Domiciles of patriotic pride
By siliconindia   |   Saturday, 13 August 2011, 00:11 IST
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Jallianwala Bhag
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place in the Jallianwala Bagh public garden in the northern Indian city of Amritsar, and was ordered by General R.E.H. Dyer. Dyer marched his fifty riflemen to a raised bank and ordered them to fire. Dyer ordered soldiers to reload their rifles several times and they were ordered to shoot to kill.[2] Official British Raj sources estimated the fatalities at 379, and with 1,100 wounded. Civil Surgeon Dr Williams DeeMeddy indicated that there were 1,526 casualties. However, the casualty number quoted by the Indian National Congress was more than 1,500, with roughly 1,000 killed. A trust was formed in 1920 to build a memorial at the site after a resolution passed by the Indian National Congress. A memorial, designed by American architect Benjamin Polk, was built on the site and inaugurated by the President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad on April 13, 1961, in the presence of Jawaharlal Nehru and other leaders. A flame was later added to the site.The bullet holes can be seen on the walls and adjoining buildings to this day. The well into which many people jumped and drowned attempting to save themselves from the bullets is also a protected monument inside the park.

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