The Patient Assassin: A True Tale Of Massacre, Revenge, And India's Quest Independence

When Sir Michael ODwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, ordered Brigadier General Reginald Dyer to Amritsar, he wanted Dyer to bring the troublesome city to heel. Sir Michael had become increasingly alarmed at the effect Gandhi was having on his province, as well as recent demonstrations, strikes, and shows of HinduMuslim unity. All these things, to Sir Michael, were a precursor to a second Indian revolt. What happened next shocked the world. An unauthorized gathering in the Jallianwallah Bagh in Amritsar in April 1919 became the focal point Sir Michaels law encers. Dyer marched his soldiers into the walled public park, blocking the only exit. Then, without issuing a order to disperse, he instructed his men to open fire, turning their guns on the crowd, which numbered in the thousands and included women and children. The soldiers continued firing ten minutes, stopping only when they ran out of ammunition.

According to legend, nineteeearold Sikh orphan Udham Singh was injured in the attack, and remained surrounded by the dead and dying until he was able to move the next morning. Then, he supposedly picked up a handful of bloodsoaked earth, smeared it across his ehead, and vowed to kill the men responsible.