Michael O'Dwyer
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Sir Michael Francis O'Dwyer (April 1864–March 13, 1940), was Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab from 1912 till 1919.
On the issue of the Amritsar Massacre, O'Dwyer supported General Reginald Dyer's actions and had termed the massacre as a "correct action." [3][4]
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[edit] Early life and education
Michael Francis O'Dwyer was the sixth son in a family of fourteen children of John O'Dwyer of Barronstown, Solohead, County Tipperary, Ireland. He was educated at St Stanislaus' College in Tullamore and passed the competition for Indian Civil Service in 1882 and the final examination in 1884. [5].
He completed two years of probation at Balliol College, Oxford, where in third year, he obtained a first class in jurisprudence.
[edit] Earlier Assignments in India
Joining the service in India in 1885, [6] he was first posted at Shahpur in Punjab. He distinguished himself in land revenue settlement work, and was made director of land records and agriculture in Punjab (1896); next year he was placed in charge of settlements of Alwar and Bharatpur States. After a long furlough, O'Dwyer was selected by Lord Curzon for a prominent part in organization of the new North-West Frontier Province and its separation from Punjab; he was revenue commissioner from 1901 to 1908. From 1908 through 1909, he was acting resident in Hyderabad, [7] and agent to the governor-general in Central India from 1910 to 1912.
[edit] As Lieutenant Governor, Punjab
In December 1912, while Lord Hardinge of Penshurst was Viceroy, he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab, a post which he held till 1919.
When he assumed charge in May 1913, he was cautioned by the Viceroy that "the Punjab was the Province about which the Government were then the most concerned; that there was much inflammable material lying about; which require very careful handling if an explosion is to be avoided." [8]
[edit] Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
It was during O'Dwyer's tenure as Lieutenant Governor of Punjab that the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre occurred in Amritsar, on April 13, 1919. According to official figures, 379 unarmed civilians were killed by Gurkha troops under the command of Brigadier General Reginald Dyer with the support of O'Dwyer. Unofficial estimates place the figure much higher, at 2,000, with more wounded. [9]
Modern researchers assert that "the nefarious plan of Amritsar Massacre was formulated in the Government House, Lahore, by Michael O'Dwyer and other top British bureaucrats both belonging to civil and military side. Lieutenant Col Smith was also present in this meeting." [10] The above meeting was unofficial and conducted by Michael O'Dwyer, and the whole drama was unofficial and oral and it was kept as a secret. It fell to the lot of "Butcher of Amritsar" Reginald Dyer to carry out the plan. [11] The main idea behind this extreme action was to teach the Punjabis a lesson which they will never forget and to strike a terror throughout Punjab. [12]
The British Labour Party Conference at Sacrborough had unanimously passed resolution on 24th June, 1920 which denounced the "Cruel and barbarious actions" of British officers in Punjab and called for their trial, the recall of Michael O'Dwyer and Chelmsford, and the repeal of the repressive legislation. The Delegates rose in their places as a tribute to India's martyred dead. [13]
In the wake of the massacre O'Dwyer was relieved of his office.
[edit] O'Dwyers of Kilnamanagh
In 1933, O'Dwyer published a large book entitled The O'Dwyers of Kilnamanagh: The History of an Irish Sept, a historical and genealogical treatise detailing the O’Dwyer (Ó Duibhir) noble family who had ruled the area around Thurles, Co. Tipperary from the pre-Norman era until losing their castles and land during the Cromwellian confiscations of the 1600s. Republished in the 21st century under the title The History of the O'Dwyers, this book is of continued interest to Irish historians and genealogists.
[edit] Assassination
On March 13, 1940, Udham Singh, a Punjabi revolutionary and freedom fighter shot O'Dwyer dead in Caxton Hall in London as an act of revenge for the Amritsar Massacre. O'Dwyer had apparently miscalculated when he wrote in 1925: "Punjabis were quick to take to heart the lessons that revolution was a dangerous game." [14]
[edit] References
- ^ Disorder Inquiry Committe Report, Vol II, p 197
- ^ The Massacre that Ended the Raj, London, 1981, p 78, Alfred Draper
- ^ See: Michael O'Dwyer's telegram to Dyer: "Your action correct. Lieutenant Governor approves", See Disorder Inquiry Committee Report, Vol II, p 197
- ^ Saga of Freedom Movement, Udham Singh, 2002, p 67-68 Dr Sikander Singh
- ^ Dictionary of National Biography 1931-40, edited by L. G. Wickham Legg, Oxford Univ Press, London, p 655
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ A Pre-Meditated Plan of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and Oath of Revenge, Udham Singh alias Ram Mohammad Singh Azaad, 2002, pp 68, 133, 144, 294, Prof Sikander Singh.
- ^ The Massacre that Ended the Raj, London, 1981, Alfared Draper
- ^ Jallainawala Bagh Massacre--A Premaditated Plan, Punjab University, Chandigarh, 1969, p 24, Raja Ram.
- ^ A Pre-Meditated Plan of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and Oath of Revenge, Udham Singh alias Ram Mohammad Singh Azaad, 2002, pp 133, 144, 294, Prof Sikander Singh; Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, A Premeditated Plan, Punjab University Chandigarh, 1969, p 24, Raja Ram.
- ^ The Times, London, 25th June, 1920, Cited by Derek Sayer, p 41
- ^ India As I Knew it, London, 1925, p 220, Michael O'Dwyer
[edit] Books and Journals
- India as I know it, London, 1925, Michael O'Dwyer.
- Dictionary of National Biography 1931-40, edited by L. G. Wickham Legg, Oxford Univ Press, London.
- The Massacre that Ended the Raj, London, 1981, Alfared Draper.
- Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, --A Pre-Mediated Plan, Punjab University, Chandigarh, 1969, Raja Ram.
- Udham Singh alias Ram Mohammad Singh Azaad, prof (Dr) Sikander Singh (A research book).
- Emergence of the Image: Redact Documents of Udham Singh/edited by Navtej Singh and Avtar Singh Jouhl,New Delhi, National Book Organisation, 2002.
- Jallian Wala Bagh Massacre and its Impact on Udham Singh, Proceedings of Punjab History Conference, 21st session, March 27-29, 1987, Punjab University Patiala.
- Eminent Freedom Fighters of Punjab, Punjabi University, Patiala, 1972, Dr Fauja Singh.
- Sunam Da Surma, Sardar Udham Singh, Jullundur, 1982, Dr Gurcharana Singh.
- Shaheed Udham Singh, National Press of India, Delhi, 1973, Kesar Singh.
- Inqulabhi Yodha Udham Singh, Khalsa Sikh Orphanage, Amritsar, 1974.
- Shaheed Udham Singh alias Ram Mohammad Singh Azad, 1974, K. C. Vashishat.
- Jallainwala Bagh and the Raj, Jallian Wala Bagh, Commemoration Vol, Patiala.
- Udham Singh, The Patriot who Avenged the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, M. S. Gill, I.A.S, The Illustrated Weekly of India, Jan 30, 1972.
- The O'Dwyers of Kilnamanagh: The History of an Irish Sept, by Michael O'Dwyer, 1933.
