PM David Cameron, on a three-day India visit for trade purposes, has journeyed to Amritsar city in the Indian state of Punjab, where he has offered his respects at the arena of the Jallianwala Bagh (public gardens). The arena was where hundreds of Indians at a public meeting were shot dead by British soldiers in 1919 during British colonial administration of India. David Cameron has referred to the Amritsar massacre as a profoundly shameful event in British history. Regarding the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the PM has penned in the memorial book of commiserations that the event must never be forgotten. Nonetheless, David Cameron isn’t expected to release a formal apology for the Amritsar massacre.

David Cameron’s presence at the Jallianwala Bagh to pay his respects for the massacre victims makes him the first sitting British PM to do so. The incumbent British PM placed a wreath at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial, after which he bowed his head and stood quietly as a symbol of respect for the Amritsar massacre victims.

On April 13, 1919, thousands of Indians had congregated at the arena of the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to protest peacefully against British colonial rule. British colonial administrators had debarred public gatherings in Punjab to curb the growing Indian independence movement. Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, a British Indian Army officer, was despatched to Jallianwala Bagh to deal with the public gathering. Without delivering a warning to the crowd, Reginald Dyer blockaded the exit points of Jallianwala Bagh and commanded his riflemen to fire at the crowd. 10 minutes later, the riflemen stopped their firing as their ammunition dried up.

The death count, due to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, is contested. Indian sources say nearly 1000 Indian civilians were cold-bloodedly murdered due to General Dyer’s order. The British colonial regime placed the death toll at 379 Indians. The then British War Secretary, Winston Churchill, referred to the Amritsar killings as monstrous. The Queen, during her India trip in 1997, had uttered that the Jallianwala Bagh massacre was a distressing instance of the moments of sadness in the India-British history.

David Cameron has also remarked that his Punjab visit is meant to solidify the bond between India and Britain. Punjab is deeply connected to Britain, voiced the PM, who also remarked that British-India historical ties had positive and negative facets. The PM has also visited the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar, where he was gifted a robe of honour inside the sanctum sanctorum.