Jallianwala Bagh Incident

News:13th April 2020 marks the 101st anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in Amritsar.

Facts:

• The Jallianwala Bagh massacre also known as the Amritsar Massacre took place on 13th April 1919 under the command of General Dyer who ordered firing against the protestors who were gathered at Jallianwala Bagh to condemn the arrest of two national leaders Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew.

Outcomes of the event:

• Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi as a sign of condemnation, renounced their British Knighthood and Kaiser-i-Hind medal respectively.
• In 1922, the British Government repealed the infamous Rowlatt Act.
• The British government appointed the Hunter Commission to inquire into the Jallianwala Bagh shootings.The committee condemned the incident but did not impose any penal or disciplinary action against General Dyer.

Additional Facts:

Rowlatt Act: It was passed in 1919 on the recommendations of the Sedition Committee chaired by Sir Sidney Rowlatt.It gave the government enormous powers to repress political activities and allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.