The Quint: The Bloodiest Baisakhi: Remembering the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
- 5 years ago
How did the Massacre Happen?
On 18 March 1919, the British Indian Govt passed the Rowlatt Act – a draconian anti-militancy law. Led by Gandhi, India rose in anger. On 13 April, a protest meeting was planned at Amritsar’s Jallianwala Bagh; it was Baisakhi that day, Punjab’s biggest festival.
General Reginald Dyer, Amritsar’s acting military commander, had banned all public gatherings of over four people.
But protesters ignored Dyer’s order. By 4 pm, there were already thousands of protestors at Jallianwala Bagh. Police had shut a nearby Baisakhi ‘mela’, which added to the crowd. If only they had stayed away...
Because, at 5.30 pm, General Dyer – with 90 Gurkha soldiers – blocked the main exits. Without warning, Dyer’s troops opened fire, shooting where it was most crowded and targeting men, women, and children. Many were killed in the stampede to avoid the bullets – while scores died jumping into an unused well.
10 minutes later, the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre stared India in the face.
On 18 March 1919, the British Indian Govt passed the Rowlatt Act – a draconian anti-militancy law. Led by Gandhi, India rose in anger. On 13 April, a protest meeting was planned at Amritsar’s Jallianwala Bagh; it was Baisakhi that day, Punjab’s biggest festival.
General Reginald Dyer, Amritsar’s acting military commander, had banned all public gatherings of over four people.
But protesters ignored Dyer’s order. By 4 pm, there were already thousands of protestors at Jallianwala Bagh. Police had shut a nearby Baisakhi ‘mela’, which added to the crowd. If only they had stayed away...
Because, at 5.30 pm, General Dyer – with 90 Gurkha soldiers – blocked the main exits. Without warning, Dyer’s troops opened fire, shooting where it was most crowded and targeting men, women, and children. Many were killed in the stampede to avoid the bullets – while scores died jumping into an unused well.
10 minutes later, the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre stared India in the face.