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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
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