Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Worst Massacre in Asia

The history which we have been studying has so much of revised version,but yet certain events in history could not be hidden because of the blood spilled is so much that we possible cannot change or re-write it.I'm going to list down some of the worst massacre that has happened in Asia.There are many such incidents but here are few that are totally depressing.

WHAT IS A MASSACRE ?
 A massacre is a specific incident which involves the killing of people, although not necessarily a crime against humanity or to be simple its a MASS-Murder.


Jallianwala Bagh massacre


At 9:00 on the morning of 13 April, the traditional festival of Baisakhi, Colonel Reginald Dyer, the acting military commander for Amritsar and its environs, proceeded through the city with several city officials, announcing the implementation of a pass system to enter or leave Amritsar, a curfew beginning at 20:00 that night and a ban on all processions and public meetings of four or more persons. The proclamation was read and explained in English, Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi, but few paid it any heed or appear to have learned of it later. Meanwhile, the local CID had received intelligence of the planned meeting in the Jallianwala Bagh through word of mouth and plainclothes detectives in the crowds. At 12:40, Dyer was informed of the meeting and returned to his base at around 13:30 to decide how to handle it.

By mid-afternoon, thousands of Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh (garden) near the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar. Many who were present had earlier worshipped at the Golden Temple, and were passing through the Bagh on their way home. The Bagh was (and is) a large, open area of six to seven acres, roughly 200 yards by 200 yards in size, and surrounded by walls roughly 10 feet in height. Balconies of houses three to four stories tall overlooked the Bagh, and five narrow entrances opened onto it, several with locked gates. During the rainy season, it was planted with crops, but served as a local meeting-area and playground for much of the year. In the center of the Bagh was a samadhi (cremation site) and a large well partly filled with water and about 20 feet in diameter.

Apart from pilgrims, Amritsar had filled up over the preceding days with farmers, traders and merchants attending the annual Baisakhi horse and cattle fair. The city police closed the fair at 14:00 that afternoon, resulting in a large number of people drifting into the Jallianwala Bagh. It was estimated that about 20,000 to 25,000 people had gathered in the Bagh by the time of the meeting. Dyer sent an aeroplane to overfly the Bagh and estimate the size of the crowd. By this time, both Colonel Dyer and Deputy Commissioner Irving, the senior civil authority for Amritsar, were well aware of the meeting, but took no actions to prevent it or send police to peacefully disperse the crowds. This would later be a serious criticism levelled at both Dyer and Irving.

An hour after the meeting began as scheduled at 16:30, Colonel Dyer arrived at the Bagh with a group of ninety Gurkha soldiers. Fifty of them were armed with .303 Lee–Enfield bolt-action rifles; 40 with khukris. It is not clear whether Dyer had specifically chosen troops from that ethnic group due to their proven loyalty to the British or that they were simply the non-Sikh units most readily available. He had also brought two armored cars armed with machine guns; however, the vehicles were left outside, as they were unable to enter the Bagh through the narrow entrances. The Jallianwala Bagh was surrounded on all sides by houses and buildings and had few narrow entrances. Most of them were kept permanently locked. The main entrance was relatively wide, but was guarded heavily by the troops backed by the armoured vehicles.

Dyer—without warning the crowd to disperse—blocked the main exits. He explained later that this act "was not to disperse the meeting but to punish the Indians for disobedience." Dyer ordered his troops to begin shooting toward the densest sections of the crowd. Firing continued for approximately ten minutes. Cease-fire was ordered only when ammunition supplies were almost exhausted, after approximately 1,650 rounds were spent.

Many people died in stampedes at the narrow gates or by jumping into the solitary well on the compound to escape the shooting. A plaque, placed at the site after independence states that 120 bodies were removed from the well. The wounded could not be moved from where they had fallen, as a curfew was declared, and many more died during the night.

The number of deaths caused by the shooting is disputed. While the official figure given by the British inquiry into the massacre is 379 deaths, the method used by the inquiry has been subject to criticism. In July 1919, three months after the massacre, officials were tasked with finding who had been killed by inviting inhabitants of the city to volunteer information about those who had died.This information was incomplete due to fear that those who participated would be identified as having been present at the meeting, and some of the dead may not have had close relations in the area When interviewed by the members of the committee, a senior civil servant in Punjab admitted that the actual figure could be higher.

Since the official figures were probably flawed regarding the size of the crowd (15,000–20,000), the number of rounds fired and the period of shooting, the Indian National Congress instituted a separate inquiry of its own, with conclusions that differed considerably from the Government's inquiry. The casualty number quoted by the Congress was more than 1,500, with approximately 1,000 being killed.The Government tried to suppress information of the massacre, but news spread in India and widespread outrage ensued; details of the massacre did not become known in Britain until December 1919.

Banana massacre

The Banana massacre was a massacre of workers for the United Fruit Company that occurred on December 6, 1928 in the town of Ciénaga near Santa Marta, Colombia. After U.S. officials in Colombia, along with United Fruit representatives, portrayed the worker's strike as "communist" with "subversive tendency", in telegrams to the U.S. Secretary of State, the government of the United States of America threatened to invade with the U.S. Marine Corps if the Colombian government did not act to protect United Fruit’s interests. An unknown number of workers died after the conservative government of Miguel Méndez sent the Colombian army to end a union strike for better working conditions.

Gabriel García Márquez depicted a fictional version of the massacre in his novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, as did Álvaro Cepeda Samudio in his La Casa Grande.An army regiment from Bogotá was dispatched by the government to deal with the strikers, which it deemed to be subversive. Whether these troops were sent in at the behest of the United Fruit Company did not clearly emerge.

The troops set up their machine guns on the roofs of the low buildings at the corners of the main square, closed off the access streets,[5] and after a five-minute warning opened fire into a dense Sunday crowd of workers and their wives and children who had gathered, after Sunday Mass,[5] to wait for an anticipated address from the governor.

General Cortés Vargas, who commanded the troops during the massacre, took responsibility for 47 casualties. In reality, the exact number of casualties has never been confirmed. Herrera Soto, co-author of a comprehensive and detailed study of the 1928 strike, has put together various estimates given by contemporaries and historians, ranging from 47 to as high as 2,000. Survivors, popular oral histories and written documents give figures 800-3000 killed, adding that the killers threw them into the sea.

Among the survivors was Luis Vicente Gámez, later a famous local figure, who survived by hiding under a bridge for three days. Every year after the massacre he delivered a memorial service over the radio.Another version by official Jose Gregorio Guerrero said that the number of dead was nine: eight civilians and one soldier. Guerrero added that Jorge Eliécer Gaitán had exaggerated the number of deaths.

Nanking Massacre

The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking or Rape of Nanjing, was an episode during the Second Sino-Japanese War of mass murder and mass rape by Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing (then spelled Nanking), then capital of the Republic of China. The massacre occurred over six weeks starting December 13, 1937, the day that the Japanese captured Nanjing. During this period, soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army murdered Chinese civilians and disarmed combatants numbering an estimated 40,000 to over 300,000, and perpetrated widespread rape and looting.

Several key perpetrators were tried and found guilty at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal, and were executed. A key perpetrator, Prince Asaka of the Imperial Family, escaped prosecution by having earlier been granted immunity by the Allies.

Since most Japanese military records on the killings were kept secret or destroyed shortly after the surrender of Japan in 1945, historians have not been able to accurately estimate the death toll of the massacre. The International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo estimated in 1946 that over 200,000 Chinese were killed in the incident. China's official estimate is more than 300,000 dead based on the evaluation of the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal in 1947. The death toll has been actively contested among scholars since the 1980s.

The event remains a contentious political issue, as aspects of it have been disputed by historical negationists and Japanese nationalists, who assert that the massacre has been either exaggerated or fabricated for propaganda purposes. The controversy surrounding the massacre remains a stumbling block in Sino-Japanese relations and in Japanese relations with other Asia-Pacific nations, such as South Korea and the Philippines.


Although the Japanese government has admitted to the killing of a large number of non-combatants, looting, and other violence committed by the Imperial Japanese Army after the fall of Nanking,and Japanese veterans who served there have confirmed that a massacre took place, a small but vocal minority within both the Japanese government and society have argued that the death toll was military in nature and that no such crimes ever occurred. Denial of the massacre and revisionist accounts of the killings have become a staple of Japanese nationalism.In Japan, public opinion of the massacres varies, but few deny outright that the conflict occurred.

February 28 Incident

The February 28 Incident or February 28 Massacre, also known as 228 Incident, was an anti-government uprising in Taiwan. Taking its name from the date of the incident, it began on February 27, 1947, and was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang-led Republic of China government, which killed thousands of civilians beginning on February 28. Estimates of the number of deaths vary from 10,000 to 30,000 or more.The massacre marked the beginning of the Kuomintang's White Terror period in Taiwan, in which thousands more inhabitants vanished, died, or were imprisoned. This incident is one of the most important events in Taiwan's modern history, and is a critical impetus for the Taiwan independence movement.

In 1945, 50 years of Japanese rule ended when Japan lost World War II. In October, the United States, on behalf of the Allied Forces, handed temporary administrative control of Taiwan to the Kuomintang-administered Republic of China (ROC) under General Order No. 1 to handle the surrender of Japanese troops and ruling administration. Local inhabitants became resentful of what they saw as high-handed and frequently corrupt conduct on the part of the Kuomintang (KMT) authorities, their arbitrary seizure of private property, and their economic mismanagement. The flashpoint came on February 27 in Taipei, when a dispute between a cigarette vendor and an officer of the Office of Monopoly triggered civil disorder and an open rebellion that lasted for days. The uprising was violently put down by the military of the Republic of China and the island was placed under martial law.


The subject was officially taboo for decades. On the anniversary of the event in 1995, President Lee Teng-hui addressed the subject publicly, a first for a Taiwanese head of state. The event is now openly discussed and details of the event have become the subject of government and academic investigation. February 28 has been designated Peace Memorial Day, an official public holiday. Every February 28, the president of the ROC gathers with other officials to ring a commemorative bell in memory of the victims. The president bows to family members of 2/28 victims and gives each one a certificate officially exonerating any victims previously blacklisted as enemies of the state. Monuments and memorial parks to the victims of 2/28 have been erected in a number of Taiwanese cities, including Kaohsiung and Taipei. Taipei's former "Taipei New Park" was rededicated as 228 Peace Memorial Park and houses the National 228 Memorial Museum to commemorate the tragic incident, which opened on February 28, 1997, and re-opened on February 28, 2011, with new permanent exhibits.

Jeju uprising

The Jeju uprising was an attempted insurgency on the Korean province of Jeju Island followed by a brutal Anticommunist suppression campaign that lasted from April 3, 1948, until May 1949.The main cause for the rebellion was elections scheduled for May 10, 1948, designed by the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea (UNTCOK) to create a new government for all of Korea. The elections, however, were only planned for the south of the country, the half of the peninsula under UNTCOK control. Fearing the elections would further reinforce division, guerrilla fighters for the South Korean Labor party (SKLP) reacted violently, attacking local police and rightist youth groups stationed on Jeju Island.

Though atrocities were committed by both sides, the methods used by the South Korean government to suppress the rebels were especially cruel. On one occasion, American soldiers discovered the bodies of ninety-seven men, women, and children, killed at the hand of government forces. On another, American soldiers caught government police forces in the act of carrying out a gruesome execution of seventy-six villagers, including women and children.


In the end, about 30,000 people died as a result of the rebellion, or 10% of the island’s total population.Some 40,000 others fled to Japan to escape the fighting. In the decades after the uprising, memory of the event was brutally suppressed by the government through strict punishment. Only in 2006, more than 60 years after the rebellion, did the Korean government finally apologize for its role in the killings. Although the government simultaneously promised reparations, as of 2010, nothing had been done to this end.

Other List of Massacre that happened in the world  Click Here

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Orchha Fort,Madhya Pradesh India

The Orchha Fort complex, which houses a large number of ancient monuments consisting of the fort, palaces, temple and other edifices, is located in the Orchha town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The fort and other structures within it were built by the Bundela Rajputs starting from early 16th century by King Rudra Pratap Singh of the Orchha State and others who followed him.

History of Orchha

The building traditions of the Indian subcontinent date back to at least the 2nd millennium BC.India has traditionally been primarily religious. The earliest Indian building where Buddhist and Hindu temples made of wood and then brick. By the 4th century BC, stone had become popular, and successive cultures acquired great skill in carving and construction. Large stupas where built, along with cave temple and monasteries carved out of solid rock.

The Gupta period (4th-6th century AD) saw the rapid development of temple architecture, often decorated with bands of elaborate carving. Northern India's most characteristic structure, a temple with a heavily decorated tower, reached its stylistic height in 7th-11th century. The extension of Islam into India in the 11 th-12th century introduced typical Muslim(l1 architectural forms (e.g. the dome and pointed arch) and decoration. Such masterworks as the Taj Mahal resulted from the rule of the Muslim dynasty in the 16th-18th century. European colonization and British rule introduced European style.

Only Natural colors have been used in painting the murals at Orchha. The pigment that been most widely used are red, orange, golden, yellow, green, white, brown and black. Elaborate preparation of the surface seems to have been done before the actual painting. Lime and shell powder were used for binding the surface wall, which was used for binding the surface wall, which was subsequently polished. The painting surface is about two to four mm thick and natural colors lend a vibrant touch.

Orchha (25°20' N; 78°42' E)
A Village of Prithvipur Tahsil, Orchha is situated on the Betwa river at a distance of about 13 km. from tahsil headquarters. It is 15km. from Jhansi (U.P.) Orchha is linked by rail on Jhansi-Manikpur section of the Central Railway.

Orchha was the capital town of the State. It was founded by Maharaja Rudra Pratap in 1531 A.D. In 1783, Maharaja Vikramjit removed the capital to Tikamgarh since then Orchha has rapidly fallen in to decay. The name Orchha of Ondchha is traditionally derived from the scoffing remark of a Raiput chief who on visiting the site selected for the capital town. On an island in the Betwa which has been surrounded by a battlement wall, now sadly dilapidated and approached by a causeway over a fine bridge of fourteen arches, stands a huge palace fort mainly the work of Maharaja BirSingh Dev. It consists of several, connected buildings constructed at different times. The finest of these are the Raj Mandir and Jahangir Mahal.

The river Betwa here breaks though seven channel called the Satdhara, of which the origin is poetically ascribed to seven of the Orchha Chief in honor of whose achievements they are supposed to have started flowing - (The first channel was caused to flow by Diman Arjun, the second by he who slow the Mughals, the third by Pratap Rudra, the fourth by Bharti Chand, the fifth by Pancham, the , sixth by Madhur(kar) Shah and the last by Rai Dulha) .

Orchha is Famous religious center of Hindus. It is known for its religious and cultural heritage.

Travel within city
Orchha is a famous tourist destination in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Located in the banks of the River Betwa, Orchha is a tourist’s delight as this quaint old town has a lot of places of general interest. You can opt for buses, auto rickshaws and taxis while traveling to Orchha. These are the various modes of local travel available in the town.

Bus
Buses in Orchha normally run from 6 in the morning till 11 at night and these are the most preferred mode of travel in the town of Orchha. You can opt for bus travel as this is the cheapest mode of travel available in Orccha. Bus fares in Orchha normally range between Rs 3 to 6 and the fares depend on the distance covered.

Auto Rickshaw
Auto rickshaws in the town of Orchha do not run on meter and drivers may demand a flat rate while dropping you off at your destination. Bargaining for a better price is advisable, and this should be done before you board on auto rickshaw. Auto rickshaw fares will roughly cost you around 10 INR for every kilometer.

Taxi
Taxis in Orchha are available in all the major regions in the city, including the bus stand. You can opt for a taxi and a ride will cost you around Rs 100-150 from one point to another in the town.

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Ravindra Kaushik :A forgotten Spy of India

Ravindra Kaushik (1952–2001) was a former RAW agent,A.K.A Black Tiger is the most renowned spy of India.Ravinder Kaushik was born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan on April 11, 1952. He was a famous theater artist and displayed his talent at the national level dramatic meet in Lucknow, which was witnessed by some officials of the Indian Intelligence Agency RAW.He was contacted and offered a job for being an undercover agent of India in Pakistan. At the age of 23, he was sent to Pakistan on a mission.
Ravinder Kaushik was recruited by RAW and was given extensive training in Delhi for two years. Circumcision was performed on him to show him as a Muslim. He was taught Urdu, given religious education and acquainted with the topography and other details about Pakistan. Being from Sri Ganganager, he was well versed in the Punjabi language which is spoken in major part of Pakistan.

In 1975 he was sent to Pakistan and given the name Nabi Ahmed Shakir. He was successful in getting admission in Karachi University and completed his LLB. He joined Pakistan Army and became a commissioned officer and later was promoted to the rank of a Major. He converted to Islam, married a local girl Amanat, and became father of a son who also died on 2012-2013.From 1979 to 1983, while in military service, he passed on valuable information to RAW which was of great help to the Indian defence forces.He was given the title of 'Black Tiger' by India's then home minister S.B. Chavan.Some testify that the title was conferred by then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.He spent 26 years of his life away from his home and family in Pakistan in very unfavourable conditions.In September 1983, Indian intelligence agencies had sent an agent, Inyat Masiha, to get in touch with Black Tiger. But the agent was caught by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies and revealed Ravinder Kaushik's true identity.

Kaushik was then captured, tortured for two years at an interrogation centre in Sialkot. Ravinder was awarded death sentence in the year 1985. His sentence was later commuted to a life term by the Pakistan Supreme court.Kaushik was kept in various jails, including Sialkot, Kot Lakhpat and in Mianwali jail for 16 years, where he contracted Asthma and TB. He managed to secretly send letters to his family in India, which revealed his poor health condition and the trauma faced by him in Pakistani jails.

In one of his letters he wrote,

"Kya Bharat jaise bade desh ke liye kurbani dene waalon ko yahi milta hai?" (Is this the reward a person gets for sacrificing his life for a great nation like India?)

On 21 November 2001, he succumbed to pulmonary tuberculosis and heart disease in New Central Jail Multan. He was buried behind that jail.