Jallianwala Bagh Massacre - Virendra Sharma MP

Since I entered Parliament, and before, I have campaigned for proper recognition of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and the role it had on shaping ideas of India. You can see below some of the work I done over the years to raise awareness.

18.05.22 – Tabled EDM

“That this House recognises the importance of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 for its importance as a turning point in the history of the Raj and British Empire in India; notes that the centenary of this event passed without a commitment to a public apology; further recognises that former Prime Minister, David Cameron, referred to the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre as a deeply shameful act; further notes that this event does not represent modern British values; urges the Government to ensure that British children are taught about this shameful period and that modern British values welcome the right to peaceful protest; and further urges the Government formally to apologise in the House and inaugurate a memorial day to commemorate this event.”

02.04.22 – Wrote to PM Boris Johnson

“The 13^th April 2022 will be the 103^rd anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. The Massacre in Amritsar in 1919 still today haunts relations between the UK and India. In India the massacre is one of the most widely remembered acts of colonial violence still to this day. It left a thousand innocent men and women dead after a peaceful protest, and so shocked the UK at the time that Sir Winston Churchill described it as “monstrous” and during one of Prime Minister Cameron’s visits to India he called it a “deeply shameful event”.

It is my firm belief that we can begin to put the shame of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre behind the UK by three simple actions and that you as Prime Minister are in the right position to affect the change we need. Firstly, we need a formal apology, this has never happened despite David Cameron visiting the Jallianwala Bagh itself and even Sir Winston Churchill and the Prime Minister at the time decrying the incident as appalling. Parliament was shaken by what had happened, and censured General Dyer, the commanding officer, but they never apologised.

Secondly, we need a permanent memorial in London, the heart of the Empire, to the casualties and victims of the Empire, it means that we know our own history, the bad and the good. By taking steps to remember those who were killed, not just through what happened at Jallianwala Bagh, but by actions that were repeated around the world and perpetrated on communities large and small. Acts of barbarity and cruelty pepper the history of the British empire. Such acts must be remembered, and a monument in central London—the heart and capital of the empire—would be a fitting tribute.

Thirdly, and most importantly, we need a curriculum that ensures future generations of British, not just Indian, schoolchildren know the history of colonialism, because I believe children across the country will benefit from learning about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. British children should learn not just about 1,000 years of British success and innovation, but also about the human cost across the world of expedition, exploration and exploitation. This is not just an act of flagellation; it will help British people to understand better our own place in the world, and how we are seen by people in other cultures and countries.

I hope you will consider this important matter, and one that still mars the relationship between India and the UK.”

13.05.21 – Tabled EDM

“That this House recognises the importance of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 for its importance as a turning point in the history of the Raj and British Empire in India; notes that the centenary of this event in 2019 was significantly marked in India and still affects relations with the UK; further recognises that the former Prime Minister, David Cameron, referred to the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre as a deeply shameful act; further notes that this event does not represent modern British values; urges the Government to ensure that British children are taught about this shameful period and that modern British values welcome the right to peaceful protest; and further urges the Government formally to apologise in the House and inaugurate a memorial day to commemorate this event.”

13.04.21 – Hosted Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Public Meeting, bringing together historians, academics, and campaigners. Vanessa Holburn, ‘The Amritsar Massacre: The British Empire’s Worst Atrocity’ charts the contemporary reaction, Dr Sharma of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre centenary committee, Gawain Little from the NEU, discussing our curriculum today and the need for teaching the reality of the British Empire in classrooms across the country, and Banita Kane, the founder of the South Asia history month.

We are here to consider an important topic, the continued impact of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. Despite occurring more than a century ago, I believe the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre still holds an important place in the psyche of the Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi people. For me it represents the point at which any promise of a tolerant liberal and progressive British India was erased. The point at which middle-class Indians, academics, civil servants and thinks across the subcontinent recognised finally that there was no respect in the Raj. To me it is a trigger, the launching of the final phase of independence. But still today it poisons the image of Britain for millions. So, I believe to understand the modern relationship between India and Britain we must understand what happened in 1919, how people felt about the massacre at the time and to this day too. And that is what we hope to do.

I’m delighted we are being joined this evening by speakers of such eminence. Each speaker will be given their own time with time after to discuss their contribution. Each section will be relatively thematic, but all fit together. Firstly we will be joined by Vanessa Holburn, her book ‘The Amritsar Massacre: The British Empire’s Worst Atrocity’ charts the contemporary reaction and so will her contribution. Following that we will hear from Dr Sharma of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre centenary committee to discuss how the need for an apology today still impacts the relationship between India and Britain. We will then hear from Gawain Little from the NEU, discussing our curriculum today and the need for teaching the reality of the British Empire in classrooms across the country. And finally we will hear from Banita Kane, the founder of the South Asia history month, and why it is so important for communities to know their own history, and understand their place in society from it.

22.01.21 – Hosted Parliamentary Roundtable on Decolonising the British Curriculum

Arranged and hosted a roundtable titled, ‘Decolonising the British Curriculum’, bringing together policy makers, academics and community leaders. Politicians including Shadow Education Secretary, Kate Green MP, academic leaders from leading Universities discussed the issues with our current curriculum, how we should reform it and what was needed to achieve our aims. We discussed the specific issue of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre being almost unknown in the UK, yet still impacting the relationship with India massively to this day.

10.08.20 – Wrote to PM Boris Johnson

“The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in Amritsar in 1919 still today haunts relations between the UK and India. In India the massacre is one of the most widely remembered acts of colonial violence still to this day. It left a thousand innocent men and women dead after a peaceful protest, and so shocked the UK at the time that Sir Winston Churchill described it as “monstrous” and during one of Prime Minister Cameron’s visits to India he called it a “deeply shameful event”.

It is my firm belief that we can begin to put the shame of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre behind the UK by three simple actions and that you as Prime Minister are in the right position to affect the change we need. Firstly, I request you offer a formal apology, this has never happened despite David Cameron visiting the Jallianwala Bagh itself and even Sir Winston Churchill and the Prime Minister at the time decrying the incident as appalling. Parliament was shaken by what had happened, and censured General Dyer, the commanding officer, but they never apologised.

I hope you will consider this important matter, and one that still mars the relationship between India and the UK.”

25.02.20 – Tabled EDM

“That this House recognises the importance of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 for its importance as a turning point in the history of the Raj and British Empire in India; notes that the centenary of this event in 2019 was significantly marked in India and still affects relations with the UK; further recognises that the former Prime Minister, David Cameron, referred to the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre as a deeply shameful act; further notes that this event does not represent modern British values; urges the Government to ensure that British children are taught about this shameful period and that modern British values welcome the right to peaceful protest; and further urges the Government formally to apologise in the House and inaugurate a memorial day to commemorate this event.”

20.02.20 – Letter to Boris Johnson

“I wrote to your predecessor about the important matter of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in Amritsar in 1919. It represented a fundamental change of heart in India, middle-class Indians ceased to see the Raj as a civilising initiative capable of respectful government and this began the movement to independence.

For many around the Empire it told them the same truth that the Empire could not be relied upon to show respect, toleration or decency to ruled people. Still to this day in Punjab and other northern states of India the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, or Amritsar Massacre as it is sometimes known, still poisons perceptions of Britain. Many were killed on that fateful day and as such families across the region, and many now based in London or the UK, have a personal connection to what happened, be that through relations or friends.

It is my firm belief that we can begin to put the shame of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre behind the UK by two simple actions. Firstly, offering a formal apology, this has never happened despite David Cameron visiting the Jallianwala Bagh itself and even Sir Winston Churchill and the Prime Minister at the time decrying the incident as appalling. Secondly and more importantly we need a permanent memorial in London, the heart of the Empire, to the casualties and victims of the Empire, and a curriculum that ensures future generations of British, not just Indian, schoolchildren know the history of colonialism.

I hope you will consider this important matter, and one that still mars the relationship between India and the UK.”

December 2019 – Election Manifesto

Labour promised an Emancipation Educational Trust to ensure historical injustice, colonialism and role of the British empire is taught in the National Curriculum

Virendra Sharma, senior Labour leader and candidate from Ealing, Southall, said: “I have long argued that British colonialism in India should be taught in schools. Partition was such an important event in British history and it ought to be part of the curriculum”.

09.04.19 – Westminster Hall Debate

“What was not forthcoming was a formal apology from the Government for what had happened, for the lives taken away, or for the injuries to thousands more. I hope that there is agreement today—including among those Members who have been unable to contribute to this debate—that although a formal apology would not undo the hurt and pain, it would send a signal. I do not believe, however, that an apology would be the be-all and end-all of the matter. I wrote to the previous Prime Minister, David Cameron, demanding an apology, and in 2007 I tabled an early-day motion that was supported by Members from all major political parties and called not just for an apology but for education and commemoration. Last March I asked the Prime Minister whether she would lend her weight to the campaign for remembrance of that brutal day, and I thank the Minister for the communication between us on that subject.

I want children across the country to benefit from learning about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and to learn not just about 1,000 years of British success and innovation, but also about the human cost across the world of expedition, exploration and exploitation. This is not just an act of flagellation; it will help British people to understand better our own place in the world, and not to repeat the mistakes of the past. It means that we will know our own history, and how we are seen by people in other cultures and countries. We should also take steps to remember those who were killed, not just through those actions, but by actions that were repeated around the world and perpetrated on communities large and small. Acts of barbarity and cruelty pepper the history of the British empire. Such acts must be remembered, and a monument in central London—the heart and capital of the empire—would be a fitting tribute.”

April 2019- Times Red Box – Apologising for the Amritsar massacre would help heal 100 years of pain

“Tomorrow will be the centenary of one of the most heinous acts of colonial violence perpetrated in the name of Britain, but very few people in this country have ever heard of it. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also referred to as the Amritsar massacre, left several hundred unarmed civilians dead at the hands of government troops. But it finally crystallised in the minds of the intellectual and wealthy middle classes of British India what millions of working-class people knew: that imperial rule was ultimately neither enlightened nor benevolent, but brutalising, dehumanising and murderous. It set in motion the forces which ultimately secured independence.

Very few people in Britain in 1919 supported General Dyer; the prime minister at the time expressed his sadness at what took place in that City Garden and even Winston Churchill was highly critical of the general’s actions on that day. There was still, though, a small minority who supported him, and a conservative newspaper which later merged with the Telegraph raised funds in his name and collected the modern equivalent of £1 million.

But the British government has never offered a formal apology for this most heinous of acts. David Cameron visited the gardens in 2013 and laid a wreath in memory of the dead and called the murders a “deeply shameful event” but stopped short of a full apology. Last year I asked Theresa May for an apology in parliament, but again she would not offer a full and formal apology. An apology is an act of contrition and draws a line. It will not undo the hurt and pain, but it does send a signal.”

April 2019 – Article in Hindustan Times – Why Britain must apologise for the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre

“On Wednesday, the British Parliament commemorated the Jallianwala Bagh massacre with a 90-minute debate. As I said in my speech, very few in the United Kingdom (UK) are aware of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and fewer know of the monumental impact the murder of 1,000 men, women and children had on that hot dusty still afternoon in Amritsar.

That afternoon in 1919, when General Reginald Dyer ordered his men to shoot, rang the bell for the end of British India. The massacre finally crystallised in the minds of the intellectual and wealthy middle classes of British India, what millions of working class people knew, that Imperial rule was ultimately neither enlightened nor benevolent, but brutalising, dehumanising and murderous. It set in motion the forces which ultimately secured India’s independence. General Dyer did not believe Indians were capable of rational thought and did not deserve free speech. It is ironic that looking back we can thank him for making independence for more than one billion people inevitable.

Very few people in Britain at that time supported General Dyer, and Members of Parliament from all parties condemned his behaviour, and although ultimately the Army failed to punish General Dyer, he was quietly retired and brought back to the UK. The Prime Minister at the time expressed his sadness at what took place in that City Garden and even that apogee of imperialism, Winston Churchill, was highly critical of General Dyer’s actions on that day. There was, though, a small minority who supported him, a conservative newspaper, which later merged with the Telegraph, raised funds for him, and collected the modern equivalent of one million pounds for him.

But the British Government has never offered a formal apology for this most heinous of acts. Our former Prime Minister, David Cameron, visited the garden in 2013 and laid a wreath in memory of the dead and called the murders a “deeply shameful event” but stopped short of a full apology. Last year, I asked Theresa May for an apology in Parliament but again the British Prime Minister would not offer a full and formal apology. On Wednesday, May reiterated the UK government’s long-standing expression of ‘deep regret’ over the April 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, calling it a ‘shameful scar’ on British Indian history. An apology is an act of contrition and draws a line; it will not undo the hurt and pain but it does send a signal.

I don’t believe however that an apology is the be all and end all. The most important thing we can do now is to work to ensure such actions are remembered, respected and not allowed to happen again. In 2017, I tabled an Early Day Motion, a written statement in Parliament, which gained the support of nearly 50 MPs and members of all the major political parties, calling not just for an apology but also for education and commemoration. I want children across the UK to benefit from learning about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre to know what their country did in the name of empire. I want them to learn not just about a thousand years of British success and innovation but also about the human cost across the world of expedition, exploration and exploitation.

It is right that children in this country learn about the British values of democracy and the rule of law, about the industrial revolution and the Glorious Revolution of 1688. I am pleased that my children and grandchildren have grown up knowing about the role Britain played in the abolition of the slave trade and the setting up of the United Nations and writing the European Convention on Human Rights, but they also need to know the shameful parts of our history and what the British Empire meant to millions of subjects colonised around the world.

This week, the UK members of the Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian communities are meeting in halls, religious places and civic buildings to commemorate and remember the members of their families and their family friends who lost their lives on April 13, 1919. I want to thank the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Centenary Committee and the Shaheed Udham Singh Welfare Trust (Birmingham) for initiating and leading the debate in the United Kingdom. I hope that we will remember those who died and that the British government will see this centenary as the right time to offer a formal and full apology for the actions of General Dyer in 1919.”

24.04.18 – Letter to Jeremy Corbyn after VS met the Professor Mohan Singh memorial foundation

“I met yesterday with representatives of the Professor Mohan Singh memorial foundation and was pleased to receive their support for a memorial to the Amritsar Massacre in London. They have also written a letter to you, which I have enclosed.

We spoke about the importance of remembering the Amritsar Massacre not just in India, but also in the UK and that it is wrong that school children do not learn about this shameful episode in British history.

I hope that you would be happy to record a message of support for my campaign for a permanent memorial and inclusion in the curriculum.”

15.03.18 – Letter to Theresa May PM

“Thank you for listening with such courtesy to my question yesterday, and for answering so honestly.

The Amritsar Massacre I raised yesterday is one of the most widely remembered acts of colonial repression in India today. It left a thousand innocent men and women dead after a peaceful protest, and so shocked the UK at the time that Sir Winston Churchill described it as “monstrous” and during one of your immediate predecessor’s visits to India he called it a “deeply shameful event”.

I believe not in the need for an apology from the British Government, no one alive today is to blame, but for a memorial to remember some of the more shameful parts of our history and for the Amritsar Massacre to be included in the curriculum to ensure that future generations can benefit from knowing about Britain’s historic role in the world.

The Amritsar Massacre still today clouds views of Britain, particularly among the Punjabi community, but the massacre did not affect one community, it touched the lives of thousands of Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Christians living in Amritsar and across Punjab which today straddles India and Pakistan. I have enclosed the pack sent out to community groups, Churches, Mosques, Mandirs and Gurdwaras, so that you can see what we are hoping to achieve.

I hope you will be good enough to meet with me and several supporters of this campaign to better understand how the Amritsar Massacre still matters today.”

14.03.18 – PMQs – Theresa May

“This year, 13 April represents the 99th anniversary of what happened at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, India, known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, in which more than 1,000 peaceful protesters were murdered by soldiers under the command of General Dyer. Will the Prime Minister join me in commemorating the massacre and meet me and others who are campaigning for this shameful episode to be remembered across the UK?”

Feb 18 – Article for Vaahan Magazine

“Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh or Amritsar Massacre. This centenary marks a fundamental change in the relationship between India and Britain. In this century since 1919, India has risen from colony to regional power and more. A billion people now live in India, in the world’s largest democracy, a force for modernism in the world. Our diaspora spreads around the world, in the UK we are fundamental to society, integrated and successful. While in 1919 the wealth of India flowed to London and the United Kingdom, it now flows into the pockets of Indians, though sometimes too few. George V, The Emperor of India ruled over an Empire on which the sun never set, but now the Prime Minister of India travels the world, greeted as an equal never a subject.

On the 13th April 1919, over 1000 peaceful Indian protestors in the Jallianwala Bagh (City Park) of Amritsar were shot dead. Thousands more were injured and it is remembered throughout India as one of the most barbaric events of colonisation in Indian history. Ordered by senior British military officer, Brigadier General Reginald Dyer, the massacre took place on the Vaisakhi festival, tens of thousands from surrounding villages flock to Amritsar and the Golden Temple for the celebrations and the city was full. The city park was uneven, walled in on all sides and only had one exit, making any chance of escape on the day almost impossible. Following a nasty attack on a British woman, Amritsar had been placed under martial law and put under the direct control of General Dyer. He had banned all meetings and gatherings in the city; but this ban was not known to be in place by the vast majority of those in attendance at the Jallianwala Bagh.

After prayers in the morning and as the heat of the midday sun dissipated, thousands congregated in the Jallianwala Bagh. Without expectation or warning General Dyer led a detachment of soldiers into the gardens, soldiers from across India and of all religions. In an act he calculated to “punish the Indians for disobedience” he ordered the troops to open fire on the crowd. The death toll is still disputed to this day. The British Authorities officially reported 379 deaths, but The Indian Congress review suggested fatalities exceeded 1000. There are believed to have been around 15-20,000 extra people in Amritsar that day for the festival. His actions that day caused a huge debate in the UK, and even prompted Sir Winston Churchill to condemn the massacre as an “outrage”. The UK Labour Party was so disgusted at the actions that day that they brought forward a motion condemning the behaviour. General Dyer was later court-martialled, found guilty of ‘mistaken notion of duty’ and relieved of his command. Still to this day, the Amritsar Massacre is seen as an important catalyst for independence. There followed a strong wave of nationalist feelings across the country, Mohandas Gandhi would now begin to push for India’s full independence, support in India for British rule fell massively and it began a period of non-violent mass civil disobedience.

While General Dyer died in 1927 and never saw India gain its independence, his crimes and the memories of them did not die with him. The thousands of men, women and children that lost a loved one in 1919 did not get them back, and the weight of that great crime has lessened only slightly over the last century. Nothing can bring the dead back, no one can make it right and an apology will not excuse the wrong that was done late on a warm April afternoon. The only step we can take is to remember the dead, remember those who protested peacefully to end oppression and to remember what they stood for. I am proud to be both British and Indian, to have been born in Punjab, and to live and have raised my family in Southall, West London. I am unashamedly a world citizen, but that doesn’t mean forgetting my heritage and the events that shaped the world we live in.

I want to make sure that the Amritsar Massacre is never forgotten. I want to ensure that future generations of British, not just Indian, schoolchildren know the history of colonialism. I believe that lessons about the Amritsar Massacre and the effect of such actions should be a fundamental part of the curriculum. There is a lot to be learnt by studying our past and it can help us with the future. We can learn to not repeat the mistakes of our forebears and to not value human life too lightly. While the massacre continues to be little known in the UK, recipient of little more than a few off-screen mentions in TV dramas, it still haunts Indian memories of empire. It drives modern interpretations of British behaviour and is unforgettable for many. Having the Amritsar Massacre taught in schools is not all we need though. We need a memorial, a permanent reminder to the memory of those lost, to act as a focal point and to act as a record.

I want to ask every one of you to be part of this work. To help me spread the message, a positive one of remembrance and tolerance. The peaceful protestors in Amritsar were standing against oppression, for plurality and openness for freedom and for freedom of religion. They were coming together as Sikhs and Hindus and as Muslims and as Christians, not as part of one group or another, but as people and as Indians. That is how I hope we can come together for this campaign. I hope you will join the campaign on my website, www.virendrasharma.com.”

19.12.17 – Article

“As we enter Christmas and New Year our thoughts turn to next year, 2018. A New Year offers new hope, a chance for self-improvement, maybe you too will make a New Year’s resolution. But it also offers an opportunity to look back, to think about what has happened over the preceding year and how that shapes who we are today. The same applies to a nation, and in 2018 we will enter the centenary year of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, and looking back over the last one hundred years we can see a complete transformation in the relationship between India and the United Kingdom. A world empire larger than any before, and a vast repressed nation yearning for freedom, now India grows strongly sure of its path to prosperity and greater strength, while the UK is unsure of its role in the modern world.

Now is the right time for the Prime Minister and the Government of the United Kingdom to take steps to offer a full and formal apology for the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. This shameful and shocking event still colours relations between the two countries. On 13 April, 1919 troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer fired machine guns into a crowd of unarmed protesters, along with Vaishakhi pilgrims in the walled Jallianwala Bagh of Amritsar. Sir Winston Churchill described the attack as “monstrous”, and only a few years ago Prime Minister David Cameron “a deeply shameful event in British history”, but he did not offer a full and formal apology.

This was not a common occurrence during British rule in India, but it was typical of the callous way in which Indian lives were treated. The British Raj was not an altruistic endeavour it impoverished Indians for Britain’s gain, and it is right that British School Children should learn about all of Britain’s history not just the parts we are proud of. So particularity at the start of the centenary year I am also calling for pupils and students up and down the country to be taught the details of Colonel Dyer’s actions and the massacre that occurred in Amritsar.

Just last week during his tour of India and Pakistan, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan gave his support to calls for a formal apology, and before that 32 MPs joined me to support my EDM (Early Day Motion 413) calling on the Government to apologise. Since then I have begun a public petition, still available on the ‘petition.parliament.uk’ website, for everyone across the country to sign, support and share with their friends and family.

There are many years of history between India and Britain, and there is much that goes unspoken between the two nations. We will never be able to clear centuries of stereotypes and assumptions in one swoop, but to formally apologise for such a shameful act draws a line under imperialism and makes clear a British belief in a modern and equal partnership.”

17.10.17 – Tabled EDM

“That this House recognises the importance of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 for its importance as a turning point in the history of the Raj and British Empire in India; notes that the centenary of this event is approaching and that it is appropriate to commemorate it; further recognises that former Prime Minister, David Cameron, referred to the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre as a deeply shameful act; further notes that this event does not represent modern British values; urges the Government to ensure that British children are taught about this shameful period and that modern British values welcome the right to peaceful protest; and further urges the Government formally to apologise in the House and inaugurate a memorial day to commemorate this event.”