Remembering Jallianwala Bagh
April 13, 2024
Today starts the annual fast against gun violence, a three-day fast that’s part of this month’s optional fasting challenge. Gandhi fasted on this date for more than a quarter century, to honor the memory of the innocent civilians who lost their lives under British guns in Jallianwala Bagh—a community garden in Amritsar, India—on April 13, 1919.
There had been tension in the city of 150,000 people since the nationwide hartal the previous Sunday, April 6. Mohandas Gandhi’s attempt to travel to Armitsar was blocked by authorities, and followed by the arrest of two local leaders. The resulting protest march led to a confrontation with police, which left at least 20 dead. There was violence on both sides; an English schoolteacher, Marcella Sherwood, was attacked by a crowd.
Martial law was declared in the city. General Reginald Dyer posted signs announcing this, in English, in a few locations around town. Word failed to spread, and on Sunday, thousands gathered for a religious festival. An enraged General Dyer gathered 50 soldiers and two armored cars equipped with machine guns, and headed to the gathering in Jallianwala Bagh, intending to fire on the crowd.
The area was surrounded by walls on four sides, and had only a few narrow entrances. The armored cars were unable to enter the bagh, but 50 riflemen took up position on the high ground near the main entrance. Without any warning or order to disperse, General Dyer ordered them to fire on the crowd. It took ten minutes of continual firing with their bolt-action rifles to run out of ammunition; from time to time, Dyer redirected fire to where the crowd was thickest.
It was months before the British officially tallied the carnage for an official report. When they did so, they declared 376 had been killed, with victims as young as nine years old, and another 1200 were wounded. Unofficial (and prompter) reports were much higher. After all 1,650 rounds of ammunition were spent, the British left without offering any assistance to those who lay bleeding.
The day after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Gandhi began a three-day fast for the violence that had taken place. He called for those who were capable to fast for 24-hours, but as usual, he led by example. When the extent of the slaughter became known, General Dyer was forced to resign, and retired at half-pay. (The British public then crowdfunded £26,317 for him as a thank you for his service.)
For the rest of his life, Gandhi reminded people of the senseless slaughter, encouraging them to fast in remembrance of the the victims of gun violence on April 13th, the day all “Indians became fellow-martyrs in Jallianwala Bagh.” He kept up this commemoration until 1948, when he became a victim of gun violence himself.
What date do you remember each year?