General Reginald Dyer: The butcher of Jallianwala Bagh and how he was honoured by Golden Temple management after the massacre

On 13th April 1919, in the heart of Amritsar, a British officer named Reginald Edward Harry Dyer ordered a massacre that shook the conscience of the entire nation. The incident took place at a time when India was witnessing a growing desire to rid itself of the British Raj.

Known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, it saw troops, mostly comprising Indian soldiers under the command of British officer General Dyer, fire 1,650 rounds into a crowd of unarmed men, women, and children. While most had gathered at the site to protest peacefully, some were simply there to celebrate the Baisakhi festival. According to British accounts, 379 people lost their lives. However, Indian accounts estimate up to 1,000 lives were lost.

During a commission hearing over the incident, Dyer defended his actions, saying, “It was no longer a question of merely dispersing the crowd, but one of producing a sufficient moral effect… throughout the Punjab.” He faced forced retirement but was met with support—not only from the British elite like Rudyard Kipling, who called him “the man who saved India”, but tragically, from Indian elites as well. Unfortunately, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had honoured him as well.

Who was General Dyer – the man behind one of India’s darkest days

General Dyer was a British officer of the Indian Army. He was born on 9th October 1864 in Murree (then in British India, now in Pakistan). In 1885, Dyer joined the army and served in various capacities across Burma, the North-West Frontier, and Persia. His career was marked by loyalty to the Crown and a colonial mindset that viewed Indian subjects as inferior.

In April 1919, India was experiencing unrest following the Rowlatt Act. Dyer was the acting brigadier general in Amritsar. On 13th April, he ordered his troops to open fire on the peaceful gathering without any warning, killing hundreds. His actions ignited widespread outrage in India and intense debate in Britain. Though he was relieved of his command and forced into early retirement, Dyer was hailed as a hero by British imperialists.

The shocking reverence – when General Dyer was honoured in Amritsar

In perhaps one of history’s strangest ironies, the same man who ordered the slaughter of hundreds at Jallianwala Bagh was honoured at the sacred Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. According to several historical accounts, including those documented by biographer Ian Colvin and author Nigel Collet (The Butcher of Amritsar: General Reginald Dyer), he was presented with a Siropa, which is a ceremonial robe of honour, by none other than the then Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Arur Singh, a British government appointee.

The word siropa is derived from the Persian word sar-o-pa, which means “head to toe”. It is an item of high honour in Sikh tradition. The event took place just days after the massacre, under British-controlled Sikh religious management. Notably, Jathedar Arur Singh reportedly suggested that Dyer become a Sikh, just like General Nicholson before him.

The offer was, however, declined by Dyer. He cited objections such as keeping long hair and giving up cigarettes. Yet, Arur Singh went as far as to say Dyer could still become a Sikh while keeping short hair and even offered flexibility on smoking, saying they would let him quit smoking gradually, at a rate of one cigarette per year. However, the British General declined to convert to Sikhism. The ceremony reportedly concluded with Dyer being gifted the five symbols of Sikh martial tradition.

Arur Singh Shergill was a magistrate and civil judge who was appointed as the manager of Darbar Sahib and the Akal Takht by the British Raj. He held the position from 1902 to 1920.

Colonial collaboration and the SGPC connection

Simranjit Singh Mann, leader of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and grandson of Arur Singh, has supported the actions of his maternal grandfather. He defended the honour given to Dyer, saying that Arur Singh did it to pacify the British General and prevent more attacks. He reportedly claimed, “He did it to save the Golden Temple from bombing on the advice of then principal of Khalsa College GA Wathen.”

Notably, Simranjit Singh Mann also calls Bhagat Singh a terrorist because a Sikh constable was also killed when British police officer John Saunders was assassinated.

Akal Takht’s Jathedar’s support for Dyer was not an isolated incident. Several historical sources, including articles in media houses, state that numerous Punjabi elites openly sided with the British after the massacre. People like Kunj Bihari Thapar, Umar Hayat Khan, Chaudhary Gajjan Singh, and Rai Bahadur Lal Chand contributed to a fund of ₹1.75 lakh for the then Governor of Punjab, Michael O’Dwyer, who had endorsed Dyer’s actions. Meanwhile, General Dyer himself was rewarded with £26,000 (equivalent to millions today) by his admirers, British and Indian alike.

It is believed that they continued to support the British and Dyer with the hope that the benefits they were receiving from the British Empire would continue in exchange for siding with the butcher of Amritsar.

SGPC’s controversial origins and British interference

Before the formation of SGPC, the control of major gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple, rested with mahants or priests. They often collaborated with the British.

Before the formation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), control of major gurdwaras like the Golden Temple rested with mahants—priests who often collaborated with the British. Some of the early SGPC leaders were also soft towards the British.

One such name is Sunder Singh Majithia, who not only honoured Dyer but also became the first president of SGPC in 1920. He claimed to protect Sikh interests in a “milder” tone with the British and went on to form the Khalsa National Party. Majithia served as the Revenue Minister of Punjab under British rule from 1936 until his death in 1941.

Some of the prominent voices of Punjab, including Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala—grandfather of Captain Amarinder Singh—never condemned the massacre. Biographer Natwar Singh even wrote that the Maharaja continued his full support for the British government.

Gandhi’s inexplicable forgiveness for the butcher of Amritsar

What enraged and shook most Indians was the fact that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi took the route of forgiveness. In Young India (25th August 1920), Gandhi wrote, “It would be sin for me to serve General Dyer and co-operate with him to shoot innocent men. But it will be an exercise of forgiveness or love for me to nurse him back to life if he is suffering from a physical malady.”

Later, when a friend blamed Dyer’s paralysis on his sins in Amritsar, Gandhi refused to accept the idea. He claimed, “I should be very sorry if some good Englishmen were to think that these diseases were due to my fierce opposition… to the English government.” Finally, Gandhi went on to say that he bore no ill will towards Dyer and even aspired to meet him and “reach his heart.” Such sentiments baffled many who saw the massacre as unforgivable.

A propaganda campaign and the public relations clean-up

In his book A History of the Sikhs: 1839–2004, Khushwant Singh mentioned that General Dyer actively campaigned across Punjab and urged local Sikh leaders, Jathedars, and royals to use their influence to support British governance and calm the growing dissent. Villagers were told that the British regime remained strong, and the government was not at fault.

It was not just a military propaganda but a symbolic one. Dyer was presented with a turban, a kirpan, and honoured as a Sikh warrior. This dangerous blend of colonial strategy and religious symbolism created a peculiar and disturbing moment in Indian history—the sanctification of a man responsible for the cold-blooded killing of innocents.

The aftermath and historical whitewashing

On 23rd July 1927, General Dyer died after a series of illnesses, including cerebral haemorrhage. Yet, attempts to whitewash his actions persisted. Some even argued that he had merely followed O’Dwyer’s instructions and was not the true architect of the massacre.

However, Indian revolutionaries like Udham Singh did not forget. On 13th March 1940, Singh assassinated Michael O’Dwyer in London in an act of vengeance for Jallianwala Bagh, ensuring that at least one of the perpetrators faced justice—if only symbolically.

Conclusion – A legacy of betrayal and remembrance

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre gave birth to countless revolutionaries including Udham Singh, Bhagat Singh, and many more. The pain that lived in the hearts of Indians who saw or heard about the massacre sowed the seed of revolution against the British in the decades to come.

Though over 100 years have passed, the memory of Jallianwala Bagh remains a deep scar on India’s soul. What deepens the wound is the fact that there were people among us—including then-religious leaders, royals, and elites—who chose to honour the butcher, not the victims.

From the Akal Takht’s honour to SGPC’s early silence, from Maharajas to ministers, from British propaganda to Gandhi’s puzzling pardon, the episode reflects that India’s fight for independence was much more complex than it has been represented by the left-liberal historians.

The history is remembered. However, there are multi-layers of the historical facts from that time that got buried under the immense pressure of pleasing the British and saving the butcher.

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