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Amritsar Massacre Research Paper

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The sound of artillery filled the air, drowning the cries of the innocent people. I struggled to watch as hundreds of unknown men, women, and children died in this tragic event, known as the Amritsar Massacre. “In Amritsar, India’s holy city of the Sikh religion, British and Gurkha troops massacre at least 379 unarmed demonstrators meeting at the Jallianwala Bagh, a city park”(History.com). The man responsible for this monstrous event is Reginald Dyer, a British general. The actions of General Dyer were unjust because the crowd he shot upon was nothing more than peaceful, he gave us no warning to disperse; and after the incident, Dyer gave no medical attention or help to the wounded. In the end, this tragic event led by General Reginald Dyer, …show more content…

I was lying on the ground relaxing with half an ear to what the protestors were saying when General Dyer approached the entrance of the garden. He was followed by what was said to be 50 armed British soldiers all holding rifles tightly in their hands. The commotion of the crowd slowly vanished as everyone stood up in surprise and peered at the soldiers. Without warning, “Dyer ordered his troops to block the garden's only exit and fired into the defenseless crowd, which included many women and children”(Grolier Online). I scrambled throughout the screaming crowd, desperately trying to find safety. People hid behind bodies on the ground, some jumped to their death down a well in the middle of the garden, and others were killed in the circling stampede. “The soldiers fired for 10 to 15 minutes till their ammunition was exhausted. As the terrified crowd tried to escape, they fell to the 1,650 bullets that were fired” (Saha). I rushed to find safety behind a tree where I stayed, waiting and praying that the firing would cease. My ears ached at the screams and cries and my eyes cringed at the gruesome sights. Yet Dyer was “interested more in the technique of his soldiers than in the human tragedy unfolding less than 50 ft. in front of him” (Source 5). Ultimately, his decision to shoot was unjust because the crowd was peaceful and he gave no warning for the crowd to

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