Saturday, 13 April, marked the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer opened fire into a crowd of hundreds of revolting Indians.
In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the 100th anniversary by paying a tribute to all those martyred on the fateful day.
“Today, when we observe 100 years of the horrific Jallianwala Bagh massacre, India pays tributes to all those martyred on that fateful day. Their valour and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Their memory inspires us to work even harder to build an India they would be proud of.”Prime Minister Narendra Modi
President Ram Nath Kovind also tweeted out his tribute to the freedom fighters who were martyred. Calling the massacre horrific and a stain on civilisation, President Kovind said that this day of sacrifice can never be forgotten by India.
Commemorative Coin Released
A commemorative coin of Rs 100 was released by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial, later in the day.
Rahul Gandhi Pays Respect
Congress President Rahul Gandhi also visited the Jallianwala Bagh memorial in Amritsar, accompanied by Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu.
British High Commissioner Pays Tributes, Theresa May Condemns the Act
Earlier in the day, the British High Commissioner to India Sir Dominic Asquith had visited the memorial to lay wreaths. Asquith also signed the visitor’s book, with a message that sort of echoed British PM May’s remarks, on the horrific incident, in her parliament on Wednesday, 10 April, saying that it is a ‘shameful’ act in the British-Indian history.
“We deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused. I am pleased today that the UK and India have and remain committed to developing a thriving 21st century partnership.”Dominic Asquith, British High Commissioner to India
British Prime Minister Theresa May had, on Wednesday, 10 April, also called the massacre a "shameful scar" on British Indian history. However, she stopped short of a formal apology sought by a cross-section of parliament in previous debates.
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