Ch4 The Massacre That Shook the Empire

On 13th April 1919, a British general ordered troops to gun down a crowd of men, women, children and infants who were peacefully gathered in a park in Amritsar in India to protest against colonial rule. With nowhere to run or hide, hundreds were killed, and over 1000 more were wounded. To mark the 100-year anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, writer Sathnam Sanghera retraces the build-up to one of the darkest days in British and Indian history. The programme is as much a personal journey as it is a rediscovery of a pivotal turning point in British colonial rule. As a British Sikh Punjabi, Sathnam explores the profound implications of the massacre and reflects on how we think about the Empire and Britishness. He travels to Punjab to meet descendants of the survivors. From experts on colonial history he receives an image of a country oppressed by violence and racism, and ruled by generals desperate to keep hold of the jewel in the crown of their Empire.