Archbishop Of Canterbury, The Head Of Anglican Church Apologizes For The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Justin Welby, the Archbishop Of Canterbury the head of the Church of England visited the Jallianwala Bagh memorial where he mourned the victims of the massacre which took place on April 13, 1919.

The Archbishop who bowed and shut his eyes before the Amar Jyoti torch lit in memory of the martyrs also offered prayers there.

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"I feel a deep sense of grief having visited the site of the horrific Jallianwala Bagh Massacre today in Amritsar, where a great number of Sikhs, as well as Hindus, Muslims and Christians, were shot dead by British troops in 1919.

I have no status to apologise on behalf of the UK, its government or its history. But I am personally very sorry for this terrible atrocity.

Coming here arouses a sense of profound shame at what happened in this place. It is one of a number of deep stains on British history. The pain and grief that has transcended the generations since must never be dismissed or denied," he later wrote on Facebook.

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"Learning of what happened, I recognise the sins of my British colonial history, the ideology that too often subjugated and dehumanised other races and cultures," he added.

Archbishop Welby is the first head of the Church of England to visit the memorial.

According to government records, 379 people, including men, women and children were killed and around 1,200 injured in the firing. Indian figures put the number of deaths closer to 1,000.