Jalianwala episode was conceived as a seed of Freedom of the country, while my Dads existence made us all a Model citizens of a modern and young India.
'We must never forget what happened here': David Cameron goes barefoot as he pays respects at Golden Temple of Amritsar where British soldiers shot dead hundreds of protesting Indians in 1919
- British riflemen gunned down 379 peaceful protesters in Indian city
- Mr Cameron is the first sitting PM to visit the Golden Temple at Amritsar
- But he stopped short of a full apology and did not use the word 'sorry'
- PM is keen to build new relationship with India based on trade
By TIM SHIPMAN and HUGO GYE
David Cameron today expressed remorse for the 1919 Amritsar massacre, denouncing the killing as 'deeply shameful' as he visited the scene of the worst single atrocity of the British Empire.
Writing in a memorial book for the victims of the massacre, he said: 'We must never forget what happened here.'
Mr Cameron, the first sitting Prime Minister ever to visit Amritsar, went far further than the Queen, who visited in 1997, in voicing regret for the slaughter in which 379 people were officially said to have died but which Indians believe claimed 1,000 lives.
However, he did not fully apologise or use the word 'sorry' during his visit to the garden at Jallianwala Bagh, where the killings took place.
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Visit: David Cameron with Punjabi officials during a visit to the Golden Temple at Amritsar this morning
Spectacular: The Prime Minister donned a blue bandana and saffron scarf for his visit to the site
Greeting: Mr Cameron meets Indian pilgrims during his historic tour of the Golden Temple
Barefoot: The Prime Minister removed his shoes to tour the temple along with local dignitaries
Respect: It is usually forbidden to enter a Sikh temple while wearing shoes - even if you are the Prime Minister
Before visiting the massacre site, the Prime Minister toured the city's Golden Temple, the holiest site in the Sikh religion, barefoot and wearing a blue bandana.
He went to the temple kitchens which feed thousands of pilgrims every day, and tried his hand at flipping chapatis.
When he moved on to the gardens, he laid a wreath on the memorial and wrote in the condolence book: 'This was a deeply shameful event in British history, one that Winston Churchill rightly described at the time as 'monstrous'.
'We must never forget what happened here, and in remembering we must ensure that the United Kingdom stands up for the right of peaceful protest around the world.'
Commemoration: The Prime Minister lays a wreath at the memorial to the victims of the Amritsar massacre
Remorse: But Mr Cameron stopped short of apologising for Britain's role in the killings
Message: Mr Cameron sat down to write a note in the temple's visitors' book
'Deeply shameful': The Prime Minister wrote a heartfelt message in the book of condolences
I'm sorry: Prime Minister David Cameron takes a seat to sign a book of condolence apologising for the atrocity
The massacre, dramatically recreated in the film Gandhi, is seen as the low point of the Raj and one of the reasons Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent protest movement gathered support for independence.
Mr Cameron was shown around the memorial site by descendants of some of those who came under fire from troops under British command in 1919.
They pointed out a wall covered in bullet holes from the shooting, and the Martyrs' Well where many of the victims died while seeking shelter from the gunfire.
Speaking after the visit, the memorial's secretary Sukumar Mukherjee, whose grandfather survived the shootings, was asked if Mr Cameron's words made up for his lack of a formal apology.
'He has come here, he has paid his tribute here,' he replied. 'It is more than an apology.'
From India with love: Prime Minister David Cameron visits the Amar Singh Chawal Wala rice company which supplies food stores in London
Getting stuck in: Mr Cameron helped make chapattis at the temple kitchen where meals are made for pilgrims
Treat: Mr Cameron is given a meal by a worker at the temple, the holiest site for Sikhs
Cleansing: Mr Cameron and his hosts walk through a purifying water bath on the threshold of the temple
Tourist: The Prime Minister, surrounded by a crowd of locals, sees the sights of the Golden Temple
Asked why he decided not to apologise, Mr Cameron said: 'In my view we are dealing with something here that happened a good 40 years before I was born, and we are dealing with something that... the British government rightly condemned at the time.
'I don't think the right thing is to reach back into history and to seek out things that we should apologise for. I think the right thing to do is to acknowledge what happened, to recall what happened, to show respect and understanding for what happened.
He added: 'I am proud to be the first British Prime Minister to visit the Golden Temple and see what an extraordinary place it is - very moving, very serene, very spiritual.'
Holy: The Golden Temple receives millions of pilgrims and other visitors each year
Ornate: The Golden Temple is one of India's top tourist destinations owing to its extravagant decoration
Friendly: Mr Cameron is hoping to build better relations between the UK and India on his visit to the country
Spectacular: Mr Cameron's visit to Amritsar came at the end of his three-day tour of India
The Queen and Prince Philip visited the scene in 1997, where the Queen issued a carefully calibrated statement referring to ‘moments of sadness and moments of gladness’ in Britain’s relationship with India.
But the Duke of Edinburgh sparked controversy when he dismissed Indian claims that the number of fatalities was actually around 1,000 as ‘vastly exaggerated’.
On April 13, 1919, local Army commander Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered around 50 riflemen to open fire on a group of up to 20,000 people when they met in defiance of a ban on public meetings.
In the ten-minute bloodbath 1,650 rounds were fired before their ammunition was exhausted. Official Government of India figures estimated the fatalities at 379, with another 1,500 wounded.
Remorse: Mr Cameron was the first sitting prime minister ever to visit Amritsar
Gunned: The Amritsar massacre, in which British soldiers gunned down at least 379 peaceful protesters in 1919, as depicted in the 1982 film Gandhi
Sparked movement: The massacre is seen as the low point of the Raj and one of the reasons Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent protest movement gathered support
ATROCITY THAT PROVED TO BE THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR RAJ
The Amritsar massacre is considered one of the low points in the history of the Empire - and it also helped to end British rule in India.
Tens of thousands of Indians gathered in a square near the city's iconic Golden Temple on April 13, 1919 and started protesting against the power of the Raj.
The protest was part of the growing independence movement, with strikes and demonstrations sweeping the country in the preceding months.
It was this revolutionary background which made Bridgadier-General Reginald Dyer nervous about the protest, and which motivated his decision to order dozens of soldiers to open fire on the demonstrators.
The troops, most of whom were themselves Indian, fired indiscriminately and without warning, killing hundreds - the official death toll was 379, but Indians claim that around 1,000 protesters died.
Dyer had intended to suppress calls for independence, but instead the massacre ended up boosting them as previously pacific Indians rallied to the cause after hearing of the horrific slaughter.
Reactions in Britain were mixed, but many - including Winston Churchill, then Secretary of State for War - were revolted by the killing.
One man particularly inspired by the news was Mahatma Gandhi, who soon began a campaign of non-violence protest which would eventually lead to the country's independence in 1947.
Aides say Mr Cameron believes it was a ‘deeply shameful’ event in Britain’s past but stress that he is keen to concentrate on the future, building a new relationship based on trade.
The prime minister also hopes to drum up support for the Tory Party from the 800,000-strong Sikh community, whose votes are key in North and West London and the East Midlands.
Ahead of his visit to Amritsar, Mr Cameron said: ‘So many British people can trace their roots to this part of northern India. Punjabis make an extraordinary contribution to British life.
‘Sikhism is one of the key faiths not just of India, but of Britain now too.
'And I cannot wait to see the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which I believe is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary places of worship in the world.
'And yes, there are ties of history too – both the good and the bad. In Amritsar, I want to take the opportunity to pay my respects at Jallianwala Bagh.
‘This visit to Punjab is what my visit to India is all about – strengthening and deepening the ties between our two countries.’
Officials said that unlike the apologies Mr Cameron has issued for the Bloody Sunday massacre in Northern Ireland and the Hillsborough tragedy, the British state has already admitted it was at fault after Amritsar.
Winston Churchill branded the events in Amritsar ‘monstrous’, while former prime minister Herbert Asquith called it ‘one of the worst outrages in the whole of our history’.
Downing Street is keen to avoid the ridicule that Tony Blair attracted by apologising for the sins of previous generations, including the Irish potato famine and the slave trade.
Success: Mr Cameron, pictured playing cricket in Mumbai yesterday, said 'Punjabis make an extraordinary contribution to British life' ahead of his visit
Mr Cameron’s great-grandfather voted to reject calls to cut the pension of the Secretary of State for India after the Amritsar massacre.
Sir William Arthur Mount, a Tory MP, was present in Parliament in July 1920 when the Commons debated whether to dock £100 from the pension of Edwin Montagu.
Sir William was the grandfather of Mr Cameron’s mother, Mary.
VIDEO PM in bandana visits revered Sikh shrine in northern India
VIDEO Cameron lays wreath at massacre spot as he is urged to apologise for killings
Royal visit: The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh pictured visiting Amritsar in 1997
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