Modi Govt ’ s Renovation of Jallianwala Bagh An Insult to Martyrs
The Centre ’ s renovation work on the historic Jallianwala Bagh site has sparked a massive controversy with historians and opposition politicians criticising it as an “ insult ” to the martyrs and a bid at erasing history and heritage .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the renovated Jallianwala Bagh complex in Amritsar on August 28 . The monument was the nation ’ s homage to the victims of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre wherein over thousand unarmed people were killed by British troops .
The British troops led by Col . Reginald Dyer opened fire at a large gathering of people who had assembled to protest against the arrest of freedom fighters Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlu for opposing the Rowlatt Act . History of Jallianwala Bagh The Bagh is a quadrangle with a well , encircled by tall houses and a narrow entry passage , which made it near impossible for the crowd to escape while the British soldiers killed them by firing more than a thousand rounds of shots at the command of Col . Dyer .
The incident led to Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore returning his Knighthood title and Mahatma Gandhi starting his noncooperation movement soon after . Even Winston Churchill , who was then a British parliamentarian , called the massacre “ a monstrous event ”.
The Congress tried to acquire the land to preserve it with Mahatma Gandhi making a nationwide appeal for fundraising . After a year of raising funds , a trust set up for the Bagh acquired the 6.5-acre area from its owner Himmat Singh on August 1 , 1920 .
After India ’ s Independence , the government established the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust on May 1 , 1951 . The memorial was inaugurated by then President Dr Rajendra Prasad on April 13 , 1961 . The Trust is headed by the Prime Minister as the chairman , and
26 permanent members including the Congress president , Punjab Chief Minister , Governor , Union Culture Minister , and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha .
Revamp and Changes
Although the Jallianwala Bagh site has seen repairs and renovations over time , the narrow passageway had remained intact for almost 100 years . It continued to remind the terrifying event of 1919 as the alley played a key role in constricting the movement of victims because it was blocked by British troops .
Last year , under restoration work carried out by the Union Ministry of Culture , the lane was completely rebuilt into a gallery with embossed sculptures , a partial overhead cover and a shiny floor , among other things . This particular makeover has erased the old alley sparking the outrage among different sections of the Indian society .
Further , as part of the renovations , the entry and exit points have been repositioned . The ‘ Shahidi Khu ’ or Martyrs ’ Well , into which many victims jumped to save themselves from the gunshots , has also been enclosed with glass . This has also not been well received since it may restrict view .
The new complex also has Salvation Ground for visitors to sit in silence in honour of the martyrs and a light-and-sound show of the day of the massacre .
Reactions to the Renovation
“ This is corporatisation of monuments , where they end up as modern structures , losing the heritage value . Look after them without meddling with the flavours of the period these memorials represent ,” tweeted historian S . Irfan Habib .
Former Jawaharlal Nehru University professor Chaman Lal called it a “ distortion of history ”. “ People visiting Jallianwala Bagh should go with a sense of pain and anguish . They have now tried to make it a space for enjoying , with a beautiful garden . It was not a beautiful garden ,” Lal told The Hindu .
Kim A . Wagner , professor of history in London and author of Amritsar 1919 – An Empire of Fear and the Making of a Massacre , tweeted that the renovation “ means that the last traces of the event have effectively been erased ”.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi flayed the government over the renovation saying he could not stand this “ insult to martyrs ”. “ This insult to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh could only be done by those who do not understand the meaning of sacrifice ,” Gandhi wrote on Twitter .
CPI ( M ) general secretary Sitaram Yechury condemned the new makeover saying it insulted the Jallianwala Bagh martyrs . “ Insulting our martyrs . Jallianwala Bagh massacre of Hindus Muslims Sikhs who gathered together for Baisakhi galvanised our freedom struggle . Every brick here permeated the horror of British rule . Only those who stayed away from the epic freedom struggle can scandalise thus ,” he said on Twitter . He further said the Jallianwala Bagh renovation was a precursor to what would happen after the Central Vista is built in Delhi , leading to demolition of heritage buildings .
Ramesh Sharma , an awardwinning feature film and documentary producer and director , said , “ We have desecrated the memory of those who were brutally massacred by Gen Dyer by creating this tacky , tasteless mural that leads on to the site of the # JallianwallaBagh ”
“ So , the bullet-hit walls testifying the violence at Jallianwalla Bagh are now turned into decorative murals . This obsession with turning “ unsafe ” zones into “ safe ” zones in public perception , erasing the event itself , is deliberate forgetting of India ’ s struggle for freedom ,” said Shalini Sharma , Environment and Urban Studies professor at IISER , Pune . ( Courtesy ‘ Janata Weekly ’, 12-09-2021 )
Class Struggle