British High Commissioner to India, Sir Dominic Asquith, on Saturday called the Jallianwala Bagh massacre “shameful” and deeply regrettable, but offered no apology.
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amrinder Singh had on Friday demanded an unequivocal official apology from Britain for the massacre, whose centenary is being observed today.In the visitor’s book, Sir Dominic Asquith wrote: “The events of Jallianwala Bagh 100 years ago today reflect a shameful act in British-Indian history. We deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused. In am pleased today that the UK and India have and remain committed to developing further a thriving 21 century partnership.”
The brutal massacre had taken place on April 13, 1919, when, in the backdrop of the tyrannical Rowlatt Bill, which aimed to curtail civic liberties and the subsequent Satyagraha launched by Mahatma Gandhi, thousands had come to Amritsar to celebrate Baisakhi.The crowd had assembled peacefully at the bagh to condemn the arrest of two national leaders Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew when they were fired indiscriminately by British General Dyer and his men.
The shooting had continued for ten minutes claiming 379 lives as per government estimates, though the figure is believed to be much higher.
