Author of new book joins calls for UK to apologise for Jallianwala Bagh massacre

A British-Indian author on Wednesday marked the launch of his new historical fiction based on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre with a call for the UK government to formally apologise for the attack in April 1919.

Saurav Dutt, born in Kolkata and raised in the UK, released 'Garden of Bullets: Massacre at Jallianwala Bagh' exactly a month ahead of the centenary of the tragedy on April 13.

The 37-year-old said he agreed with a growing number of British-Indian voices, including those of peers who recently held a debate on the issue in the House of Lords, that it was time the UK government formally apologised for the attack under British rule.

"It is time the UK government acknowledges this crime and there cannot be a more appropriate time than the centenary to do this," Dutt said.

"An apology achieves a sense of recognition, framing this dark chapter squarely within the overall context of colonial rule and imperialism. An apology codifies the horror of this event for posterity and allows ...