The Jallianwala Bagh massacre marked a turning point in the history of the freedom struggle. Explain
Answers
Answer:
The April 13, 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre remains the turning point in the history of India, and especially its nationalist movement. As most of you should know, that day, British troops led by Major General Dyer opened fire on thousands of people who had gathered at the park to celebrate the Punjabi new year. The reason for this incident was that legally, the people were disobeying government orders against any kind of gathering under the infamous Rowlatt Act. The over 1,650 rounds fired — some of the bullet holes are still visible — officially killed 379 people and injured thousands more, though it is likely that the real number of casualties was much higher. This incident simply shook the nation. Gone were the days when people remarked of the even-handedness, the sense of justice, propriety and fair play of the British; now the brutal and vicious face of the Raj was uncovered. This incident so shocked India’s first Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, that he wrote to the Viceroy, Lord Chelmsford, that “I ... wish to stand, shorn, of all special distinctions, by the side of those of my countrymen who, for their so-called insignificance, are liable to suffer degradation not fit for human beings.” He then returned his knighthood to the government in protest.
At that time, the British thought that this was simply a passing incident. With time, people would forget about it and move on. However, this incident turned out to be a turning point. Beginning from the noncooperation movement and the Khilafat Movement, Indian nationalists began to demand the withdrawal of the British from India. Whereas an earlier breed of politicians wanted some share in government, equal rights and opportunities, after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, leaders demanded Purna Swaraj — complete independence. What followed, as they say, is history.
The incident at Jallianwala Bagh affected the course of world history, but it is the people who actually affected and led the change. The people, in fact, as Gandhi famously said, became the change they wanted to see in the world.