Today marks the hundredth anniversary of the killing of hundreds of unarmed civilians by the British Army in India, at the order of Reginald Dyer.
No apology has ever been made by the British Government. Here are the statements in the years after the event:
22 December 1919 Volume 123
The SECRETARY of STATE for INDIA (Mr. Montagu)
The hon. and gallant Member knows that he is dealing with subjects which are sub judice and he is forming his estimate of what happened on one column and a-half report of the evidence of a single man who was in the witness-box for a whole day. He knows that no action of any sort or kind whatever can be taken, affecting whoever it may be, to vindicate— if any action be necessary—the name of England for justice and fairplay, until that report is received. I have never known a case where so many deductions have been drawn in this House from events which at the moment are being inquired into by an impartial tribunal.
Colonel WEDGWOOD
I do not think that I have varied from the words used by General Dyer. He is accused out of his own voice. He himself said, "I did not take thirty seconds to decide whether to shoot." He himself said that the mob might have dispersed if he had asked them. He himself said that he fired on them because, if they had dispersed, they might have come back and laughed at him afterwards. He has made that clear. I wanted to point out the difference between suppressing a mob doing violence and shooting down people who are not violent, because by that action terror might be inspired and prevent riots in the future. We have never justified the shooting down of people, not because they were endangering life but because they might do so at some future time unless they were fired on.
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Common...arDisturbances
18 February 1920 Volume 125
Mr. SPOOR
asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he proposes to give an early opportunity for a discussion on the Amritsar incident?
Mr. BONAR LAW
until the report of the Committee now sitting in India to inquire into this matter has been received it is not possible to consider this question.
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Common...ritsarIncident
And that is the entire extent to which the House of Commons addressed the event. After the inquiry, no further response was offered.
08 November 1921 Volume 148
Sir J. D. REES
asked the Secretary of State for India whether the assessors appointed in that behalf have dealt with the claims put forward on behalf of those who lost their lives at Jallianwallah Bagh; and, if so, with what general results?
Mr. MONTAGU
I am informed that the Committee has not yet concluded its inquiry.
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Common...ritsarIncident
An apology is essential, it is overdue, it should be made immediately. Today's Indian press says as much:
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre a ‘shameful scar’: British envoy expresses regret but non-committal on apology
Earlier in the day, President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra and several other leaders paid tributes to the martyrs of the massacre.
SNS Web | New Delhi | April 13, 2019 1:28 pm
The British government, even after 100 years, has only regretted the massacre but stopped short of apologising for the killing of so many innocent people.
Rejecting the regret expressed by British Prime Minister Theresa May as “inadequate”, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday demanded “an unequivocal official apology from Britain”.
https://www.thestatesman.com/world/j...502745109.html
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