On 10 April 1919, the peppery governor of the Punjab, Sir Michael O'Dwyer, ordered the immediate arrest of two leaders of the Indian National Congress in Amritsar. Doctors Satyapal and Kitchlew were both gentle, Cambridge-educated medics who had responded to Gandhi's call for non-violent resistance to British rule, satyagraha. O'Dwyer took the view that their actions were treacherous and seditious.
Like Gandhi and many other Indian political leaders, Satyapal and Kitchlew had responded dutifully when the first world war broke out; out of the one million Indians who volunteered, half had come from the Punjab. It had been expected that after such unprecedented loyalty, Britain would reward India with Dominion status and a degree of self-government. When, instead, the postwar government had passed the Rowlatt Act — a repressive law which limited freedom of expression and congregation — Gandhi told his followers to resist with strikes and marches of protest.
Satyapal and Kitchlew were invited to report to the house of the deputy commissioner, Miles Irving, at 10 a.m. They arrived on time, expecting to be consulted by Irving. Instead they were immediately arrested, bundled into a car and driven off across the Punjab to the hill-station of Dharamasala, where they were placed under house arrest and forbidden to communicate with their families or followers.
Without their Gandhian leaders present to insist on peaceful protest, the subsequent marches in Amritsar soon turned violent. For 24 hours the city was consumed by riots. By afternoon, buildings and cars were in flames across the city and five Brits had been horribly killed: two railway guards had their heads smashed to a pulp with staves, while three bank managers were beaten, and then burned alive with kerosene. More horrifying still to imperial sensibilities, an unarmed lady missionary on a bicycle was pursued through the streets, assaulted and left for dead.
The actions seemed to mirror the opening scenes of the Indian mutiny of 1857, and O'Dwyer responded savagely. Soldiers shot down around 30 rioters. There were mass arrests, floggings and, in the lane where the missionary had been assaulted, residents were made to crawl on their hands and knees. Nearby, aircraft machine- gunned villagers walking towards the city, then dropped bombs on their village. A curfew was imposed on much of Amritsar, and proclamations were issued warning that all gatherings would be fired upon.
Two days of relative peace followed the sudden explosion of violence. Then, on the 13 April, a large group of around 15–20,000 gathered in the Jallianwalla Bagh in Amritsar. Many were Sikh villagers who, unaware of the proclamations, had come in from the countryside to celebrate the annual holiday of Baisakhi. Others were Congress supporters, gathering to protest peacefully against the arrest of their leaders. More were ordinary city dwellers who had come to the garden to relax on the holiday, after days of tension. Few seemed to be aware than the ban on gatherings was still in place.
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