NEW DELHI: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday visited Jallianwala Bagh Memorial whose centenary is being observed today. Rahul, who was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amrinder Singh and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, also paid floral tributes to the people who lost their lives in the massacre there.

Earlier on Friday late night, he offered prayers at the Akal Takht, Golden temple. Rahul was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh during his visit to the Golden Temple.


The brutal massacre had taken place on April 13, 1919, after the passing of tyrannical Rowlatt Bill which aimed to curtail civil liberties and the subsequent Satyagraha launched by Mahatma Gandhi. The crowd had assembled peacefully at the Bagh to condemn the arrest of two national leaders -- Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew -- when they were fired indiscriminately by tyrant British General Dyer and his men.

The shooting had continued for ten minutes claiming 379 lives as per government estimates, though the figure is believed to be much higher.

British Prime Minister Theresa May had on Wednesday described the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar as a "shameful scar" on British Indian history as she marked the 100th anniversary of the tragic incident, but she stopped short of a formal apology.

"The tragedy of Jallianwala Bagh of 1919 is a shameful scar on British Indian history. As Her Majesty the Queen (Elizabeth II) said before visiting Jallianwala Bagh in 1997, it is a distressing example of our past history with India," she said in her statement.

"We deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused. I am pleased that today the UK-India relationship is one of collaboration, partnership, prosperity, and security. Indian diaspora make an enormous contribution to British society and I am sure the whole House wishes to see the UK's relationship with India continue to flourish," she added.