[indistinct crowd shouting]
[12th April, one day before the Jallianwala Bagh massacre]
This is the time to keep the rebellion...
against the Rowlatt Act ignited.
But we must act peacefully.
Peaceful strikes, protests.
But until our brothers,
Satyapal and Kitchlew, are not released,
we cannot give up.
They are locked up in jail.
So tomorrow we will gather in Jallianwala Bagh,
and we'll stage a protest peacefully.
Understood?
The more people we can gather the better.
- Right? - Yes.
Another thing that slipped my mind.
Great Satyagrahis like Dr. Ansari...
will address everyone at Jallianwala Bagh.
- Then we must all come. - Everyone should come.
Everyone has to come.
Tell everyone to gather at 4 pm.
If we start from our own neighborhood,
this news will spread through the city like fire.
Great idea by Ram Singh.
If more people attend, the British will feel pressured.
They'll see we can't be suppressed or scared easily.
And our unity is our strength.
[Ram Singh] Just watch tomorrow.
Thousands of people will gather at Jallianwala Bagh tomorrow.
Don't worry.
The entire city supports us.
Lord Hunter,
on the evening of 12th April,
a Satyagrahi went to Civil Lines
to pass on an information.
- Quiet, please. - Now we'll know.
[Indistinct chatter]
Sir, may I...
[Dyer] Is everything done?
Absolutely, sir.
I did exactly the way you told me to do.
Exactly what did you say to them?
I've informed the people,
by 4 pm tomorrow,
everyone has to come to Jallianwala Bagh for a Satyagrahi meeting.
I've told them to spread the news throughout the city.
Are you certain that people will be there?
Yes, sir. They will definitely come.
Very good.
Dismissed.
Yes.
But, Hans Raj.
Yes.
And the pamphlets?
- I'll handle it. - Very good. Off you go.
Yes.
[13th April, the day of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre]
What's the latest update?
More railroad lines were destroyed
between Amritsar and Lahore last night, sir.
And a few telephone wires were cut as well.
Don't tell me what you read in the papers.
I mean, what's happening here in Amritsar.
Well, presumably the remaining rebels are still underground.
Plotting their next move.
And their next move happens to be a meeting
in the Jallianwala Bagh today afternoon.
This afternoon?
Yes.
Inform the local CID officers about it.
I'm going into the city to warn the people against attending any meetings.
Also, I don't want any British civilians left behind in the city.
Bring them back to the Civil Lines to ensure their safety.
Is that clear?
It is, sir.
By 12 noon.
By 12 noon. Yes, sir.
We've got our fish in a barrel. I don't want anything getting in the way.
Or anyone.
[drumbeats]
Attention, everyone!
All citizens, attention!
[drumbeats]
By orders of General Dyer,
no citizen of Amritsar is allowed to--
That's enough!
It's getting too hot for the troops. Let's head back to Civil Lines.
[soldiers marching]
[jeep drives away]
Today evening at four,
a meeting will be held at Jallianwala Bagh led by Dr. Ansari.
Everyone has to be there.
Okay? Everyone has to be there. At four in the evening, today.
Sorry to disturb your lunch, General.
CID inspectors, Jaspal Singh
and Salim Sheikh confirm that you are right.
Despite explicit orders,
the rebels have organized a meeting at the Jallianwala Bagh,
later this afternoon.
- You know what to do at the bagh. - Yes, sir.
Salim and I will take care of everything, sir.
Very good.
Briggs, get me 25 men each.
9 Gurkhas and 59 Scinde Rifles Frontier Force.
Only native troops. No British soldiers.
Right, sir.
Briggs, right now.
13th of April.
It was Baisakhi. A day of festivities.
Amritsar was waking up in the morning.
Oblivious to the fact...
that the gun,
bullet...
[Kantilal] and the target...
were all prepped.
[pensive music]
[indistinct talking]
- Put this over your head. - It's alright.
[crowd talking]
Greetings. The meeting starts at 4 pm. You must stay. Sit. Please, sit.
Shauki, listen...
- The stage needs to be higher. - How high?
- One and a half feet more. - Why?
So many people have turned up for the meeting.
They should all get a proper view.
Hurry up.
[Kantilal] But Jallianwala Bagh wasn't the only spot swarming with people.
It was Baisakhi.
There was another spot where people were gathered.
And we have someone here, who was present at the other location.
Sir.
- Please come, Mr. Bheemsen. - Yes, sir.
Bheemsen, what was your purpose to visit Amritsar?
I was here for the carnival, sir. I am from Rajasthan.
I have a cattle business.
There's a Revad carnival every year in Amritsar on Baisakhi.
- What happened this year? - We came this year too.
We were sitting at our booth.
But an officer came to me and...
asked me to close the shop immediately.
- Close the shop? - Yes.
Did he tell you why?
He said it was the government's order.
- Government's order? - Yes, sir.
Clearly, you obeyed the government orders and returned to Rajasthan.
No, sir. I didn't.
The inspector said today is a holiday because of Baisakhi
and since you have nothing to do,
take a stroll in Jallianwala Bagh.
You didn't plan to go to Jallianwala Bagh, you were sent there?!
Yes, sir. We were sent there.
[indistinct chatter]
I think we've covered everything. Any questions?
Morgan, old chap.
I'll take it from here.
I'll see you back in Lahore.
- The troops are ready, sir. - Let's get the men marching.
[Kantilal] On one hand,
General Dyer was ready with his armored car.
And on the other,
people were gathering at the bagh.
[Kantilal] Some were there for the meeting.
And some for the festival.
[Kantilal] There was no tension among people.
[indistinct chatter]
Only smiling faces.
[Hans Raj] My Satyagrahi brothers,
the meeting's about to start. Come forward.
First, I want to thank all of you for attending this meeting.
Seeing you in such large numbers boosts our confidence.
[soldiers marching]
I would like to invite our fellow Satyagrahi, Sachdyan.
He will address all of you.
Please listen to him.
Welcome, sir.
Sachdyan is coming now.
[Hans Raj] Come up. Give me your hand.
[crowd clapping]
Greetings to all of you.
I want to wish all of you on the occasion of Baisakhi.
The events that transpired on 10th of April,
have insulted this city and the teachings of Gandhiji.
Sir, the route ahead is too narrow.
The convoy can't go further.
We must tread on the path of non-violence.
And we must strive to maintain peace, no matter the circumstance.
If we maintain peace,
these Britishers will be compelled to give us our independence.
Get the men to follow me.
Soldier Gurung, bring the men forward.
Yes, sir.
[grim military music]
[marching]
[Sachdyan] And if we follow the path shown by Gandhiji,
then freedom will soon be ours.
Freedom will soon be ours!
[Sachdyan] Freedom will soon be ours.
[people clapping]
We must restrict ourselves from doing anything,
that leads to violence.
We must maintain our brotherhood.
We are not rioters.
Sit down. Sit down. It's alright.
We are Satyagrahis.
- We must maintain peace. - Maintain peace.
Halt.
Company will turn left.
Left turn!
Sit down.
Gandhiji has told us
to choose the path of non-violence.
How many people do you think are gathered here, Briggs?
This is packed.
[O'Dwyer] Shooting...
is a very simple sport, Commissioner.
And I said no more than four.
All one needs to know where the target is.
[rifle cocks]
Firing positions.
Parade, lunge forward!
Company, firing position.
And when to pull the trigger.
[O'Dwyer] Once the bullet's fired,
it does the rest of the job for you.
Load cannon.
Fire!
[eerie silence]
[eerie silence continues]
[Today, 12th December] Lord Hunter.
[Kantilal] This little bullet, when fired from a gun,
travels at a speed of 300 meters per second.
But this bullet isn't dangerous or lethal,
until it doesn't collide with anything. [gunshot]
[gunshots]
[screaming]
[gunshots echo in the distance]
[gunshots and screams echo in the distance]
When this bullet penetrates a human body,
it pierces through the skin, muscles and bones.
But this bullet doesn't stop until all of its energy,
all of its rage is expended.
That day at the bagh,
the guns kept firing until they didn't run out of bullets.
[gunshots continue, muffled screams]
[guns cock, gunshots]
[emotional music]
[sad music]
[sad music continues]
We're out of ammunition, sir.
Okay, let's go.
Company, on your feet.
Turn left.
March forward.
[Kantilal] More than 400 Indians died.
More than 1000 injured.
And all they needed
was 1650 bullets like this.
A gunman.
Good shot, sir.
Thank you.
And a target.
News of the incident in the bagh spread throughout the city.
[Man on cycle] Shots fired! Shots fired!
- [Man 1] Where? Who fired them? - The British forces.
- [Woman 1] Where? - [Man on cycle] At Jallianwala Bagh!
At the Satyagrahis' meeting. Many people have died.
Shots fired.
Who is it?
Poonam.
Why is the place closed?
We heard gunshots. We shut the door out of fear.
Such a catastrophe...
unfortunately Allahbaksh is in Lahore,
or he would have covered the entire news of the shooting in Jallianwala Bagh.
This will be in the papers tomorrow.
How?
Will you cover this news?
Can't I?
Curfew starts at 8 o'clock.
If we don't finish work on time, we can't go home.
Don't worry about that.
- We'll sleep here tonight. - What...
Go on. But be careful.
And be back here before 8 o'clock.
- Okay, I'll be back soon. - Go on.
Come on inside.
- Poonam. - Yes?
Did you hear? About the shooting in Jallianwala Bagh?
Yes. I know. I'm heading there now.
Listen, child.
Did Hari come home?
Hari? What do you mean?
He said,"I am attending the meeting at Jallianwala Bagh".
Didn't he tell you?
Hari.
Hari. Where are you?
[grim music]
General Dyer is quite popular. [Today, 12th December]
But the people who died
at the bagh that day,
the citizens of Amritsar...
What about them?
Does anyone know their names?
Rampyari's granddaughter,
Suman Kaur.
Age 7 years.
Faceless.
Karim Baksh's son,
Ahmed Villah.
Age 35 years.
Faceless.
Sher Singh's sister,
Bisso.
Age 50 years.
Faceless!
Madan Rai's wife, Jamuna.
Age 30 years.
Faceless!
Satyanarayan Bansal and Kusum's son,
Satish.
Age 21 years.
Faceless.
Hardiyal's son, Hari Ram.
Age 40 years.
Faceless.
Hardeep Singh's wife, Bibi Har Kaur.
Age 32 years.
Faceless.
Noor and Sultana's father, Rahimuddin.
Age 72 years.
Faceless!
Pheru Mal and Imarti's son, Hukum Chand.
Age 33 years.
Faceless!
[muffled sobs]
All faceless.
Lord Hunter, the names I read out
are only a few.
This list only contains a few names and numbers.
But there is no mention of their identity or existence on this list.
Are they just part of a list? Only names?
Lord Hunter, these are only the names
which the British Administration officially put on the list.
Whose lives they've officially claimed to have taken.
No one knows whether these numbers are even correct.
When General Dyer was asked,
how many people died in the bagh that day,
his first answer was, between 200 and 300.
Then he said, between 400 and 500. 'Maybe between 400 and 500?'
How conveniently he added a 100 lives.
Do you know why, Lord Hunter? Because for him, these names...
are just a part of this list.
Just a statistic.
What about those,
who are not on any official or unofficial list?
Even my son died that day, Kanti.
But his name is not on any list.
His name is not on any list.
I want justice.
[muffled crying]
There are so many such people.
But who will tell the daughter
that her father will never return?!
Who will tell the wife,
whose husband went to buy Baisakhi bangles for her,
that she will never be able to wear bangles?!
Who will tell the father, who has performed the last rites of his son,
but his son's name is not recorded in any official or unofficial lists?!
Lord Hunter,
that day, there was not a house in Amritsar...
not even a family...
who had not lost a loved one or relative
or friend.
It felt like...
death was out on a stroll and did not leave empty-handed.
In a matter of hours,
the celebrations of Baisakhi had turned into a funeral.
Those who died at the bagh that day,
are anonymous and inarticulate.
They cannot tell us what transpired that day.
But those who survived,
can tell us.
They can tell us about the cruelty
they witnessed in the bagh on that day.
[One month ago]
What did you see on the 13th of April at the bagh?
Sir, I was in the bagh.
Suddenly, I heard gunshots.
I fell down when I tried to flee.
After that, bodies kept piling up on me.
That is how I survived.
Several of those who got injured at Jallianwala Bagh...
died waiting for treatment.
I... was looking for my brother.
The place was littered with bodies.
One top of another.
My hands grew tired,
trying to find my brother in the pile of dead bodies.
And the spot where I found him,
had more than 200 dead bodies.
When we were going to the bagh, many more people joined me on the way.
We went to the Jallianwala Bagh, sir.
We went back to Rajasthan three days later, sir.
With 12 dead bodies.
[grim music]
People everywhere.
I...
was searching for my son.
Around 800...
to 1000 people were dead.
I tried searching for him.
But couldn't find my son.
Couldn't find him.
[sad music]
Life was lonely after Sattu left me.
His smile meant the world to me.
More than 700 people were killed like my Sattu.
We only want justice.
On the evening of 13th of April,
when I found out that shots had been fired at the bagh
that Hari was also there,
I ran towards the bagh.
There...
was too much darkness.
[Poonam] An elderly uncle handed me a lantern.
Take it, dear.
I pray that you don't see
what you have come here to see.
[foreboding music]
"I pray you don't see, what you came here to see."
As I said, it was dark
and barely visible.
As time passed,
my expectations were growing.
But then...
[Poonam mumbles]
Then what, Ms. Poonam?
But then I...
ran for help.
I told people...
to help me lift Hari...
There was an 8 o'clock curfew. Everyone was going back home.
Even I was told...
to go home.
What home?
There was no one to go back to.
That was the longest night of my life.
And yet, I never wanted that night to end.
Do you know why?
Because...
I was holding Hari's hand.
Even though it was cold,
it was still Hari's hand.
I stayed there all night.
I knew we had lost.
Still...
At that time, I thought
there was no point in staying alive.
But then I thought...
if I die,
then Hari's dreams will die with me.
That day Hari went to the bagh with a dream.
The dream of a better and independent India.
For him,
for me, for our child. For everyone!
And I decided to live for Hari's sake, and not die.
I want to live,
so I can tell this child,
and our future generations, what happened in Amritsar,
can never be forgotten.
Can never be forgotten.
Isn't it?
There's a saying. [Today, 12th December]
Every bullet has a name written on it...
of its target.
But there isn't just one name written on the bullet.
[Kantilal] Often, there are more names
associated with it,
that die a little with them.
Age 28 years.
Poonam Kaur's husband...
And the father of her unborn child.
My friend...
My life!
Hari Singh Aulakh.
Faceless!
[Hari] True friends are rare in life.
And you two are the only ones I have.
Three friends...
Thicker than blood!
[grim music]
[dramatic musical sting]
[dramatic musical sting continues]
[sad music ensues]
[sad music]
[indistinct echoes of screams]
[gunshots]
[One month before]
General.
Was the 45th Brigade under your command in April?
Yes.
When you arrived in Amritsar on the 11th of April,
what was the city's condition like?
Deputy Commissioner Miles Irving informed me
that the city was beyond all civil control.
He then handed me the responsibility for maintaining law and order.
Was the Deputy Commissioner right in his assessment of the situation?
Yes.
The city was totally under the control of the rebels.
We are not violent people. We are non-violent!
Sit down.
Silence.
What rebels are you talking about, General?
I had information that the people of Amritsar
and its surrounding villages were plotting to overthrow
the civil and military administration.
In addition to that, a large Danda Fauj, that is a civilian mob or army
equipped with heavy clubs,
was being assembled in the city to attack Amritsar.
Everybody who was conspiring
to overthrow the civil administration, were rebels.
This information you talk about, General,
Deputy Commissioner Miles Irving told us...
Earlier, there was a rumor going around of a meeting being planned in the bagh.
By the Danda Fauj.
I hardly count rumors as information, General.
General, I'd like to go back to the time you arrived in Jallianwala Bagh.
What did you see when you reached the bagh?
There was a large crowd in front of me.
[Justice Rankin] What was this large crowd doing?
[Dyer] A meeting was underway.
There was a man on a stage, addressing the crowd.
This man was giving a speech. Wasn't committing any crime?
No. No other crime.
No other crime?
And what did you do then?
I opened fire.
At once?
Yes. Immediately.
I didn't waste any time deciding what my duty was.
Many in the crowd were trying to run out of the bagh from the sides.
Yes.
And you repeatedly ordered your soldiers to fire at these spots,
where people amassed together?
Yes.
Over there by that gate. Get them.
Over there on that wall.
[gunshots]
General, when you reached Jallianwala Bagh,
you realized that the lanes were so narrow
that you couldn't take your armored car inside.
[Dyer] Yes.
[Nanji Bhai] If you could have taken your armored cars inside,
would you have ordered your troops to use the machine guns?
I think... probably. Yes.
He's such a cold man.
- [shouting slogans] - Orderly, silence them. Sit down!
[Crowd] Down with General Dyer!
Sit down, everyone.
In that case the number of casualties would be more.
Yes.
General.
How long did the firing last?
About 10 minutes. Maybe a little less.
Did the crowd start dispersing as soon as the firing started?
Yes.
Yet you continued firing.
Yes.
[gunshots]
Has it crossed your mind,
if you'd asked the crowd to disperse,
they might've listened to you?
Is it possible?
Yes, of course, it's possible.
[Rankin] Then why didn't you opt for that course of action?
Because I would've ended up as a laughing stock.
I am sorry?
A laughing stock?
If I had let the crowd go away with just a warning,
they would've come back after a short while.
They would've laughed at my orders and mocked my weakness.
I would be making myself a fool.
I had a duty to demonstrate that a British officer's orders
cannot be taken lightly.
General Dyer mercilessly ordered fire on unarmed people at Jallianwala Bagh.
He killed women and children.
More than 400 Indians lost their lives.
Including my friend Hari.
[One day after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.]
[14th April]
[Priest chanting prayers in Punjabi]
Aunty.
Uncle Hari...
saved me from getting shot.
He helped me climb over the wall.
Aunty.
Who will take me to school tomorrow?
Your aunt is still here.
She will take you to school.
And help you with your homework too.
Okay?
Take this.
[emotional music]
[Allahbaksh chanting prayers]
[Song] ♪ A short life in this world ♪
♪ A short life in this world ♪
[Hari] We cannot have our child in this violent world.
End of discussion.
Will our child be born in this world?
Our child will be stubborn like me
and brave like you.
I promise.
[Song] ♪ A short life in this world ♪
♪ Here then gone the next ♪
You know Punnu, I will unite these two again.
[Song] ♪ Life is here then gone the next ♪
♪ Life is here then gone the next ♪