British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday expressed “deep regret” for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by British troops in India in 1919 but stopped short of a full apology.
“We deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused,” Ms May told the British parliament, as India prepares to mark the 100th anniversary of the killings.
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, called for “a full, clear and unequivocal apology”.
The 13th of April 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, in which British troops opened fire on thousands of unarmed protesters, remains an enduring scar from British colonial rule in India.
Colonial-era records show about 400 people died in the northern city of Amritsar when soldiers opened fire on men, women and children in an enclosed area, but Indian figures put the toll at closer to 1,000.
Former British prime minister David Cameron described it as “deeply shameful” during a visit in 2013 but also stopped short of an apology.
‘The tragedy of #JallianwalaBagh in 1919 is a shameful scar on British Indian History. We deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused’: Theresa May, PM of the UK
Credits: UK Parliament pic.twitter.com/JwHgE85cUE
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) April 10, 2019
Member of parliament and a student of India’s independence struggle Shashi Tharoor tweeted —
The British PM must now express a “full, clear and unequivocal apology” as sought by her opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn. More important, Britain must express atonement not just for one atrocity, but for the colonial evils of which #JallianwalaBagh was the symbol,not the cause.
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 10, 2019
Source : Various