Avenging Jallianwala Bagh

Remembering our freedom fighters.

The day was 13th April and the year 1919. A park in Amritsar, Punjab was teeming with men, women and children. They were protesting against the arrest of two of their heroes Dr Satyapal and Saifuddin Kitchlew who raised their voice against British occupation. Amongst the crowd was a young man around twenty. Udham Singh had gone there to serve water to the people. The park known as Jallianwala Bagh. was surrounded by buildings on three sides, except for a single exit. At that time, Michael O Dwyer, was the lieutenant governor of Punjab.

Out of nowhere, a company of British and Gorkha soldiers led by Brigadier General Reginald Dyer, opened fire without a warning. The participants were caught unawares. The firing went on for nearly ten minutes at the end of which, thousands lay dead in the park. An equal number if not more were injured. The place was splattered with blood.

The incident left an indelible dent on Udham Singh and from then on, Dwyer was a marked man. Udham Singh became involved in revolutionary politics and joined the Ghadar Party, organising Indians overseas towards overthrowing the colonial rule. He was under British surveillance all the time.

In 1934, Udham Singh reached London and found employment but never forgot Dwyer. Six years later, on 13th March,1940, Dwyer was scheduled to give a lecture at Caxton hall, London. Udham Singh went to a nearby pub and purchased a revolver. As Dwyer finished his speech, Udham Singh pumped two bullets in his chest settling the issue once and for all. Dwyer died instantly.

Sardar Udham Singh was hanged by the British but will always remain a martyr in the hearts of 1.3 billion Indians.

And to this day, Britain hasn’t apologized for the massacre.

Pic credit – Prameyanews.com

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