London: Ahead of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre anniversary on April 13, United Kingdom Conservative MP for Harrow East, Bob Blackman, on Thursday (local time) urged his government to apologise to India for the killings that took place at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919. He stated that thousands were killed and injured in the shooting at Amritsar’s Jallianwala Bagh. The massacre remains a poignant symbol of the atrocities inflicted on Indians under British rule.
“Today, I raised the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. I asked the Govt to formally give an apology to the people of India ahead of the atrocities anniversary,” he said.
In a video, Blackman was seen saying that on April 13, 1919, General Dyer ordered troops to fire at people who were gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh peacefully.
“Now, on the 13th of April, 1919, families gathered very peacefully in the Jallianwala Bagh to enjoy the sun, enjoy a day out with their families. General Dyer, on behalf of the British Army, marched his troops in and ordered his troops to fire on those innocent people until they ran out of ammunition. At the end of that massacre, 1,500 people were dead and 1,200 injured,” he said.
In 2019, former Prime Minister Theresa May acknowledged the massacre, but did not issue a public statement regarding it, Blackman said.
“Eventually, General Dyer was disgraced for that stain on the British Empire. In 2019, then Prime Minister, Theresa May, recognised this was a stain on British colonial rule in India. But could we have a statement in government time? The anniversary of this will be on the 13th of April this year, when we’re in recess. So could we have a statement from the government admitting to what went wrong and formally giving an apology to the people of India,” he said.
In the UK Parliament, another MP supported and thanked Blackman for raising Jallianwala Bagh massacre issue, stating that the massacre was one of the most notorious and shameful episodes in the history of British colonialism.
“Can I thank him for raising this important matter of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which, as he says, is one of the most notorious and shameful episodes in the history of British colonialism, particularly in India. But I think probably wider than that,” she said.
“I will absolutely make sure that the foreign office ministers have heard his question today and I will suggest that perhaps they bring forward a statement in advance of the anniversary,” she said.
The Jallianwala Bagh memorial in Punjab commemorates the 2,000 Indians who were killed or wounded, shot indiscriminately by the British under the command of Gen Michael O’ Dyer on April 13, 1919, while participating in a peaceful public meeting. This was one of the major incidents of India’s freedom struggle.
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre is documented at the site’s Martyr’s Gallery, which includes a bullet-marked wall and a well used by victims seeking refuge. Gandhi responded to the event by declaring India’s eventual liberation, while Tagore, renouncing his knighthood, condemned the massacre as an unprecedented act of brutality by a civilized government.
(with ani inputs)
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