The Qissa Khwani Massacre:

During our academic years most of us have studied about Jallianwala Bagh’s massacre but one such incident took place in our own hometown Peshawar which is not even mentioned in history books. It is the Qissa Khwani Massacre.

On 23^rd of April,1930 the people of Peshawar city held a protest against the British Raj for arresting their beloved leader Bacha Khan. The protest was nonviolent in nature but it infuriated the British government. The Army was called to scatter away the people but they refused to disperse away. The British Army opened fire at them killing many people.Some protestors were also crushed under the vehicles of the British army. The people of Peshawar witnessed how the state’s army killed the people of their very own land.

The surprising factor was the refusal of some soldiers to fire. This included the Garhwali Regiment’s refusal to fire upon the protestors which further vindicates the fact that the protestors were unarmed and were nonviolent as preached by their leader Bacha Khan. The soldiers who disobeyed the command were court martialed and were imprisoned for 10-20 years. These officers were kicked out of the army because they could have created resentment. It was a significant moment since the entire India was made aware of the fact that a large nonviolent army existed in North West Frontier Province. (Now Khyber Pukhtunkhwa)

Martial Law was imposed in the city of Peshawar. The Britishers another inhumane act was that the people who were badly wounded were not even admitted in the hospitals even Dr Khan Sahib was not allowed to attend the people who were badly injured. The people who suffered the tyrant British act dealt the situation on their own bravely. The Khudai Khitmatgaars rose in number after the event.

According to the British sources 20 people died but the version of Khudai Khitmatgaars is different where they claim that between 200 to 300 people were killed by the bullets of the British army. The names of the people who embraced martyrdom included Akram Khan, Fazl e Rehman, Abdul Majid, Ghulam Jillani, Qamar Gul just to name a few. A sikh and a Hindu also sacrificed their lives. It was also said that the British had thrown away the dead bodies in a nearby river.

When Wali Khan went to India after partition he had the opportunity to meet some of the soldiers who refused to fire at the KhudaiKhitmatgaars. They were glad to see that their bravery to show devotion towards humanity has been accepted and valued.

Qissa Khwani Massacre should be be commemorated every year so that the coming generations remember the fact that how the people of Peshawar sacrificed their lives. This would also make the children realize that independence was not achieved without any cost. Many people sacrificed their lives and belongings to enjoy freedom.

Osama Siddiqui