As India commemorates the 105th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to those killed in the massacre.
“On behalf of my family members across the country, I pay my deepest respects to all the brave martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre,” PM Modi wrote on X.
President Droupadi Murmu expressed her tributes to the people who sacrificed their lives for the country in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, saying that their spirit of patriotism will keep inspiring the coming generations.
“My heartfelt tribute to all the freedom fighters who sacrificed everything for the motherland in Jallianwala Bagh! The countrymen will always be indebted to all those great souls who sacrificed their lives for swaraj. I am sure that the spirit of patriotism of those martyrs will always inspire the coming generations,” the President said in a post in Hindi on X.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote, “Remembering the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar who were massacred on this day in 1919. I salute their supreme courage and sacrifice. Their sacrifice will always be remembered.”
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “The patriotism, dedication, courage, renunciation and selfless sacrifice of the brave martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh will always be remembered. The immortal martyrs have made an indelible contribution in the freedom struggle. On behalf of the grateful nation, we pay our heartfelt tributes to him.”
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, a tragic event in Indian history, occurred on April 13, 1919, in Amritsar, Punjab. British troops, under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, opened fire on a peaceful gathering of thousands of unarmed civilians, including men, women, and children, who had gathered to protest against British colonial rule and the arrest of Indian leaders.
The troops fired indiscriminately into the crowd for about ten minutes, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries. The massacre sparked outrage across India and around the world, leading to widespread condemnation of British rule and fuelling the Indian independence movement. The brutal incident remains a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought for India’s freedom and the enduring struggle against colonial oppression.