THE ASSASINATION OF GENERAL DYER

Introduction

The Jallianwala Ba gh massacre, also known as

GENERAL DYER
the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919, when Acting
Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered troops of the British Indian
Army to fire their rifles into a crowd of unarmed Indian civilians[3] in
Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab, killing at least 379 people and
injuring over 1,200 other people.
On Sunday, 13 April 1919, Dyer, convinced a major insurrection could
take place, banned all meetings. This notice was not widely
disseminated, and many villagers gathered in the garden to celebrate
the important Indian festival of Baisakhi, and peacefully protest the
arrest and deportation of two national leaders, Satyapal and Saifuddin
Kitchlew. Dyer and his troops entered the garden, blocking the main
entrance behind them, took up position on a raised bank, and with no
warning opened fire on the crowd for about ten minutes, directing their
bullets largely towards the few open gates through which people were
trying to flee, until the ammunition supply was almost exhausted
Motive
Udham Singh, was brought up by Central Khalsa Orphanage after his
parents were murdered by General Dyer at Jallianwala Bagh. Like
millions of other Indians, he too was shaken by the killings, and decided
to take revenge by killing General Michael O'Dyer.

Timeline
13TH April 1919:
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, took place on 13 April 1919, when
Acting Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered troops of the British
Indian Army to fire their rifles into a crowd of unarmed Indian civilians
in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab, killing at least 379 people and
injuring over 1,200 other people.
1927:
Udham Singh travelled across America to garner support for the Ghadar
Party before returning to Punjab in 1927 on the orders of Bhagat Singh
whom he considered as his idol. However, he was arrested and jailed
for four years for possession of illegal arms and running the Ghadr
Party’s publication, Ghadr di Gunj.
1931 – 1933
Udham Singh was released in 1931 and escaped to Germany by evading
police surveillance. He reached England in 1933 with the aim of
assassinating General Michael O’Dyer, who had
justified the Jallianwala Bagh massacre as a
“correct action.”
Post-assassination
Udham Singh did not flee from the spot and was arrested for the killing.
During his trial, Udham Singh said he had waited 21 years to kill General
Michael O'Dyer as the British official “wanted to crush the spirit of my
people, so I crushed him.”
Udham Singh was hanged four months later and his mortal remains
were handed over to India in 1974.
UDHAM SINGH