Amritsar Massacre

When : April 1919

Who: O'Dwyer the governor of the Punjab orders General Dyer to put down rebellion in the Punjab

Why/What: There had been uprisings in the Punjab due to the Rowlatt acts, O'Dwyer saw this as a threat to the Empire as he was convinced that the riots were part of a carefully planned uprising, luring Inidan soldiers into a mutiny. He ordered curfews and bans on public meetings, these demands were read out in English in a few areas of the Punjab but most Indians were unaware of them. At the same time their was a large religious holiday in Amritsar which brought many Indians to the city(Baisakhi Day). Dyer's men were ordered to shoot at the mass congregation of religious worshippers, there was no escape it was an enclosed space, no medical treatment was available afterwards. 1650 rounds of ammunition was shot, in ten to fifteen minutes, killing nearly 400 people and leaving 1500 wounded. 

Aftermath: British lost all moral superiority over the Indians. Montagu and other British Liberals were disgusted by Dyer and O'Dwyer.