Prime Minister Narendra Modi irks anger as he asks the nation to join him in remembering the Jallianwala Bagh martyrs.
He released a tweet saying: Join me as we inaugurate the renovated complex of Jallianwala Bagh Smarak today at 6:25 PM. I also invite you to watch the sound and light show. It would display the horrific massacre of April 1919 and instill a spirit of gratitude and reverence towards the martyrs.
Join me as we inaugurate the renovated complex of Jallianwala Bagh Smarak today at 6:25 PM. I also invite you to watch the sound and light show. It would display the horrific massacre of April 1919 and instil a spirit of gratitude and reverence towards the martyrs. pic.twitter.com/p2BDHUbXAJ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 28, 2021
While the PM’s tweet seemed noble enough, it irked judgment because citizens said it was inappropriate to remember the most atrocious incident in Indian history with DJ sounds and pub lights and expressed that it was an insult to the martyrs.
What was the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919 where a great but peaceful crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab to protest against the arrest of pro-Indian independence leaders Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlu and Dr. Satya Pal.
In response to the public gathering, the British Brigadier-General R. E. H. Dyer surrounded the Bagh with his soldiers. The Jallianwala Bagh could only be exited on one side, as its other three sides were enclosed by buildings. After blocking the exit with his troops, he ordered them to shoot at the crowd, continuing to fire even as protestors tried to flee. The troops kept on firing until their ammunition was exhausted. Over 1000 people were killed and over 1,200 other people were injured of whom 192 were seriously injured.
This polarized both the British and Indian peoples. Eminent author Rudyard Kipling declared at the time that Dyer “did his duty as he saw it”. This incident shocked Rabindranath Tagore (the first Indian and Asian Nobel laureate) to such an extent that he renounced his knighthood and stated that “such mass murderers aren’t worthy of giving any title to anyone”.
The massacre caused a re-evaluation by the British Army of its military role against civilians to minimal force whenever possible, although later British actions during the Mau Mau insurgencies in Kenya have led historian Huw Bennett to note that the new policy was not always carried out. The army was retrained and developed less violent tactics for crowd control.
The level of casual brutality, and lack of any accountability, stunned the entire nation, resulting in a wrenching loss of faith of the general Indian public in the intentions of the UK.
The ineffective inquiry, together with the initial accolades for Dyer, fuelled great widespread anger against the British among the Indian populace, leading to the Non-cooperation movement of 1920–22. Some historians regard the episode as a decisive step towards the end of British rule in India.
It was unfortunate that Britain never formally apologized for the massacre but expressed “regret” in 2019.
Here are some of the indignant responses to the prime minister’s “sound and light show” on Twitter:
They bled.
They sacrificed.All to fight off tyranny & oppression.
All for our motherland's freedom.Today, Modi sarkar drowns out their memory with a sound & light show. #BJPInsultsMartyrs pic.twitter.com/brZdpLe4Uq
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 31, 2021
Not just martyrs, the bjp govt also insulted great freedom fighters including India s first PM Sh Jawaharlal Nehru
#BJPInsultsMartyrs pic.twitter.com/JqGdElpvJ9
— Vinay Kumar Dokania (@VinayDokania) August 31, 2021
From Glorifying Godse And Insulting Mahatma Gandhi To Cursing Shaheed Hemant Karkare And Insulting All Bravehearts , The Recent #JallianwalaBagh insulting is just an add on to BJP's list !#BJPInsultsMartyrs
— Niraj Bhatia (@bhatia_niraj23) August 31, 2021
What is there like celebration in Jallianwala Bagh massacre, where light and sound is needed? But I believe that those who have colluded with the British, how will they understand the horrors of these days.#BJPInsultsMartyrs pic.twitter.com/UnyHd5KNZv
— Ritik Mahali(ରିତିକ୍ ମାହାଲି ) (@RitikMahali) August 31, 2021
Modi sarkar's hunger to create events & manage headlines has reached a wretched point.
They did not think twice about the significance & sentiments attached to the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial before erasing history in order to further a political agenda. #BJPInsultsMartyrs pic.twitter.com/ZTmyVlraFm
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 31, 2021
Jallianwala Bagh, site of the Amritsar Massacre of 1919, has been revamped – which means that the last traces of the event have effectively been erased. #BJPInsultsMartyrs
Then Now pic.twitter.com/foyb5yMdi7
— AC (@Veniceofeast) August 31, 2021
1650 rounds fired, thousands martyred and a nation wounded forever.#BJPInsultsMartyrs by putting DJ music & laser show !!
Those who did'nt struggle for freedom can't understand those who did !!
— Telangana Congress (@INCTelangana) August 31, 2021
Such an insult to martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh can only be done by those who do not know meaning of martyrdom. I am son of a martyr I will not tolerate the insult of martyrs at any cost. We are against this indecent cruelty.-@RahulGandhi#BJPInsultsMartyrs https://t.co/zRl2zmvsba
— Niraj Bhatia (@bhatia_niraj23) August 31, 2021
Mr. PM you can not make this place as a celebration centre since our freedom fighters blood is there in this soil???#ModiInsultsMartyrs#BJPInsultsMartyrs pic.twitter.com/iq4FuKgO4x
— mads@madhuri (@madshumanbeing1) August 31, 2021