When British paid relief for Jallianwala Bagh massacre

Chandigarh : Even as nonagenarian freedom fighter Mohan Singh recently moved the High Court seeking compensation for the “brutal death” of his grandfather at Amritsar’s Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919, documents chanced upon during the digitisation of Punjab Archives show that the British had announced “liberal compensation” to the victim families of the massacre. Even those who sustained injuries in the massacre, ordered by Colonel Reginald Dyer, were compensated.
The compensation amount ranged from a few thousand rupees for some daily-wagers to Rs 1.01 lakh for the family of an Amritsar-based businessman whose annual income was calculated at Rs 9,000. The British had sanctioned Rs 15,92,155 for families of those killed and Rs 3,50,762 for those injured. However, compensation was awarded to the families of only 218 of the total 376 documented as having been killed in official records — “principally because no claimants could be found, or if found, they refused to appear (before committee)”. Though “liberal compensation” was announced, till February 1921, just Rs 14,150 was paid to 19 families of Amritsar city, 13 of Tarn Taran tehsil and seven of Ajnala tehsil. Voices of concern, however, eventually led to the entire compensation being paid.