Q.6. Write a report on:
(a) The Jallianwala Bagh massacre
(b) The Simon Commission
Answers
b) the Simon commission
Answer:
Answer: (a)
On 13th April 1919, a large crowd had gathered in the enclosed ground of JallianwalaBagh – some to protest against the British government’s repressive measures, others to attend the annual Baishakhi Fair.
These people were unaware of the imposition of Marshal Law in the city. General Dyer, the Commander, blocked the exit points from the Bagh and opened fire upon the innocent citizens.
Dyer went with Sikh, Gurkha, Baluchi, Rajput troops from 2-9th Gurkhas, the 54th Sikhs and the 59th Sind Rifles they entered the garden, blocking the main entrance after them, took up position on a raised bank and on Dyer's orders fired on the crowd for about ten minutes, directing their bullets largely towards the few open gates through which people were trying to flee, until the ammunition supply was almost exhausted.
Dyer’s intention was to produce a ‘moral effect’ and terrorize satyagrahis. Hundreds of innocent people including women and children were killed and wounded due to this indiscriminate firing by the British soldiers,
This incident angered masses of India ultimately led to nation-wide outrage. Jallianwala Bagh incident was the most brutal incident in the History of India.
(b)
The Simon Commission was constituted by the Tory Government in Britain, under Sir John Simon. The objective of the Commission was to look into the functioning of the constitutional system in India and suggest some constitutional changes.
But nationalists in India opposed the Commission because it had not a single Indian member. Therefore, when the Simon Commission arrived in India in 1928, it was greeted with the slogan “Go Back Simon”.
The Commission was strongly opposed by many in India and met with protests in every major Indian city it visited
All parties, including Congress and the Muslim league, participated in the demonstrations. Thus it brought a sense of unity in Indians for the moment.
The Simon commission recommendations formed the basis of the Act of 1935.