Lord Meghnad Desai and Lord Raj Loomba, have initiated a debate on the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in the House of Lords in the UK Parliament to request for an apology from the British Government. What marks a historic moment at a time when the centenary of the massacre falls on 13 April 2019, will see a discussion on the subject in full detail for the first time in one hundred years. It also proposes conversation around the British government’s plans to commemorate the centenary.
The last time was in July, 1920 when the House of Lords, through a vote, condoned the actions of Brigadier General Dyer who killed more than a thousand peaceful protestors at Jallianwala Bagh on 13th April, 1919. Dyer had fired on them without warning, and continued to fire for ten minutes even as they were trying to escape, while he blocked the main exit with his soldiers and armoured vehicles.
Lord Desai and Lord Loomba are members of the Jallianwala Bagh Centenary Commemoration Committee (JBCCC) that comprises NRIs and Indians . The JBCCC chairperson is Sardar Balbir Singh Kakar and includes Lady Kishwar Desai, Navtej Sarna, Virendra Sharma, and Dr. Rajinder Singh Chadha (Patron-in-Chief).
Lord Desai and Lord Loomba have also written a letter to the Prime Minister Theresa May requesting for an apology, on behalf of the JBCCC.
Apart from the debate, the JBCCC, along with The Arts And Cultural Heritage Trust , has also supported the Partition Museum, Town Hall, Amritsar to produce and install a detailed exhibition on the massacre at the Town Hall, Amritsar. This exhibition, with the help of Manchester Museum, will now be travelling to England to Manchester, London and Birmingham in April 2019. There are also requests to send the exhibitions to various cities in India and around Punjab . “Punjab under Siege – the Jallianwala Bagh Centenary (1919-2019)” has been set up to critical acclaim at the Partition Museum last year in August.
