CLASS 10 TH

HISTORY
CHAPTER 2 NATIONALISM IN INDIA

THE
JALLIANWALA
BAGH PRESENTED BY
Name : Poornima N

MASSACRE
Class : 3rd semester B.A.B.Ed
Reg.No : DA190029
 LEARNING OUTCOME
After learning this part of the chapter pupils will
be able to

 Understand how oppressive the British rule was

 Draw conclusions about the various struggles that
had led to independence
 Know about the laws and acts passed by the British
government
 Comprehend the contribution made by various
nationalist leaders and common masses
 Discuss how the nationalist feeling was slowly being
awakened in the mind of the countrymen
 CONTENTS
1. Why did this happen
2. The defense of india act
3. Rowlatt act
4. Satyagraha against the rowlatt act
5. The incident
6. Aftermath
7. Hunter commission of 1920
General Reginald Dyer ordered troops of
the British Indian Army to fire their rifles
into a crowd of unarmed Indian civilians
in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab,
killing the civilians gathered there.
WHY DID THIS HAPPEN LETS GO
BACK TO HISTORY AND SEE
 The Defense of India Act
An emergency criminal law enacted in 1915 by
the Governor-General of India. Its main
intention was to curtail the nationalist and
revolutionary activities of the Indian
Independence Movement during and in the
aftermath of World War I.

 It is illegal to communicate with

 The First World War began, in contrast to British the enemy, obtain information, spread false
reports and any activities that was prejudicial to
fears of a revolt. India contributed massively to the British war
the war effort.
effort by providing men and resources.
 local governments to make rules detain
 About 1.3 million Indian soldiers served in Europe, Africa
indefinitely, without representation.
and the Middle East.
 the law was in practice used in widespread
 During World War I, rising grain prices, dissatisfaction
scale from limiting revolutionaries, through
with British immigration policies and rumors of British defeats
arresting perpetrators of religious violence, to
on several fronts had lead to a new wave.
curtailing the voice of moderate political
 Possible alliance of central powers
leaders.
 Impact of the Defense of India Act
 The British war effort received support within
India and the act received support on the
understanding that the measures enacted were
necessary for the war-situation.
 But widespread use of it amongst the population
and against moderate leaders led to growing revolt
within the Indian population.
 The enactment of the law saw 46 executions and 64
life sentences given to revolutionaries in Bengal
and Punjab effectively crushing the revolutionary
movement. The power of preventive detention was
however applied more particularly to Bengal.
 So leaders saw these restrictions as britisher’s
unwillingness to trust them.
 The British saw the objections as indication of a
force that was raising and giving self governance
will affect British interests.
While trying to The aggressive
appease Indians , the revolutionaries had
government of India been hanged and The government now decided
to Arm itself with more far
was ready with imprisoned reaching powers, which went
repression. Nationalists against the accepted
like Abul Kalam principles of rule of law
Azad had been to be able to suppress
kept behind the those Nationalist
who would refuse to
bars be satisfied with
the official
reforms.
 n ar c hi ca l and
k no w n as the A
 Officially rim e s A c t , 1 9 19.
lu t i on a r y C e r ial
Revo 919 byh1t h e Im p
e d i n M a r c
 Pass i l.
g is l a ti v e C o u n c
r n m e n t r i g ht to
Le
t h e B r i ti s h gove
ve
 This act ga s u spect e d o f t e r r o rist
n y b o d y
arrest a
t i v i ti e s . m e n t t o d etain
a c t h e govern
ls o au th o r i z e d
2 y e a r s w i thout
 It a e s te d f o r u p to
ar r
such people ce
. c h f o r a p la
trial e p o l ic e to sear
red t h
 It empowe ant.
o u t a w a r r s on the
with v ere re st r i c t i o n
p l a c e d s e
 It also press.
e e d o m of t h e
s i t s e c u r i t i es for
fr a d to depo
s e c o n v ic t e d h
o m t a k i n g part
 Th o r o h i b ited f r
w e r e p gious
release, and e d ucatio n a l , o r r e l i The act was to Indian leaders and the
o li t ic a l ,
in any p public. The bills came to be known as
activities. ‘black bills’
 wlatt Act of
eemocratic
f India wh o
anaextension
hungry
re came
ecting
ngaappeared
bread
the war
ction
ep of to
the

red
. stones.
low.

U
r
st
p
e
d
c
o
s
h

o
n
ry
n

o
we
fu

g
a
o

g
i
st
h

ct
r
s
.
 Jawaharlal Nehru described Gandhi's entry into the
protests in his Glimpses of World History -

"Early in 1919 he was very ill. He had barely recovered from

it when the Rowlatt Bill agitation filled the country. He also
joined his voice to the universal outcry. But this voice was
somehow different from others. It was quiet and low, and yet
it could be heard above the shouting of the multitude; it was
soft and gentle , and yet there seemed to be steel hidden
away somewhere in it; it was courteous and full of appeal,
and yet there was something grim and frightening in it;
every word used was full of meaning and seemed to carry a
deadly earnestness. Behind the language of peace and
friendship there was power and quivering shadow of action
and a determination not to submit to a wrong...This was
something very different from our daily politics of
condemnation and nothing else, long speeches always
ending in the same futile and ineffective resolutions of
 SATYAGRAHA AGAINST THE ROWLATT ACT
In February 1919, Gandhi ji founded the Satyagraha Sabha
• The members took pledge to disobey the act and thus which led to their court arrest and
imprisonment.
THERE WAS A NEW METHOD OF STRUGGLE
Whether moderates or extremists their struggle became together.
Big meetings, demonstrations, refusal to cooperate with government, boycott foreign cloth
and schools, or individual acts of violence were known to the leaders now
Nationalists could now act , instead of merely agitating and giving verbal expression.
• Relied on the political support of peasants, artisans, and the urban poor.
• There were hartals, strikes, processions, and demonstrations.
• The slogan of Hindu Muslim unity filled the air.
• The Indian people where no longer willing to submit to the degradation of foregin rule.
 In response to this act, a nationwide hartal was called
by Gandhi ji on 6th April. This was called the Rowlatt
Satyagraha.
 The movement was cancelled by Gandhi ji when the
situations were worsening particularly in Punjab where
the situation was grim.
 The spirit manifested during these hartals, "God Save
the King." Hindu-Muslim unity was reinforced by the
joint celebration of a Hindu holiday, Ram Naumi Day, on
9 April.
 This successful organization was credited to
Dr.Satyapal, medical doctor and Dr. Kitchlew a lawyer
 Both were advocates of communal unity and had
obtained popularity by their championship of mass
causes; Dr. Satyapal had led a successful protest
against the railway's previous refusal to sell platform
tickets at Amritsar, and Dr. Kitchlew was involved in
both the Home Rule and PanIslamic movement.
After world war

Amritsar had been the center of Congress

organization in the Punjab since 1917
 Was Ram Navami day, a traditional Hindu festival . Normally the procession
on the day would be carried out by Hindus.
 For the first time a new wave rose we could see Muslims also joined the
procession
 Everybody who
participated came from
different communities .
 This is very much a
Hindu, Muslim, Sikh
even Christian union
story.
 But for British when ever
the people gathered on a
large number on the street
they were reminded of
1857.
 This incident was even
more freighting for the
British because all their
efforts to divide and rule
seemed to be failing in
 The administration of Michael O’Dwyer decided that Satyapal and Kitchlew
had to be arrested and kept secrectly in Dharmashala.
 So Satyapal and Kitchlew when they were called to DC house they go
peacefully expecting a small talk or dialogue with DC
 D.C Sir Miles Irving had just arrived in amritsar and was
nervous seeing the crowd and protests.
 He agrees to the suggestion and gets Satyapal and Kitchlew
arrested.

 Now this arrest by trickery takes aback the people

who are already in the peaceful means of Satyagraha
 → The followers collected together and marched to the DC Office
with a fariyad to release their leaders.
→ There was confrontation between the crowd and the police

→ The British police fired at the gathering and around 20 people died
→ In response to this hundreds and thousands of people were on the street
→ Those returning from DC office were very angry that they ransacked looted and burnt British
buildings
 r n i n g p o int 0:
Tu ti n go n A p r il 1
t h e r i o illed
During ls w e r e k
B r i tis h o fficia tis h te a c h er
►5 r w o o d a Bri
a r c e l l a Sh e d a nd
► M as a c co s te
s i o n a r y w
and mis e s t r ee t
in t h and
assaulted d o w nt h e a n g e r
is b r o u g h t h r aj u pon
♦T h n ti re Briti s
i t y o f t h e e g o i n g b ac k
brutal h e re w a s no
p e o p l e a nd t n o w n as
the c a me to k
t l at e r li
♦The stree or Kodeyon waali ga r
li n g l a n e e r k id s no
craw s p a re d n eith
e n e r a l D yer
♦ G
p le. ad
l d e r p e o n d a l so h
the o e d to c ra wl a
e y w e re ask
♦T h
m w h i p p ed e s s io n)
the ev e l of o p p r
th e l
(this was
 It was a day of mourning for the city on the morning of 11th permission
was taken and after repeated requests the local government allows the
people to dispose the dead bodies with all the rituals

But things were about to get a lot worse ....

 In the evening, Brigadier General

Reginald Dyer was brought to
control the situation in Amritsar
from Jalandhar.
 Dyer was somebody who had
lived in India , born n India ,
speaks fluent Urdu and Hindi
also had a good relation with his
army.
 When it comes to this particular
incident he was quite prepared to
teach Indians a lesson they would
never forget.
 Dyer takes a round of the city to understand the situation
 Announcements were made mostly in place where poor people
lived, where Kashmirs lived almost half of the city was left as
such
 The posters were not posted on the walls of the jallianwala bagh
also
 That 144 was imposed
There is a palpable tension in the air thousands gathered
in the walled city and made their way to Jallianwala
Bagh
 Some were there to demand the release of Kitchlew and
Satyapal in a peaceful way.
Some looking for a place to relax after offering Basakhi
prayers at the Golden temple.
  Reports of people defying the curfew reaches reach General Dyer,
who is stationed at Ram Bagh
 He leaves with two armored vehicles and drive to Jallianwala Bagh a
distance of 1.7 km

 The entrance of the Bagh is too narrow and

it is impossible for his armored vehicles to
go through so he dissembles and leads his
troops on foot

4:30 PM
 Dyer along with 90 soldiers takes positions
at the main entry and exit path of the Bagh

 He took troops that consisted of Baluchis

and Gurkhas so they were far removed
from the people of Punjab and will not
intend to show sympathy to them
 The shooting lasted for only 11 min, until the 1650 rounds of
ammunition were exhausted. There is no were for people to
run
 People scramble here and there
 The Bagh was totally a barren land so,

They fall into the well while running, they climb

over the walls and are shot
There were very small, three to four exits or small
narrow gullies most of them would not or did not
know how to reach there
 The British figures put the death count
around three hundred while the Indian
National Congress claimed around 1500
people lost their lives

Lal Hari Ram Behl was at the Bhagh on the day of the
massacre. He was shot twice but he managed to escape the
Bhagh but he could not reach the hospital on time and
blooded to death on the street
Brigadier General Dyer will go in
history as Butcher of Amritsar.
He came with a mission but he was not
involved in the grand plans of
oppression unleashed by Lt governor
Michael O’Dwyer
Same time back at England, Dyer was a
hero, people saw at he saved Britain

THE
JALLIANWALA BAGH
 AFTERMATH
 The days following massacre saw Martial
law being imposed in the city of Amritsar. Martial law 
 Indians were ordered to salaam every white
is the imposition of direct military
person they saw on the streets
 General Reginald Dyer had to face an control of normal civil functions or
enquiry by hunter commission and was
suspension of civil law by a
eventually asked to step down from the government. When martial law is in
army effect, the military commander of an
 His supporters raised 26,000 so he could area or country has unlimited authority
live rest of his life in comfort meanwhile, to make and enforce laws.
families of the Indian victims were given
Rs 500 by the government
 Hunter Commission of 1920
 The Hunter Commission of 1882 was appointed by the then Governor-General in
circumstances of relative peace.
 The Hunter Commission of 1920 was appointed by the then Secretary of State for India,
Edwin Montagu
 The official name of the Hunter Committee of 1920 was the Disorders Inquiry Committee
and was constituted after the massacre at Jallianwalla Bagh on 13 April 1919.
 The commission being composed of both British and Indian officials, there were reports of
racial tension between them.
 The committee unanimously condemned General Dyer’s actions and published the
following findings:
 Dyer did not ask the crowd to disperse before opening fire into the crowd and continued
firing until ammunition was exhausted. This constituted a serious error.

 Dyer’s intention of producing moral effect through the use of force was condemnable and
he had exceeded the limits of authority assigned to him.
 The Indian members added to these findings, the following observations:
 Orders prohibiting public meetings had not been sufficiently circulated in
Punjab in general and in Amritsar in particular which could have prevented the
Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre.
 Innocent people formed the crowd at Jallianwalla Bagh and there was no
violence before the massacre.
 Dyer should have ordered troops to help the wounded people or informed
civilian authorities to arrange aid. His actions were condemned as inhuman and
greatly damaged the image of the British in India.

 The Hunter Commission report was important in the context that its findings paved the way
for public opinion in both Britain and India gradually turning against British rule in India.
 The Hunter Commission report findings were also instrumental in the development of the use
of minimum force in crowd control worldwide.
 The Jallianwala Bagh massacre marked the beginning of the end of
 The British
the Jallianwala Bagh massacre marked the beginning of the end of
empire.
 the British
It was after empire.
this Tagore returned his Knighthood and a year later
 It was after
Mahatma this Tagore
Gandhi returned
gave the call forhis
theKnighthood
start of theand a year later
Non-Cooperation
Mahatma Gandhi gave the call for the start of the Non-Cooperation
movement.
 movement.
On 15 April, demonstrations occurred in Gujranwala protesting
 On 15 April,
against demonstrations
the killings occurred
at Amritsar. Policein Gujranwala protesting
and aircraft were used against
against the killings resulting
the demonstrators, at Amritsar. Police
in 12 andand
deaths aircraft were used against
27 injuries.
 the demonstrators,
Michael O’Dwyer, theresulting in 12 deaths and 27ofinjuries.
then Lieutenant-Governor Punjab, who had
 Michael O’Dwyer,
approved the of
the actions then Lieutenant-Governor
Brigadier-General Dyer, was of Punjab, who had
assassinated by
approved
Udham the actions
Singh of Brigadier-General
in London in 1940 as revenge Dyer, was assassinated
against the massacre.by
 Udham
It SinghPeople's
increased in London in 1940 asin
Participation revenge
Congressagainst the massacre.
Meetings and
 It increased
Activities People'sNon-Cooperation
Primarily Participation in Congress
Movement. Meetings and
 Activities
The Primarily
Incident United Non-Cooperation Movement.
all Major and Prominient leader in India to act
 The Incidentagainst
collectively Unitedaall Major and
common Prominient leader in India to act
enemy.
collectively against a common enemy.
Entrance to the present-day Jallianwala Bagh

Bullet holes in wall at Jallianwala Bagh memorial.

Memorial plaque at Jallianwala Bagh.

LETS SUM UP
i. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, also called Massacre of Amritsar was an
incident on April 13, 1919
ii. It killed several hundred people and wounded many hundreds more. It
marked a turning point in India’s modern history,
iii. Events Before the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
iv. On the Date of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
v. The then government of India ordered an investigation of the
incident (the Hunter Commission), which in 1920 censured Dyer for
his actions and ordered him to resign from the military.
vi. The Incident United all Major and Prominient leader in India to act
collectively against a common enemy.
THANK YOU