April 13, 2018 marks the 99th year since the Jallianwala Bagh massacre which is also known as the Amritsar massacre took place. The Bagh or Park is now a public garden in Amritsar in the state of Punjab in India, and is considered a memorial of national importance. It was established in the year 1951 by the Government of India to commemorate the killing of innocent men, women and children who had gathered in the park to celebrate and participate in the annual Baisakhi festival. The crowd had also gathered to peacefully condemn the arrest of two leaders of the freedom movement named Satya Pal and Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew. But Colonel Reginald Dyer, ordered the British Indian Army troops to open fire on the unarmed crowds that resulted in the death of hundreds of innocent lives. The incident had caused a wide outrage in the country. Colonial British Raj sources identified 379 fatalities and estimated about 1,100 wounded. Historians believe that over a 1,000 people died in the horrific incident and many others were injured.

The Jallianwalla Bagh, a public garden of around 7 acres which was walled on all sides had five entrances. The troops, had blocked the entry by a tank and locked the exit too. After that, General Dyer ordered his troops to fire on the crowd for ten minutes with rifles and gave special direction to specifically fire at the gates through which people were trying to flee or escape after shooting began. The incident jolted the nation and moved the consciousness of the freedom fighters. As a result, the non-cooperation movement was founded which began in the year 1920.

Rabindranath Tagore, the nobel laureate for literature, returned his nobel prize in protest and in 1940, Uddam Singh, a freedom fighter, shot dead Michael O'Dwyer who was the British Lieutenant and Governor of Punjab at the time of massacre in an act of retaliation. The monument is today a legacy that inspires every Indian and reminds one of the innocents who lost their lives in an attempt to raise voice for their country. The incident is also depicted widely in popular culture across media through songs, and movies made on the incident.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 13, 2018 09:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).