Remembering the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 1919–2019
Lest we forget- let us commemorate its centenary in April 2019 in the UK.
The massacre of innocent civilians who had gathered to protest in Jallianwala Bagh, Amirtsar on April the 13, 1919 was one of the cruellest episodes during British colonialism.
An estimated 500 people (378 the official figure but the British did not do overall body counts)were killed and another 1500 injured as they were gunned down in the garden’s walled enclosure or shot and killed by the soldiers, under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer. Others died in stampedes at the narrow gates or by jumping into the solitary well on the compound to escape the shooting. The wounded were deliberately left uncared for and without medical attention.
The massacre was a milestone in India’s long struggle against colonialism. India’s first War of Independence in 1857 — dubbed ‘the Mutiny’ in many British history books — had seen the unity of people of all religions, classes and castes. Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, soldiers in the colonial army, peasants and rulers of Princely states had come together to fight the British. The war lasted almost two years. In its aftermath the British not only increased repression but began to impose divide and rule policies, portraying Muslims as invaders. It was this very divisive colonial ideology which led three years after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre to the formation of the pro-British RSS which is the parent organisation of the BJP, the political party which rules India today.
Repression, across India, had intensified further from the early years of the 20th century. The period immediately preceding the Jallianwala Bagh massacre had seen the imposition of the Rowlatt Act of March 18, 1919 a draconian legislation, suppressing press freedom and civil and political liberties in the name of preventing ‘terrorism’ and ‘conspiracies’. The police were given powers to arrest without warrant, detain individuals indefinitely without trial by a jury, and convict by special courts in secret. The impact of the Act was summed up by the popular slogan of the time ‘Na Vakeel, Na Daleel, Na Appeal’ or ‘No Lawyer, No Trial, No Appeal’.
A massive hartal (or strike) was held in Delhi in response and there were protests across the country. In Punjab repression had been acute. Protesters had gathered during the traditional Baisakhi festival to demand the release of two popular Indian freedom movement leaders, Dr Satya Paul and Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew who had been arrested and taken secretly to the small town of Dharamshala.
In the aftermath of World War I, there was political unrest and revolts across the world, often inspired by the success of the October Russian revolution in 1917. India was no exception. Millions of Indian soldiers and labourers had fought in the British army in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East (they had been recruited in large numbers mainly because colonialism had destroyed the economies of their villages and there were very few jobs or other means of livelihood). Many had been killed in action. High casualty rates in the war, increasing inflation after the end, compounded by heavy taxation led to widespread anger. Fearing potential mutiny and revolutionary activity assisted by Russian and German conspiracy, the colonial authorities were ready to use emergency measures and the military to suppress all political activities.
The Jallianwala Bagh killings under the command of Reginald Dyer were justified and supported by many of the colonial rulers, particularly the brutal governor of Punjab, Sir Michael O’Dwyer.
An eyewitness to the massacre, Udham Singh, had taken a vow to avenge the atrocity and in March 1940 he shot O’Dwyer, at a meeting in Caxton Hall, London. Udham Singh was tried and hanged. More than 20 years later, his bodily remains were taken back to India and interned at Jallianwala Bagh, which has been transformed into a memorial to the massacred.
APPEAL
We call upon students, activists, artists, writers and organisations and institutions across Britain to remember the centenary of Jallianwala Bagh by organising activities within their means and resources. We believe that it would be best to organise these events as we move towards the day of the massacre on April 13 from March onwards and the following weeks in April.
POSSIBLE ACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES.
Individuals can write letters to the editors of newspapers they read in the week beginning of 8th of April 2019 expressing their feelings about the massacre and what it means to them personally.
University student organisations could organise meeting in their campus by inviting leading scholars and activists to discuss what took place and how this is related to what is going on today
School history teachers can set up a project for students to study this period of history in India
Activists could hold demonstrations at some of the statues of British imperial military leaders involved in oppression in India.
Community activists could organise a community meeting with speeches, poetry and folk songs sung to commemorate the massacre.
Bloggers could make Jallianwala Bagh a subject for their reflections and how it relates to the Third World struggles.
Online activists could use various platforms to publicise the commemoration.
Magazines could commission feature articles evaluating this period of history.
Scholars who have studied this period could write a more detailed accounts to the build up to the massacre and its aftermath.
Film screenings about the massacre could be shown to different audiences to spark off discussions.
Community newspapers could publish commemorative features about Jallianwala Bagh.
Artists could curate public exhibitions and share this on line.
Musicians could perform songs to remember the tragedy of Jallianwala Bagh.
Individuals interested in the history of the period could produce an archive of materials.
— — -
Please share this appeal widely.
Saurav Dutt is an Author and Political Columnist. He is the writer of Garden of Bullets: Massacre At Jallianwala Bagh, a commemorative book in tribute to those who perished in Amritsar. It is available now.
