'Insult of martyrs': Rahul Gandhi slams govt's Jallianwala Bagh memorial revamp

New Delhi, Aug 31: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed the government's revamp of the Jallianwala Bagh memorial an "insult to martyrs", saying only a person who does not know the meaning of martyrdom can inflict such an insult.

The former Congress chief's attack came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dedicated to the nation the renovated complex of Jallianwala Bagh memorial. During the event, Modi also digitally inaugurated the museum galleries at the memorial.

The event also showcased the multiple development initiatives undertaken by the government to upgrade the complex. Tagging a report on the social media outrage over the revamp of the memorial, Gandhi tweeted, "Only a person who does not know the meaning of martyrdom can inflict such an insult on the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh."

"I am the son of a martyr - I will not tolerate the insult of martyrs at any cost," he said in a tweet in Hindi. "We are against this indecent cruelty." In another tweet, Gandhi said those who didn't struggle for freedom can't understand those who did. Stressing that it is a country's duty to protect its history, Prime Minister Modi had said that events of the past "teach us and give us direction to move forward".

As part of the inaugural event, a wreath-laying ceremony was also held and two-minute silence was observed in the memory of those killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. A sound and light show was held to depict the events of the day of the massacre.

Over 1,000 people were killed and hundreds wounded on April 13, 1919 when British troops fired indiscriminately on an unarmed gathering of thousands who had assembled in Jallianwala Bagh amid nationwide protests against the Rowlatt Act which had extended wartime repressive measures.