GUNTUR: Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre on Saturday, the Forum for Better Bapatla released a pamphlet on Friday.
The massacre took place at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on April 13, 1919, when the British Indian Army troops, under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer, fired machine guns at a crowd of people holding a pro-independence demonstration.
Historical records claim that Dyer had fired on the Baisakhi gathering without warning and continued to fire for 10 minutes even as they were trying to escape, while he blocked the main exit with his soldiers and armoured vehicles. The massacre saw more than 1,000 unarmed men, women and children killed by the British army riflemen.
Speaking on the occasion, Forum for Better Bapatla secretary Dr. PC Sai Babu said the heinous incident triggered a nationwide uproar. It also ignited the first spark of the Indian freedom movement, which led to the fall of British empire, he added. Dr D Vishnu Sankara Rao, Associate Dean, College of Food Science and Technology and others participated in the programme.