The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1920-07-31
CHARGE BRITISH
WITH ATROCITY
Indian Statesmen Disclose At
tack by General Dyer on TO-
600 Unarmed Natives.
TWO ARRESTS START TROUBLE
Natives Seek to Present Petition Tor
Release of Leaders and Are At
tackled by SoIdiers@1,o00
Are Massacred.

New York.-An attack by British
soldiers upon a crowd of unarmed ma
tives of India, as they were seeking
TO present to a British deputy commits
sioner- petition for the release of
two of their leaders, led a few days
later to the massacre of 1000 Indians
in a great square at Amritsar, in the
Punjab district of India in the spring
of 1919, says a report prepared by the
Punjab subcommittee of the Indian ma
tional congress.
Dissatisfaction among the natives
first became apparent with the pas
sage of the Rowlat bills, designed to
punish sedltion.
All over the country resolutions
protesting against the law and de
handing its repeal.
The trouble, the report states. be-
gan in earnest when two influential
natives, Doctors Kitchlew and Satya-
pal, were arrested and their friends
heard they We're to be deported.
Many Natives Killed.
The report continues with a descrip-
ton of the fight between natives and
soldiery, during which many of the
former were killed and the survivors
inflamed to such a pitch of fury that
they returned into the city and ap-
piled the torch to several principal
buildings.
The occurrence which directly led
to the subsequent wholesale massacres
in the Jalleanwala Bagh, the report
asserts, was a proclamation issued
about this time by Gen. Dyer forbid
ding the natives to assemble publicly.
"The public meeting in the Jallean-
Wala Bagh," the report states, "was
called before the proclamation had
reached more than half the population.
Shortly before the arrival of Gen. Dyer
on the scene with ninety soldiers and
two armOred cars, Hans Raj had taken
charge of the meeting, the audience
numbering about 10000.
What happened afterward is given
by the Indian investigators in Gen.
Dyer's own words recorded during his
testimony at the subsequent inquiry {:
when you got to the bagh what
did you dof" Gen. Dyer was asked.
Opened Fire in 80 Seconds.
81 opened fire. Immediately | had
thought about the matter and don't
imagine 1t took me more than thirty
seconds to make up my mind as to
what my duty was" he replied.
in firing, was it your object to dis
perse?"
mo, sir. I was going to fire until
they dispersed"
Did you continue firing after they
had dispersed?"
Yes"
"After the crowd indicated that It
vas going to dispense, why did you
not stop?'
81 thought 1t was my duty to go on
until they had dispersed. If l fired a
little, | should be wrong In firing at
ALL"
Continuing their report, the investi-
gators added
"He, Gen. Dyer, said he continued
firing for about ten minutes, until he
had expended 1850 rounds of ammuni-
ton. He said he had made no provi-
sion for aiding or removing the wound
ed. That was a medical question. he
declared.
zone eye witness said: 4 saw hun
dreds of persons killed on the spot.
The worst part of the whole thing was
that firing was directed toward the
gates through which the people were
trying to run out. Many got tram
pied under the feet of the rushing
crowds and thus lost their lives. There
were heaps of bodies at different
places. l think there must have been
over 1,OOO.'"