Prime Minister’s Tribute to Jallianwala Bagh Victims and Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair

The Prime Minister of India recently paid homage to the victims of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 and honored Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair, a distinguished nationalist jurist, for his courageous legal opposition to British colonial atrocities. His stance against the massacre became a landmark moment in India's legal and political resistance to colonial rule.

What Was the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre?

Overview:

• Date: 13th April 1919 (Baisakhi, a major harvest festival in Punjab)

• Location: Jallianwala Bagh, a public garden near the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab.

• Perpetrator: Brigadier-General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer, acting under martial law powers.

• Event: British Indian Army troops, primarily Gurkhas, opened unprovoked fire on a peaceful, unarmed gathering protesting the Rowlatt Act.

• Casualties: Official figures report around 379 deaths, but Indian estimates suggest over 1,000 men, women, and children were killed, with many more injured.

Background:

• The Rowlatt Act (1919) was a repressive colonial law that extended emergency measures from WWI, curbing civil liberties and allowing detention without trial.

• Nationalist leaders Dr. Satyapal and Saifuddin Kitchlew were arrested on 9th April 1919, sparking widespread unrest.

• In response, the British imposed martial law in Punjab, granting Dyer complete authority.

The Day of the Massacre:

• On Baisakhi, thousands of villagers unaware of the ban on public assembly gathered at Jallianwala Bagh.

• Dyer sealed the exits and ordered his troops to fire without warning or issuing a dispersal order.

• The massacre lasted around 10 minutes; around 1,650 rounds were fired until the ammunition ran low.

Aftermath and Legacy:

• Turning Point: The massacre deeply eroded Indian faith in British justice and rule.

• Gandhi’s Response: He returned his title of Kaiser-i-Hind and launched the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22).

• Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood as an act of protest.

• Hunter Commission (1919): Set up by the British; it condemned Dyer's actions but recommended no punishment.

• Congress Counter-Inquiry: Included Mahatma Gandhi and Motilal Nehru, declared the incident an inhuman atrocity and condemned martial law.

Role of Udham Singh:

• Udham Singh, an Indian revolutionary, assassinated Michael O’Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab (and administrative superior to Dyer), in London in 1940.

• Singh was executed and later celebrated as a martyr; his remains were repatriated to India in 1974.

• He adopted the name Ram Mohammad Singh Azad to symbolize communal unity.

The Rowlatt Act of 1919

Full Title:

The Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, 1919

Nature and Impact:

• Recommended by the Sedition Committee chaired by Sir Sidney Rowlatt.

• Intended to curb anti-colonial activities after the end of World War I.

• Reintroduced wartime restrictions under a permanent framework:

  • Arrest without warrant.

  • Detention without trial for up to two years.

  • No right to appeal or habeas corpus.

  • Trials without juries and limited legal defense.

  • Arbitrary control over the press and civil liberties.

Public Response:

• Seen as a betrayal after Indian support in World War I.

• Sparked widespread nationwide unrest, especially in Punjab.

Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair: The Nationalist Jurist

Early Life and Career:

• Born in 1857 in Kerala.

• A brilliant lawyer and judge in the Madras High Court.

• Youngest President of the Indian National Congress in 1897.

• Advocated for inter-caste and inter-faith marriages and legal reform.

• Played a key role in the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919), which introduced limited Indian participation in governance.

Protest Against the Massacre:

• Resigned from the Viceroy’s Executive Council in protest of the massacre.

• In 1922, authored the book "Gandhi and Anarchy", explicitly blaming Michael O’Dwyer for the Jallianwala Bagh killings.

• Sued for defamation by O’Dwyer in a London court.

  • Although the jury ruled 11–1 in O’Dwyer’s favor, Nair’s refusal to apologize made the trial a symbol of colonial injustice and British double standards.

  • The case galvanized Indian nationalist sentiment and earned Nair widespread respect.

Significance

• The Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the subsequent legal and political battles became a defining moment in India’s freedom struggle.

• It united Indians across regions and communities in their demand for complete independence (Purna Swaraj).

• Figures like Chettur Sankaran Nair played a crucial role in challenging British narratives on international platforms, influencing both Indian and global public opinion.