Lesser-known facts about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre

Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as Amritsar massacre, took place on April 13, 1919, when acting Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer gave orders to the troops of the British Indian army to open fire at a group of unarmed Indian civilians in Jallianwala Bagh. Over 370 people died and more than 1200 people were severely injured in the incident. 

The incident still sends shivers down the spine of everyone who knows the story of the massive killing. It is still known as one of those incidents in history that marked serious human rights violations.

Though we know what happened, there are some lesser known facts about the massacre:

– The people were left with no options but to get killed or injured as there was only one entrance from which you could escape the garden, and a lot of people who tried to exit the garden couldn’t as the rest of the garden was surrounded with a lot of buildings.

– The gathering was held on the occasion of Sikh festival, Baisakhi. All the sikh people got together to celebrate the festival, one of the biggest in Punjab.

– One day before the incident on April 12, 1919, angry mob attacks and rebellions took place, because of which general Dyer issued an order banning public gatherings. However, as the people were unaware of the notice, the incident took place.

– Other than the Baluchi and Gurkha rifles, two armoured machine guns vehicles were also used to shoot the people in the garden.

– Before the firing orders were given, the people were not made aware of the latest notice by General Dyer and the firing started.

– The victims died falling into a well when they were trying to escape the firing. The firing only stopped when the army ran out of ammunition.