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Cameron's regret satisfies some, families seek
more
Thursday February 21, 2013 11:04:14 PM,
IANS
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Amritsar: Not everyone
is satisfied with British Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to
the Jallianwala Bagh ground here and his description of the 1919
massacre of Indians as "shameful".
While Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal called the trip a
"historic day", Cameron is being targeted by relatives of those
killed by the British Indian Army for not offering a clear
apology.
Badal welcomed Cameron's expression of regret over the April 13,
1919 massacre.
Badal said: "The country, especially Punjab, had been waiting for
such an apology. The visit ... to Jallianwala Bagh itself (said) a
lot."
But families of the victims of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre said
Cameron should have formally apologized.
"What he has said is his personal statement. There is no official
apology
from the British government," said Sunil Kapoor, president of the
Jallianwala Bagh Freedom Fighters Foundation whose great
grandfather Vasu Lal Kapoor was among those killed in 1919.
He and others complained that the authorities did not let them
meet Cameron.
"Since morning police were deployed outside our homes," said
Jallianwala Bagh Shaheed Samiti president Bhushan Behl, whose
grandfather, Shadi Lal, too was killed in 1919.
"It is routine for people to call it (massacre) a shameful act.
The British government must apologize officially."
Cameron became the first prime minister of Britain to step into
the
Jallianwala Bagh memorial. He took off his shoes before placing a
wreath
at the memorial.
"This was a deeply shameful act in British history. One that
Winston
Churchill rightly described as monstrous. We must never forget
what happened here and we must ensure that the UK stands up for
the right of peaceful protests," Cameron wrote in the visitors'
book.
Cameron signed as "Prime Minister David Cameron".
Hundreds of innocent and unarmed men, women and children were
massacred at
the Jallianwala Bagh by British forces led by Brigadier General
Reginald Dyer.
The victims had no place to escape as the only narrow entrance was
blocked by troops.
Colonial era records had put the death toll at around 400 while
leaders of the country's freedom movement placed it at over 1,000.
On Wednesday, Cameron walked through the same narrow pathway,
painted in
pale saffron colour, to bow his head and pay homage to those
killed inside.
Queen Elizabeth had visited the Jallianwala Bagh memorial in 1997.
S.K. Mukherjee, whose great-grandfather S.C. Mukherjee was among
those
killed, said he was satisfied with the prime minister's visit and
expression of regret.
Mukherjee, whose family has been associated with the Jallianwala
Bagh
National Memorial Trust, waccompanied Cameron during the visit
Wednesday.
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