Qissa Khawani Bazaar massacre is famous for refusal by platoon of British Indian Army's Garhwali Soldiersto open fire.
NEW DELHI: This is with reference to Yaqoob Khan Bangash’s article “War on culture” (February 27). He has mentioned in his piece the notorious Qissa Khawani Bazaar massacre of 1930. I would like to add a few more details for the interest of your readers. The Qissa Khawani Bazaar massacre is also famous for the refusal by a platoon of the Garhwali Soldiers of the British Indian Army to open fire at the unarmed Pashtuns, who had gathered for a non-violent protest. These soldiers were arrested, subjected to the worst inhuman torture and were later on, sentenced to life imprisonment.
A British civil servant later wrote: “Hardly any regiment of the Indian Army won greater glory in the Great War (First World War) than the Garhwali Rifles, and the defection of part of the regiment sent shockwaves through India, of apprehension to some, of exultation to others.”
Lalit M Pokhariya
Published in The Express Tribune, February 27th, 2014.
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