British massacre in India 'deeply shameful', says Cameron
UK leader David Cameron offers condolences over a 1919 slaughter but stops short of an apology during a trip to boost economic ties
British Prime Minister David Cameron described the killing by the British army of hundreds of unarmed civilians in Amritsar in 1919 as "deeply shameful", but stopped short of an apology for a massacre that galvanised India's independence movement.
On the last leg of a three-day trip aimed at forging deeper economic ties, Cameron took the bold decision to visit Amritsar and tackle an enduring scar of British rule on the subcontinent, which ended in 1947.
He laid a wreath at a memorial to the victims at Jallianwala Bagh, where British troops opened fire on unarmed protesters.
In a message in the visitors' book, he wrote: "This was a deeply shameful event in British history and one that [former prime minister] Winston Churchill rightly declared at the time as monstrous.
"We must never forget what happened here. And in remembering we must ensure that the United Kingdom stands up for the right of peaceful protest around the world."
We must never forget what happened here. And in remembering we must ensure that the United Kingdom stands up for the right of peaceful protest around the world