This day 100 years ago

13 April 1920

In connection with the National Week, a public meeting was held in Bombay under the auspices of the Bombay branch of the Home Rule League. Gandhi spoke at this event right after CF Andrews read out a statement by Rabindranath Tagore, condemning the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Gandhi, in his speech, reiterated his position that the British government should take into account the recommendations made by the Indian National Congress’ Punjab Sub-committee, and that the Imperial government will put in place checks and balances that will ensure no such incidents of violence takes place in future.

The main recommendation of the Punjab Sub-committee, of which Gandhi was also a part of, was that under no circumstances in future should Michael O’Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, and General Dyer, who perpetrated the massacre, be given responsible positions either in India or in any other part of the British Empire. It was the Sub-committee’s demand that these officials should be displaced. Gandhi also said that they could not forget, “till life lasted,” the memory of the Jallianwala Bagh victims. But he entertained no thoughts of vengeance, because “vengeance was the resort of the coward.”