New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tributes to people killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919. PM Modi said, “their unparalleled courage and sacrifice will keep motivating the coming generations.”
Tributes to those martyred in Jallianwala Bagh on this day in 1919. Their unparalleled courage and sacrifice will keep motivating the coming generations. Sharing my speech at the inauguration of the renovated complex of Jallianwala Bagh Smarak last year. https://t.co/zjqdqoD0q2
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 13, 2022
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, Jallianwala also spelled Jallianwalla, also called Massacre of Amritsar, incident on April 13, 1919, in which British troops fired on a large crowd of unarmed Indians in an open space known as the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar in the Punjab region (now in Punjab state) of India, killing several hundred people and wounding many hundreds more.
It marked a turning point in India’s modern history, in that it left a permanent scar on Indo-British relations and was the prelude to Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi’s full commitment to the cause of Indian nationalism and independence from Britain.
On the afternoon of April 13, a crowd of at least 10,000 men, women, and children gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh, which was nearly completely enclosed by walls and had only one exit. It is not clear how many people there were protesters who were defying the ban on public meetings and how many had come to the city from the surrounding region to celebrate Baisakhi, a spring festival. Dyer and his soldiers arrived and sealed off the exit. Without warning, the troops opened fire on the crowd, reportedly shooting hundreds of rounds until they ran out of ammunition. It is not certain how many died in the bloodbath, but, according to one official report, an estimated 379 people were killed, and about 1,200 more were wounded. After they ceased firing, the troops immediately withdrew from the place, leaving behind the dead and wounded.
(Vinayak)
