Amritsar Massacre

[bainbrig]

Watching the C4 documentary on the 1919 massacre at Amritsar . Shocking, appalling - and the typical reactions from the descendants of the British officer who ordered his men to open fire on the unarmed crowd, and those of his defenders, was “It wasn’t a massacre, it was riot-containment.”

You can imagine similar comments from descendants of the Nazis - it wasn’t genocide, just over-zealous prison guards - sickening.

How little we British know of our own bloody history.

B

[KARL]

Careful, there are people around who will (metaphorically) scream at you for being anti-British.

[bainbrig]

Yes indeed Karl. But no, I see myself as pro-British, pro-Indian, in fact pro-sentient life! (I know this might exclude some, but Auntie will woosh this answer into the mists if I go further)...

BillB

[bainbrig]

I’ll have a look, but not sure that would cope with trying to see the screen on a bright day.

[retrocop]

//How little we British know of our own bloody history. //

I thought it was quite adequately covered in Richard Attenborough's film 'Gandhi' back in 1982.

[Sqad]

Who hasn't made a decision that was clearly wrong in retrospect and had paid a heavy price.? I certainly have made decisions that I have regretted and the higher you are in society the more tragic are your mistakes and Acting Major -General Reginald Dwyer certainly mad a wrong decision when he ordered his men to open fire.
it was wrong then and it is wrong now, but a decision was made and we all have to live with this and similar decisions will be made in the future with the same drastic results.
It serves no function in dwelling on the past and one can only hope that a similar mistake isn't made in the immediate future.

One cannot imagine what was in the mind of that Brig General but he has certainly paid the price as has the victims.

[jno]

it was dreadful. Possibly the worst atrocity of the British empire - and of course one that led to its downfall. (Though the climax to the Indian mutiny was pretty shocking too.) And yet not necessarily characteristic of the entire empire but rather an example of what happens when you put brutes in charge.

[Theland]

So what? A terrible mistake.

So should we now pay more tax to compensate?

History. Get over it.

[bainbrig]

Not sure that coming home and dying in his bed is 'paying the price'.

[jno]

Sqad, it was Dyer who gave the order. O'Dwyer was governor of Punjab or some such role.

[JF85]

"So what? A terrible mistake. So should we now pay more tax to compensate? History. Get over it."

A thoughtful, philosophical response.

[jno]

I expect Theland would respond differently if Christians were massacred in this fashion.

[tamborine]

The result of 1857 rebellion.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/indian_rebellion_01.shtml

[retrocop]

Strangely the Indian government did not want HMQ to visit the Temple and the memorial Well but she insisted on going and made a significant gesture by laying a wreath.
This went down extremely favourably with the Sikhs and was the highlight of the visit which,otherwise,was a bit of a damp squib.
They can forgive and forget. So should we move on.
After all we did the same at Croke Park, Dublin in more recent times.
I have always felt very welcome when I visit Dublin.

https://www.the42.ie/bloody-sunday-1920-1767626-Nov2014/

[jno]

the Golden Temple people acclaimed Dyer a hero straight after the massacre, to the shock of many Sikhs. But Sikhs were in the firing line as well as the line of fire.

[retrocop]

I reckon Jenner put e'm up to it.

[Theland]

JNO - Christians are and a.ways have been massacred.
No don't feel differently.
Prefer to look to the future.

[retrocop]

typo sorry, Muhammed Ali Jinnah

[Sqad]

jno...quite.....I did really mean Dyer......typo om my part.

[Peter Pedant]

Sqad a slip but an historical one
O'Dwyer was the govr of Punjab and retired to a great big pension and had an Indian secretary - - - who butchered him

O'Dwyer endorsed Colonel Reginald Dyer's action regarding the Amritsar massacre and termed it a "correct action".[1][2] In 1940, aged 75, he was assassinated by Udham Singh.

Like Indira Gandhis sikh body guard, they swore to kill the killer and this involved along the way, swearing fealty and loyalty to their target ( but not really - see ) and to lay down their lives in (the later victims) defence

Christians really NOT keen on this sort of thing ....

Very short trial - Udam S pleaded guilty during wartime and the judge wasted no time in having him hanged

[Peter Pedant]

// I reckon Jenner put e'm up to it.//

I thought this was a crazy anti- vaxxer comment nestling quite happily in an AB thread on Amritsar

not so - - - Jinnah

erm no this is a crazy comment by somewone who doesnt realise that Jinnah was Muslim and Amritsar is the holy place of the Sikhs ( Guru Nanak and all that )
but hey it was all so long ago

[Sikhs are particularly charged with protesting women and children - completely different to Muslims]