Which British officer was responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?

Question

Which British officer was responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?

1. A. Maj Sleeman
2. B. General Dyer (Correct answer)
3. C. Sir Arthur Wellesly
4. D. Col Manson

Correct Answer

Option B — General Dyer

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is General Dyer.

Key Points

• Brigadier General Reginald Dyer ordered troops to fire on an unarmed gathering at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, on 13 April 1919 — Baisakhi day.
• The crowd had assembled to protest the Rowlatt Act; Dyer blocked the only exit and ordered firing without warning.

Additional Information

• Official figures put the dead at 379, while Indian estimates ran far higher; the Hunter Commission censured Dyer and he was relieved of command.
• Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest, and Sir Shankaran Nair resigned from the Viceroy's Executive Council.
• Udham Singh assassinated Michael O'Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab who had backed Dyer's action, in London in 1940.