On Friday, April 12, 2019 at 5 pm, St Peter’s Church, 211 Willis Street
Supplied Content
Wellington, March 30, 2019
Friday, March 15, 2019 was a defining point in the history of New Zealand.
The sorrow and hurt of the massacre will take a long time to heal but heal it will.
Whilst this is still fresh and raw in New Zealand’s mind, other massacres that occurred in Aotearoa are now no more than records in our archives and history books*.
Many of the migrant communities who have migrated here have a litany of such atrocities and massacres in their histories.
Other massacres
Some of these are well known; for example, the Sharpeville massacre of March 21, 1960 (a day now recognised as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination or Race Relations day as we know it in New Zealand) whilst others have been lost to the annals of history.
The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
For Indians and the Indian diaspora, one of the worst massacres occurred on April 13, 1919 in Amritsar, when on the orders of one man, over a thousand peaceful protestors were killed by gunfire. The incident has come to be known as the ‘Jallianwala Bagh Massacre,’ named after the Park where the massacre occurred.
Centenary Commemoration
The Indian community of Wellington will be commemorating the Centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre with an Interfaith ceremony from 530 pm on Friday, April 12, 2019 at St Peter’s Church on Willis Street, Wellington.
The Centenary is being observed world over, not only to remember and pay homage to all those killed on that fateful day, but to ensure that those who died did not die in vain. The Remembrance is intended to serve as a reminder of the moral responsibility that everyone has in keeping the world safe from such atrocities occurring again and to acknowledge that whilst we forgive, we will not forget.
The massacre of March 15, 2019 serves as a timely reminder of human capacity to destroy as well as the capacity of human race to forgive ‘those trespass against us’.
On April 12, we will use the opportunity to remind ourselves about our responsibility towards each-other, towards our community, our nation and to the whole humanity by bringing together people of all faiths, ethnicities and cultural background.
The Ceremony
In addition to the interfaith ceremony, the event will feature speeches by the Indian and the British High Commissioners, the Wellington City Mayor, former Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand and a message from Finance Minister Grant Robertson.
This is a free event, and all are welcome. There will be a short reception after the event.
The event is being organised by the Wellington Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi Community, with the support of the High Commission of India. The tragedy occurred before India was partitioned into three nations.
Photographic Exhibition
The organisers are also working to have a photo exhibition on the Massacre later in the year. Discussions are on-going with the Partition Museum of Amritsar to bring its exhibition ‘Punjab Under Siege: The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre’ to Wellington.
For more information, please contact Dr Pushpa Wood on 021-755813;
Email: Pushpa.wood@gmail.com; For attendance confirmation: email info@ekta.nz
About the Massacre
The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre occurred on April 13, 1919 when the British Indian Army opened fire on about 10,000 to 15,000 peaceful protestors who had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab to protest the Rowlatt Act. The Act extended the emergency powers that had been enacted during World War 1. These included the power for preventive indefinite detention, incarceration of individuals without trail, warrantless arrests and stricter control of the press.
Nationwide Protests
From about early April 1919, protests were being held throughout India particularly in Punjab which had seen a huge contribution of soldiers to the British war efforts.
Many had volunteered in expectation of greater home rule in India.
Mahatma Gandhi had called for one day general strike in April to protest the implantation of the Rowlatt Act.
In Amritsar, news of arrests of three prominent political activists on April 10, led to violent protest in which police had to open fire on the crowds.
On April 12, the organisers of the strike called for a public protest at the Jallianwala Bagh (Park) in the evening of April 13.
Baisakhi Celebrations
On the morning of April 13, a huge crowd began gathering at Amritsar both to celebrate the Sikh festival of Baisakhi and to attend the protest planned for the afternoon of that day.
Many had come from outside Amritsar and had spent the 12th night at the Golden Temple, the most holy shrine for the Sikhs.
In addition to the pilgrims, there were many who had come to Amritsar to attend the Horse and Cattle Fair which coincides with Baisakhi.
After the morning prayers at the Golden Temple many of the pilgrims began moving towards the Horse and Cattle with intention to move from there to the Jallianwala Bagh.
Martial Law imposed
Fearing insurrection, the British Administration of Punjab imposed Martial Law in Amritsar on the morning of 13 April. Anyone entering or leaving Amritsar was required to have a pass and gatherings of four or more people and all processions were banned. However, many of the people who were already at the Golden Temple were not aware of the new requirements and continued to proceed to Jallianwala Bagh and the Horse and Cattle Fair.
Once the Fair was over, many proceeded to the Jallianwala Bagh to attend the scheduled protest meeting unaware of the Martial Law that had been declared.
Open fire on people
Around 430 pm, the Acting Military Commander of Amritsar, Brigadier General Reginald Dyer arrived with 50 soldiers, two armoured vehicles and without warning to disperse, opened fire on the crowd. Initially the troops fired into the air, but General Dyer ordered them to fire into the densest part of the crowd. Firing went on for about 10 minutes until all the rounds of ammunition were exhausted.
As the Bagh was (and still is) walled in all sides, and the only open entrances were occupied by the troops, the protestors had no place to flee. Many jumped into a well on the grounds of the Bagh with the hope to escape the bullets.
It is estimated more than a thousand people were killed and about 1500 injured from the 1650 rounds that were fired. About 120 bodies were pulled out from the well. The dead and injured included the elderly, women and children and babies. It also included men who had served loyally for the British in the World War.
Initially the matter was suppressed but as the brutality of the event came to be known, a commission of inquiry was ordered in Oct of 1919. General Dyer was forced to retire in July 1920.
The above report was sent by EktaNZ Inc. and Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin, Wellington Chapter
