Despite the partition of subcontinent and formation of India and Pakistan since 1947, we have been observing India’s shrewd policies and intent to injustice and biasedness.
This can be easily seen in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir where after the seven decades India is still continuing with its barbarism. Apart from Kashmir dispute, minorities in India are still suffering.
Sikhs struggle for separate homeland shows that the Jallianwala Bagh incident still haunts them and they raise their voice in the form of separate state as Khalistan. Not only Sikhs but other minorities in India are surviving under miserable conditions.
Sikhs are more than 20.8 million of Indians population and yet denied of basic religious freedom rights and quota in jobs.
Sikh community in India is targeted most as their ideology condemns caste system and worship of idols which is fundamental in Hindutva ideology.
Indian claims of biggest democracy are blatant lie when one sees its shift from secularism to extremism in the form of Hindutva ideology and Saffronization.
To keep itself away from internal rift India must review its policies with respect to minorities living in India.
—The writer is associated with the Institute of Regional Studies.
