Candle Light Vigil in Remembrance of Innocent Victims of Jallianwala Bagh‏

The 13th April, 1919 is considered and remembered as one of the most depressing and brutal event in the history of Indo-Pak subcontinent when the massacre of Jallianwala Bagh took place in a culturally rich, holy city of Amritsar, Indian Punjab. That brutal massacre involved the killing of hundreds of unarmed, defenseless men, women and children by the command of a senior British military officer, Brigadier-General Reginald E.H. Dyer.

The troops commanded by him, immediately upon entering the Bagh opened fire without the slightest warning to the crowd to disperse, and targeted crowded areas. The firing started at 17:15 and lasted for about ten to fifteen minutes. The Bagh, or garden, was bounded on all sides by brick walls and buildings and had only five narrow entrances, most of which were kept permanently locked. Since there was only one exit except for the one already manned by the troops, people desperately tried to climb the walls of the park. Some also jumped into a well inside the compound to escape the bullets.

It was determined that 1,650 rounds had plowed into the crowd of about 10,000 people. Later, it was officially announced by the Indian British Government that the killing of 379 Indians including 337 men and women, 41 young boys and a six-week-old baby; and, the wounding of 1,200 people had taken place. Although the actual figure may have been much higher.

The wounded could not be moved from where they had fallen as a curfew had been declared. It was a Sunday, and many neighboring village peasants with others thousands of people had arrived there from different corners of the country and had gathered at Jallianwala Bagh to raise voice against the injustice that was being poured on to the people of Indian Punjab by the British Government, and to celebrate the most significant cultural, sacred and secular festival of Vaisakhi.

Like many places where great injustice has taken place, Jallianwala Bagh became a place of pilgrimage, reflection, and a symbol of what the victims stood for (or against). On 13 April 1961, the 42nd anniversary of the massacre, it was inaugurated as a memorial with a 30 foot four-sided pylon called the 'Flame of Liberty'. Upon each face is inscribed 'In memory of the martyrs, 13 April 1919' in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and English.

In remembrance of that bloody Sunday and in memory of the great sacrifice of all those innocent victims, Fraser Valley Peace Council in collaboration with Taraksheel society of Canada is hosting a Candlelight Vigil in Surrey.

Sunday, 18th April 2010
6.30 PM
Holand Park, 135 A Strret, Surrey
Across the street, King George skytrain station


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Light a candle in favor of peace
Raise voices and join hands against any injustice to any people in the world

In solidarity,
Shahzad Nazir Khan
On behalf of:
Fraser Valley Peace Council
Taraksheel Society of Canada

For more info plz call 604-613-0735