Amritsar Chronicle, 14 April 1919

HORROR IN AMRITSAR: HUNDREDS KILLED IN PEACEFUL GATHERING

Amritsar – In an act of unprecedented brutality, British troops under the command of General Dyer opened fire on a peaceful, unarmed crowd at Jallianwala Bagh yesterday, April 13. The crowd, estimated to be in the thousands, included men, women, and children who had gathered to celebrate the Baisakhi festival and to peacefully protest the controversial Rowlatt Act.

Eyewitnesses report that General Dyer, without any warning, ordered his troops to block the only main exit of the enclosed ground and fire directly into the dense crowd. The firing continued for approximately ten minutes, until ammunition was nearly exhausted. Panic and terror ensued as helpless people were trapped. Official estimates of casualties are still awaited, but hundreds are feared dead and many more critically wounded. This barbaric act, intended to instill terror, has instead sent a wave of shock and outrage across the nation, marking one of the darkest days in Indian history and galvanizing the call for freedom from such tyrannical rule.