Jallianwala Bagh centenary: Centre, state plan separate events
Centre’s event to be presided over by vice- president Venkaiah Naidu will take place in the afternoon, while CM Capt Amarinder Singh and Congress Rahul Gandhi will visit the memorial in the morning.
Even as the centenary of Jallianwala Bagh massacre is being observed as the day of national integration and unity on Saturday, the Centre and the state government are organising separate events to pay tribute to those fell to the bullet of General Dyer on April 13, 1919.
As per the invitations sent to the kin of victims of the massacre, the Union ministry of culture will organise a function that will start at 3pm and it will be presided over by vice-president Venkaiah Naidu.
Apart from paying homage to the martyrs, the vice-president will also release a commemorative postal stamp and coin on the occasion. Punjab governor VPS Badnore will also be present, besides Rajya Sabha MP Shwait Malik. The ceremony will last around one-and-half hours.
On the other hand, the state government has planned its own programme, which will start at 9am, as per an advertisement published by the state government. However, there is no mention of the function to be presided over by the vice-president in the state government event even as Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh is a member of the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust . Congress president Rahul Gandhi will join Captain Amarinder to pay tribute to the martyrs at the memorial. A battery of Punjab ministers will also be present at the event.
Capt rejects regret by British PM, demands official apology
Rejecting the regret expressed by British prime minister Theresa May as inadequate, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday demanded an unequivocal official apology from Britain for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, whose centenary is being observed on Saturday.
Captain Amarinder joined governor VPS Badnore here on Friday evening in a candlelight march to pay homage to the martyrs. The march started from the historic Town Hall and culminated at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial.
