HYDERABAD: To mark the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Salar Jung Museum and Historical Society of India organised a lecture to touch upon the events that occurred on the day of April 13, 1919. Historian and activist M Ghiasuddin Akbar who delivered the lecture on the topic claimed that the event was the “turning point of Indian freedom struggle”.
While briefing the gathering about the event that killed at least 379 people (official data) and left 10,000 injured, Akbar said that India got its freedom for very cheap as the martyrs who laid their life for the struggle were not properly celebrated. However, many in the room did not agree to this.
Akbar also said that on the day of the massacre, people in Amritsar were celebrating the festival of Baisakhi and protesting against the Sedition Act when “Butcher General Dyer” ordered his troops to start shooting.
The event started with a lecture and quickly turned into space where many social activists, teachers, and scholars shared their experience and their memory of the event.
“As I entered the Bagh through a narrow lane, I could hear the people celebrating and enjoying the festival. Quickly, I could hear the cry and the wailing of the people. This might be because of the sensitivity that I have towards the incident but I am sure many more people like me feel the same as they enter the historical site,” said an audience member.