It has been 73 years since the idea of independence from Britishers was highlighted. By the early 20th century various independent groups had emerged to take the idea of independence further. Punjab was one of the regions where such groups were seen in huge numbers. As the days passed and the influence of Mahatma Gandhi enhanced in every Indian with the idea of total freedom. Britishers were aware of this and their struggle to maintain centralized control of the country was been challenged. They came with various reforms to demoralize the idea of total freedom, one of them was the Défense of India Act 1915. The act was enacted by the governor-general of India to restrict the activities of Indian revolutionaries or anyone raising his/her voice against the British government.
Although this act backfired the Britishers in a way that a year later two most prominent organizations Indian national congress and Muslim League joined hands to protest against such restrictions from Britisher.
By 1917-19. a lot of dissent against British policies was observed from all around India. In some places, the dissent took a violent face. One such incident took place in Punjab were some protesters got violent and attacked some government officials resulting in 5 deaths.
The incident was condemned by various leaders from Congress party and league as they never support violent protests. This did not stop the British government to act against them and they brought in a new law by the name Rowlatt Act of 1919. This act was an extreme version of the previous Defense of India act 1915. The act gave enormous power to the police to arrest anyone without any charge. If they suspected any individual in arousing nationalist sentiments among other people. he/she will be jailed without a trial. Through this act, the British government planned to suppress any form of dissent through unlawful practice and violation of human rights. From Mahatma Gandhi to Rabindranath Tagore criticized the act and encouraged everyone to raise their voice against the act peacefully.
March 1919 British government announced the arrest of Dr. Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew in Punjab, two intellectuals and ambassador of Mahatma Gandhi. Both of them were arrested in charges of speaking against the British government and expressing their descent towards the Rowlatt Act. Following which Gandhi planned a visit to Punjab, which was canceled by the British government.
10th April 1919: British government decided to shift Dr. Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew to Dharamshala prison. Just after this announcement, localities started gathering and protested for the release of both individuals. Dr. Muhammad Bashir led the protests and announced another public protest on the occasion of Baisakhi on 13th April 1919, 4:40 PM.
When the British officials came to know about the public protest planned for 13th April 1919, they informed Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer and made sure no such protest should take place. Martial law was foisted the same day and curfew was imposed in the entire region on Amritsar.
13th April 1919 8:30 AM: People started gathering in Jaliawala Bagh after praying in Golden temple. Kids, women, men gathered at the venue to celebrate Vaisakhi, a religious festival in Sikhism which honors the formation of Khalsa Panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh. Observing the huge gathering Reginald Dyer informed the British Government and called from military and police actions. 4:30 AM: At the peak of celebrations Reginald Dyer with his force enters the venue and blocks the only exit. Without any prior warning or disclaimer, he commands shoot on sight orders. 1650 rounds of the bullet were shot in 30 minutes killing thousands of people and injuring thousands more. Out of fear many people jumped in the well never to return. The sound of bullets being fired, kids, crying and blood floating still echoes at Jallianwala Bagh.
The entire nation was stunned by the horrific action taken by Reginald Dyer, he was instantly called back to Britain to never return. On his arrival, he was greeted with the utmost respect and rewarded with the honor of the savior of Punjab.
British Government set up Hunter's commission to evaluate the incident. The commission played biased towards the British officials and stated the number of deaths much less than actual. Later on, Congress came up with an official number of 1000 deaths and 1500 casualties. Following the incident, Congress led by Mahatma Gandhi started the Non-cooperation movement and the league started the Khilafat movement against Britishers. Out of these movements came revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru and many more.
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