On 6th April in protest of Rowlatt Act, there were strikes, hartals and demonstrations at many places. In response to this the government resorted to lathi charge and firing in many places. On 10th April two leaders of the Congress, Dr. Satya Pal and Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew, were arrested and taken to an unknown place. To protest against the arrest, a public meeting was held on 13th April in Jallianwala Bagh, a small park enclosed by buildings on all sides, in Amritsar.
General Dyer with British troops entered the bagh without warning and ordered the troops to fire. The firing lasted about 10 minutes and about 1600 rounds were fired. About 1000 dead, according the unofficial estimates, and about 2000 wounded persons lay unattended in the Bagh. The act of brutality provoked people of the country. Immediately after the massacre, martial law was imposed on Punjab.