Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer is the reason why India lost hundreds of innocents at Jallianwala Bagh. Michael O’Dwyer who was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab termed the action by General Dyer as “correct.”
After the incident, General Dyer was removed from his command and was called for an inquiry by the Hunter commission in 1919. When asked why he would do something so inhuman, Dyer said, “I did not issue a warning before shooting and felt it was a part of my duty to continue firing till the crowd dispersed. I fired immediately when my orders were not obeyed. If I fired a little, the effect would be inadequate and would be wrong in firing at all.”
On April 13th, 1919, hundreds of people died protesting for India’s freedom. A crowd of nonviolent protesters and pilgrims had gathered to participate in the annual Baisakhi celebrations at Jallianwala Bagh. It was a day of celebration for people of Amritsar but little did they know that the day would turn out to be a day of mourning for all. When General Dyer was informed about the gathering, he was convinced of a major insurrection and took fifty Gorkha troops to a raised bank and ordered them to open fire. The firing went on till the ammunition was exhausted and took lives of 379 people leaving 1100 severely wounded. The people could not escape as the Bagh was blocked on every side by soldiers and many jumped into the well located in the Bagh and they could not survive. 120 bodies were recovered from the well alone.
On 23rd July 1927, Dyer died of Cerebral Hemorrhage. Later, a man called Udham Singh who was among one of the people wounded in Jallianwala Bagh sought to take revenge and killed Michael O’Dwyer who had appreciated General Dyer’s action at Jallianwala Bagh. Udham waited for two decades to take revenge. On 13th March 1940, Udham Singh dressed like a perfect English gentleman in a meeting hall in London, pulled out a 45 Smith and Wesson revolver, and shot Michael O’Dwyer, who died on the spot.
Revenge was sought and the death of the innocents at Jallianwala Bagh will be remembered forever.
Here are some pictures of Jallianwala Bagh.
