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History & Civics

Suppose you recently visited Jallianwala Bagh Memorial in Amritsar. While you were there, you could visualise what might have happened on that unfortunate day on April 13, 1919. Describe the scene of the tragedy as visualised by you.

Mahatma Gandhi

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Answer

On April 13, 1919, a large crowd had gathered at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to celebrate Baisakhi and peacefully protest against the arrest of leaders like Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlu and Dr. Satya Pal. Speeches were in progress and people were sloganeering and there was peace and order all around. Suddenly General Dyer along with his soldiers marched in and surrounded the Bagh. After closing the only exit of the garden, he ordered the soldiers to start shooting.
There was chaos and confusion all around. People started running frantically to save their lives, unsuccessfully trying to escape by climbing the walls. The atmosphere was filled with helpless cries of people and the firing of bullets. Many people jumped inside the well in the garden to escape the bullets. The troops kept on firing till their ammunition was exhausted.
After the troops withdrew, their was death and despair all around. There were bodies everywhere and people's belongings, clothes, shoes and pagris (turbans) were scattered all over the ground. At some places, 7 or 8 corpses were piled, one over another. There were many innocent children among the dead too, some as young as 3 years old.
The atrocities of General Dyer transformed Jallianwala Bagh from the site of peaceful protest to the garden of the dead.

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