Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 102nd Anniversary
Recently the Prime Minister paid tribute to the martyrs on the 102nd anniversary of the JallianwalaBagh massacre. In addition, on the occasion of the 130th Foundation Day of the National Archives of India, an exhibition addressing the centenary of the “JallianwalaBagh massacre” has also inaugurated.
It may be noted that on 13th April 1919, hundreds of people were killed in the firing, involved in a peaceful meeting held at Jallianwala Bagh.
Background of the event
- On 10th March 1919, an Act was passed by the British, known as Rowlatt Act or Black Law.
- At that time British government passed the Rowlatt Act, 1919 which gave powers to the police officers to arrest any person without any reason whatsoever.
- Under this law, Punjab’s revolutionary leaders SaifuddinKichlu and Dr. Satyapal were arrested by the British.
- For this reason, on April 13, 1919, a crowd of about 10,000 men, women and children gathered in JallianwalaBagh to demand the release of SaifuddinKichlu and Dr. Satyapal.
- Then Brigadier-General Dyer arrived at the scene with his troops and surrounded the gathering and ordered to shoot at the crowd.
Outcome:
- In opposition to the incident, Bengali poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore renounced his title of British knighthood, and Mahatma Gandhi renounced his title of ‘Kaiser-i-Hind’.
- The title of ‘Kaiser-i-Hind’ was conferred on Gandhi Ji by the British during the Boer War.
- On October 14, 1919, the Government of India constituted a Disorder Inquiry Committee to investigate this incident. This committee was formed under the chairmanship of Lord William Hunter, hence it is known as the Hunter Commission. Some Indians were also included in this.
- The Commission submitted its final report in March 1920, unanimously condemning Dyer’s acts, and ordering him to resign from the post. In the year 1922, the Rowlatt Act was repealed by the British.
- The Indian National Congress also appointed its non-government committee on the incident, which included CR Das, Motilal Nehru, MR Jayakar, Abbas Tyabji and Mahatma Gandhi.
Source – PIB
