Reginald Dyer, the dreadful butcher of Jallianwalla Bagh (1919) and his family, the first brewers in India!!

Murderer Brig. Gen. Reginald Dyer, British India April 1919.amazon.com

allianwalla bagh massacre, 1919. economictimes.indiatimes.com

On the 13th of April, 1919 about 101 years ago,  a devil by the name of Brig. gen. Reginald Dyer committed mass murder on the soil of Amritsar -Jallianwalla bagh in which hundreds of innocent people died for no reason. I dedicate this post in memory of   those Indians  who died  during the Raj. Likewise I dedicate this post to those people who died across the globe and  our people in India due to Covid 19 virus. 

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My prayers to those bereaved families in their hour of sorrow and pain. This time the devil - novel corona came from Wuhan, China. A galling and irresponsible act of China that  has doomed the lives of tens of thousands of people and the entire world is still fighting the virus. In my city I have just heard the covid 19 virus detecting test kits  (made in China)   sent to the local hospitals do not give correct result and appear to be faulty. I never thought China would stoop to such a low level in this hour of world-wide health crisis; their focus is more on money than than cure of affected people!!...................

It is quite unfortunate and quirk of fate that  the most infamous name of British India military officer  has had close link with  the popular beer  of the time and its founder  Edward Dyer and his family. Native of  a small village in Devon,  England, the Dyer family moved over to India long ago  to start a business in India and succeeded in establishing Breweries  in India  in the early 19th centuries. The family would have never thought their 6th kid Reginald - fondly called Rex  in the later years would  join the British India military, become a cruel officer  and earn a disgusting name as the butcher of Jallianwalla Bagh by committing the most heinous crime in the British India History.

Jallianwalla Bagh, India  economictimes.indiatimes.com

We have to go back on the  early British Raj in 1900 when freedom movement was going on across the country. In the midst of a volatile political situation in Punjab state no military officer would have  created  a bad situation and added  fuel to the fire as  Brig. Gen. Reginald Dyer of the Crown Administration  had done without any second thoughts and backlash. He openly committed massacre of unarmed innocent people who gathered in the park called Jallianwalla Bagh (in Amritsar) with all sides surrounded by buildings. The vast  crowd more than 10000 (park cover six to seven aces of land)  including children and women were celebrating the Sikh festival Baisakahi on  13 April 1919.

Wide view of Jallianwala Bagh memorial.enwikipedia.org

Dyer had kept only one  exit gate open and had his troops  with heavy artillery  stationed outside the exit  gate. Without any warning, he had the soldiers shoot at the escaping people in a melee. Firing went on till the troops ran out of ammunition. Result: 1650 bullets fired;  officially about 400 people died (unofficial figure was more than 1000, many died in the stampede). More than 1000 people severely injured. The British  India government  censored the British Media and the world came to know about this bizarre mass murder only a few days later and it shook the conscience of the world. The most horrifying thing was Dyer never allowed any medical aid personnel inside the park or the services of ambulance.

Amristar Massacre, 1919, India. irishtimes.com

Above: The Amritsar massacre was one of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire. At least 379 peaceful protesters gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh walled garden were killed by British troops in April 1919.The then Punjab governor, Sir Michael O’Dwyer ICS from Tipperary, approved of the mass killing 101 years ago .................................
Hundreds of people bled to death in severe  pain and suffering.  The most disturbing fact was Reginald Dyer, after a formal inquiry,  was let out with minor punishment. Yet another insult to the Indian natives was the mass murderer  was dubbed as the savior of British women and was awarded a  purse of some money by a lousy British conservative Newspaper based in London. Thus Dyer's massacre goes down as  yet another dark  chapter in British-India history. Yet another painful fact is so many British MPs. royal family members visited Jallianwalla Bagh and paid homage. As of to day, the British Government never officially made any reparation or apology to the people of India for their atrocities in India. It still remains as a blot though Indi maintains good relationship with the British Government.  

Dyer-Meakin Co., Burma /inwa-advisers.com/

Reginald Dyer's mad  gruesome act tarnished the good name of  his  family, their company's name and the Crown administration. T. Thus Dyer's massacre goes down as a dark chapter in British-India history. 

economictimes.indiatimes.com

Reginald Dyer’s father, Edward, a trained engineer and a visionary came to India 1850 and stayed with his brother John in Mussoorie. Knowing well opening a brewery in India would be profitable one  he got into this endeavor despite odds. He was quite aware of the failed business of   Sir Henry Bohle and in Shimla  businessman and philanthropist Barratt. Edwards experiments did not satisfy him. In 1850s he shifted his base to a hill station -  Kasauli to set up a brewery after successful experiments.  Soon he came up with Asia’s first beer, ‘Lion’, that quenched  the  thirsty and sun-baked British Bobs.  British Tommies across the country realized that they could get sober on Lion beer. His successful operation here led to head the  Murree Brewery Company (in Pakistan).  Dyer family made yet another move an this time the production of beer moved from  Kasauli  to Solan.  When the railway line arrived in 1903 it was quite beneficial to the company's wide operations. The line ran right through the brewery where cases would be loaded onto wagons for transportation all over the country. In 1917, Edward Dyer and Company announced their prices: “Pale Ale and Stout at Re 1, annas 6 per gallon, a good buy in those days. 
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachaltribune/india%E2%80%99s-beer-making-story-has-an-infamous-link-21274
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/general-dyer-the-man-behind-the-jallianwala-bagh-massacre/articleshow/68867143.cms?from=mdr
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/india-s-amritsar-massacre-bore-the-made-in-ireland-mark-1.3856007