London: British Conservative MP Bob Blackman has urged the UK government to issue a formal apology for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919, calling it a “stain on the British Empire.” Speaking in the House of Commons ahead of the massacre’s anniversary, Blackman emphasized the need for Britain to take responsibility for the tragic event.
Addressing fellow lawmakers, Blackman recounted the horrors of April 13, 1919, when British forces under General Reginald Dyer fired indiscriminately on a peaceful gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab. The crowd had assembled to celebrate Baisakhi and protest against the oppressive Rowlatt Act, a colonial law that curtailed civil liberties. With the only exit blocked, Dyer ordered his troops to fire until they exhausted their ammunition.
“That massacre resulted in 1,500 deaths and 1,200 injuries. General Dyer was ultimately disgraced, but the damage had been done. The massacre remains one of the darkest chapters in British colonial history,” Blackman stated in Parliament. He insisted that the UK government must officially acknowledge its wrongdoing and extend a long-overdue apology to India.
Despite repeated calls for a formal apology over the years, British administrations have only expressed regret. In 2019, then-Prime Minister Theresa May referred to the massacre as a “shameful scar on British-Indian history,” but stopped short of issuing an official apology.
As India and the UK continue to strengthen diplomatic ties, the demand for an unequivocal apology remains a subject of historical and moral significance. It remains to be seen whether the current British government will heed Blackman’s call and finally address this lingering chapter of colonial history.
