Part 11-Amritsar Massacre: House of Lords, British Media &
Mahatma Gandhi's negative Role...Revisiting History
The story began from 1918 when britsh government awarded dominion status to 4 out of 5 colonies. these were Australia, Canada, new Zealand and South Africa but refused India.Home Rule League was demanding Home rule and after its foundation since 1916 it gathered major political actors and all were pressurizing British administration to award home Rule in India too. yet instead of Home rule, conservatives introduced Rowlatt Act in March 1919 in Central legislative Council. All Indian members opposed it yet it was enforced. the month of April began with agitations. It was a time when king of Afghanistan was busy in playing with Jihad and he was sending messages to Indian Muslims of launching Jihad against Britishers. Actually he wanted to get maximum concessions from British administration so Jihad was an easy weapon in this regard. conservative, sitting both in Indian administration & London tries to link anti-Rowlatt act agitations with Afghanistan and Bolsheviks, a usual tactic played successfully not only during Ruuisa-Britain cold war but also used during USSR-USA cold war. At April 10th, agitators in the trade center of the Punjab, Amritsar fired many buildings, killed 4 English people and injured two English women too. At April 11th, Dyre was called on from military base Jalandhar.
What dyer did is known to every one yet after 4 days mahatama Gandhi wrote " he complained that the dead (at Jalianwala) 'were definitely not martyrs. Were they heroes they would have unsheathed the sword, or used at-least their sticks or they would have bared their breast to Dyer and died bravely when he came there in all insolence. They would never have taken to their heels." P-20 Liberty or death by Patrick French.
What dyer did is known to every one yet after 4 days mahatama Gandhi wrote " he complained that the dead (at Jalianwala) 'were definitely not martyrs. Were they heroes they would have unsheathed the sword, or used at-least their sticks or they would have bared their breast to Dyer and died bravely when he came there in all insolence. They would never have taken to their heels." P-20 Liberty or death by Patrick French.
- letter of Gandhi against martyrs of Jalian Wala bagh
the letter was written at 18 April 1919, Just 5 days
after the incident. Patric French and Alexander Tunzeleman gave refrence of
that letter in their books “Partition of India, Liberty & Death” and “Indian
summer –a secret history of the end of the empire”. Both used reference of
mahdev Desai’s famous voluminous book “collected works of Mahatama Gandhi Vol
15 P-243
- Britishers awarded the title of Qaiser-e-Hind to Mahatma Gandhi in June 1915 due to his efforts in recruitment campaign. But he did not return that title.
- Tagore returned his title of Knighthood at 30th May 1919 and showed his sympathy with the Punjab
- House of lord passed a resolution in favor of Dyre
- Morning news raised 26000 pounds for dyre in a campaign and Rydyard kiplling was among those who gave funds for dyer.
- Secretary of State for India, Edwin Montagu, was among those who not only criticized Dyer in assembly, faced fierce criticism from conservatives yet he declared dyer racist & terrorist.
- In October 1919, Hunter commission declared Dyer racist and retired him by force
- It was Jinnah who resigned in March 1919 when British Indian administration passed Rowlett Act when all local members were opposing it. Jinnah told assembly that if that Act passed there would be severing uprising and he proved right.
- After a year and half, Mahatama had to return his title of Qaiser-e-Hind and launched stayagrah in order to reinstate his politics.
Unfortunately these facts are neither in Pakistani, Indian
and Bangladeshi textbooks nor in so-called post-colonial literature or in subaltern
press. Read it, it has two parts and 2nd part will be publish soon.
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