Langley committee 1920 to 22 an endeavour to remedy the Jallianwala Bagh massacre

Abstract

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, carved deeply into Indian history, serves as a harsh reminder of the British Raj s atrocities against the Indian people. Following the massacre, the reign of terror was started in several areas of Punjab, in which people witnessed the worst phase of their lives. It sparked controversy between India and England, and it is still going on. The existing historiography of the Jallianwala Bagh carries an emotional load, and most writings from both sides seek to blame each other for the massacre. A general perception is that with the findings of the Hunter Committee and by removing Dyer from service, the episode of Jallianwala Bagh is over. But very little attention has been paid to the developments that took place following the report of the Hunter Committee. The massacre shook the myth of peaceableness, Britishness, and British civility and put an indelible blot on the British Empire, and they are still trying to get rid of this. After the massacre of innocents in Amritsar, the British government tried hard to suppress this matter, but the more they tried to suppress it, the more it emerged. The massacre put a major question on the image of the British Government and in the Legislative Council, many questions were raised about justice for the victims of Punjab. To resolve this issue J.P. Thompson suggested to William Marris to give relief to the dependents of those who were killed at Jallianwala Bagh and the sum of Rs 14,150 (fourteen thousand one hundred and fifty) was distributed to thirty-nine applicants from Amritsar, Ajnala and Tarn Taran. Many people complained about the disparity in the amount of compensation. Later, the British Government assigned a committee named as Punjab Disturbance Compensation Committee under the headship of Alexander Langley (also known as Langley Committee) to deal with the matter of adequate compensation. The proposal of the committee started a fresh controversy between the governments of India and Punjab.