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should know what happened in Britain’s Britain’s colonial past. I feel little reluc- of General Dyer firing on a Baisakhi gath-
name and that “saying sorry — apologis- tant to make apologies for things that ering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on
ing for this massacre — is the right thing have happened in the past,” the minister April 13, 1919, without warning and block-
to do”. said. “There are also concerns that any ing the main exit of the park with his
The pressure on the Cabinet minister government department has to make soldiers and armoured vehicles. Dyer is
mounted further as he received a letter about any apology, given that there may recorded as having continued to fire for
signed by 80 MPs stressing that he must well be financial implications to making 10 minutes even as the thousands gath-
consider their call for an “apology anew”. an apology. I feel we perhaps debase the ered in the grounds tried to escape, leav-
“Relations between the UK and India to- currency of apologies if we are seen to ing thousands dead and injured.
day are friendly and constructive. Yet that make them for many, many events.” Blackman, in wrapping up the out-
does not mean an apology would not be However, while reiterating the UK comes of the latest UK parliamentary
good,” notes the letter, initiated by Labour government’s “deepest regret” over the intervention over the massacre, said the
MP Pat McFadden. massacre in Amritsar on April 13, 1919, key messages that came out of the debate
During a previous debate in the Field stressed that the issue of appropri- was that the incident must form part
House of Lords earlier in the year, it ately marking the sombre 100th anniver- of the school curriculum in the UK and
was confirmed that UK foreign secre- sary remains a “work in progress” and an that a formal apology for the incident
tary Jeremy Hunt was “reflecting” on active debate was taking place amongst remains the “right thing to do”.
demands for a formal apology to mark ministers and senior officials. The Westminster Hall event follows a
the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh “Importantly, our modern relation- debate in the House of Lords in February,
massacre this week. Following May’s ship with India is focussed on the future, when a government minister had con-
latest statement on the issue in the Com- on pooling our strengths However, I also firmed that UK foreign secretary Jeremy
mons, it remains to be seen if the UK recognise that the relationship is framed Hunt was “reflecting” on demands for a
government will follow up with any in part by the past,” Field said, adding that formal apology to mark the centenary
further statements in the lead up to the he had been “compelled” by the latest of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre this
100th anniversary on Saturday. debate to take a message back to Down- month. In their capacity as members of
Earlier, the UK government had ing Street that perhaps a little more is a newly-formed Jallianwala Bagh Cente-
flagged “financial implications” as one required than the “deep regret” already nary Commemoration Committee (JBCC),
of the factors it had to consider while expressed by the UK government. Indian-origin peers Lord Meghnad Desai
reflecting upon demands for a for- “Something is holding us back fulfill- and Lord Raj Loomba had also written to
mal apology for the Jallianwala Bagh ing the full potential of the flourishing Theresa May calling for a formal apology.
massacre. relationship (with India) and I do accept The JBCC, chaired by businessman
UK Foreign Office minister Mark Field that it (Jallianwala Bagh) perhaps grates and philanthropist Sardar Balbir Singh
told a debate on “Jallianwala Bagh mas- particularly strongly,” the minister said. Kakar and made up of a number of In-
sacre” at Westminster Hall in the House Veteran Indian-origin Labour MP dians and non-resident Indians (NRIs)
of Commons complex that while it was Virendra Sharma called for a formal including members of the International
important to draw a line under the past apology to be made by British Prime Min- Punjab Forum, is planning a commemo-
over the “shameful episode” in history, ister Theresa May, with others echoing rative event in the House of Lords on
repeatedly issuing apologies for events the demand and also raising the prospect Saturday to mark the centenary of the
related to the British Raj came with their of a physical memorial to be constructed massacre on April 13, 1919.
own problems. in memory of those who lost their lives.
“I have slightly orthodox views on Many of the MPs included an account letters@tehelka.com

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