Page 37 - PSLgurmatbook62020
P. 37
disperse. The orders were ‘shoot to kill’, not shoot to scare or
disperse. He continued the shooting, approximately 1,650 rounds in
all, until ammunition was almost exhausted.
A number of people died in stampedes at the narrow gates or by
jumping into the well in the garden to escape the shooting. 120
bodies were pulled out of the well later on. Many were wounded by
bullets. But they died in the garden as there was curfew and no one
was allowed to go out of their homes. It was estimated that more
than 1,000 people died that day in Jallianwala Bagh.
The people in Jallianwala Bagh posed no threat to anyone. They were
just having a peaceful meeting. But General Dyer reported to his
superiors that he had been "confronted by a revolutionary army".
Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab, O'Dwyer agreed that this action was
correct.
Dyer faced an inquiry into his actions for the massacre. Dyer stated
that he had gone to the Bagh with the deliberate intention of
opening fire if he found a crowd assembled there. He said he could
have sent the people home, but he didn’t want to. He also said that
he would have used his machine guns if he could have got them into
the enclosure, but these were mounted on armored cars. He said he
did not stop the shooting because a little shooting would not do any
good. He also said that he did not make any effort to care for the
wounded after the shooting. He said that it was not his job.
Hospitals were open and they could have gone there. He was found
not-guilty.
The site, Jallianwala Bagh became a national place of pilgrimage. A
monument, named the Flame of Liberty was built and inaugurated on
April 13, 1961. On all four sides of the monument the words, "In
Memory of Martyrs, 13 April 1919", has been inscribed in Hindi,
Punjabi, Urdu and English.
Sikh History and Gurmat Sikhia Book 6 2020 Edition Page 35