Jallianwala Bagh massacre centenary: Deeply regret what happened, says British envoy

TIL Desk/National/Amritsar/ British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith, who laid a wreath at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial here on Saturday to mark the centenary of the massacre, said Britain deeply regretted the incident that took place on this day a hundred years ago.

Asquith visited the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial in the morning to pay homage to those killed in the incident on April 13, 1919. He laid a wreath at the memorial inside the historic Jallianwala Bagh.

“The events of Jallianwala Bagh 100 years ago today reflect a shameful act in British-Indian history. We deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused,” Asquith wrote in the visitors’ book at the memorial.

“I am pleased today that the UK and India have and remain committed to developing further a thriving 21st century partnership,” he added.

In his brief interaction with reporters later, Asquith said British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday described the Jallianwala Bagh massacre as a “shameful scar” on British Indian history.