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Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar

The Jallianwala Bagh is located about a quarter of a mile from the Golden Temple. It is the Memorial which commemorates the sacrifices of hundreds of men, women and children who were victims of ruthless firing of the British forces. The incident took place on April 13, 1919, when thousands of people had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh to voice their feelings against the repressive policies of the British Government. General Dyer tried to silence the gathered crowd with volleys of bullets which, according to official estimates, took a toll of 397 lives and wounded another 1,200 persons. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre accentuated political awakening in India and brought Mahatma Gandhi to the forefront of Indian political life. The bullet marks can be seen to this day on the boundary walls of the garden. Jallianwala Bagh has been turned into a spacious and well-laid park where people from all parts of the country come to visit.

On April 13, 1919, General Reginald Dyer ordered his men to open fire on unarmed civilians, gathered peacefully in religious celebration and in protest at the harsh recently-imposed law outlawing assemblies. Nearly 400 of them were killed and thousands were wounded. Many jumped into the well and died rather than face the bullets. Had General Dyer been able to bring armoured cars into the compound the number of persons killed and wounded would have been even higher. He then issued an order forbidding anyone to help the poor, wounded, dying victims.