THE horrific Jallianwala Bagh massacre which took place on Baisakhi day 13 April 1919 was an important point in India’s freedom struggle. On the first centenary of this massacre, hundreds of leaders and activists from the CPI(ML) and AIPF gathered at Jallianwala Bagh on 13 April 2019 and paid tribute to the thousands of martyred and injured patriots who were committed to freedom, and pledged to continue the second freedom struggle for full freedom for all people in the country.
Hundreds of revolutionary-democratic activists from Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Mansa, Bathinda, Moga, Barnala, Sangrur and other Districts gathered at the Amritsar Railway Station by 12 noon on 13 April 2019. From the station a march was organized to Jallianwala Bagh, led by CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, PB member Prabhat Chaudhury, Punjab State Committee Secretary Gurmeet Singh Bakhtpura, AIPF central leader Prem Singh Gehlawat, CC members Sukhdarshan Natt, Rajvinder Singh Rana, Kanwaljeet Singh, Bhagwant Singh, and All India Kisan Mahasabha National President Ruldu Singh. The sea of red flags marched through the bazaars of Amritsar and reached Jallianwala Bagh. The local people of Amritsar and the large number of national and international visitors to Shri Harmandar Saheb welcomed this revolutionary march wholeheartedly and joined the marchers in raising slogans.
On this day, the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, large rallies were also organized and tributes to the martyrs paid at Jallianwala Bagh by the Jallianwala Bagh Centenary Samagam Committee (jointly organized by farmers’ and workers’ organizations and intellectuals), Punjab Students’ Union and Naujawan Bharat Sabha. Various political, social, and religious organizations also held programs to honour the Jallianwala Bagh martyrs at other places in Amritsar and other cities.
Candle Marches To Uphold The Legacy of Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs
Candle marches were organised all over the country, lighting 100 candles to commemorate 100 years of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and pledging to uphold the martyrs’ legacy of Hindu-Muslim unity, resistance to repression and anti-imperialist patriotism.
Such marches and events were held in the towns and cities of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and other states.
Held on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (which coincided this year with Ram Navami), these memorial events, by sending a strong message of Hindu-Muslim unity, helped to counter the Sangh’s efforts to communalise Ram Navami processions.
