From key features of Jallianwalla Bagh Smarak to farmers protesting against BJP govt; All you should know

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the renovated Jallianwala Bagh Smarak in Amritsar today through video conferencing. He would also inaugurate other historic museum galleriesat Punjab’s Amritsar, according to the Press release by Prime Minister Office. The virtual event will showcase the government's various development measures aimed at upgrading the complex.

Meanwhile, the delegation of farmers protesting against the Central government’s controversial agricultural laws has staged a protest ahead of the inauguration ceremony. The agitatingfarmers have gathered at Ghee Mandi located near Jallianwala Bagh and closed all the leading to the Smarak. 

Here’s all you should know about today’s event

• PM Narendra Modi will unveil the revamped Jallianwala Bagh Smarak via video conferencing at around 6:25 pm today.
• The renovated memorial was supposed to be unveiled on April 13 this year to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the massacre, but due to Covid-19-related restrictions, it had to bepostponed.
• Along with Prime Minister Modi, Union minister of culture G Kishan Reddy, Union minister of housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, ministers of state for culture, governorsand chief ministers of Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, all Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab, and members of Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust will attend the event.
• Protesting Farmers have issued a warning that no BJP leader will be allowed to attend today's inauguration ceremony. Police have been stationed in massive numbers at the spotfor security reasons. Despite police’ efforts, farmers have refused to budge till the event ends.
• Shwait Malik, Rajya Saba member and a former BJP state president was scheduled to attend the opening ceremony in Jallianwala Bagh but had to cancel due to farmer protests.

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Jallianwalla Bagh witnessed one of the most harrowing episodes in India's independence struggle. On April 13, 1919, British commander Reginald Dyer's troops open fire on a crowdof unarmed, unsuspecting men, women, and children. 
British forces under the command of General Dyer shot dead hundreds of protestors at the site protesting the arrest of freedom fighters. 

Key Features of renovated Jallianwala Bagh Smarak

• The ‘entrance’ form where the British army stormed in will the centre of attention for tourists.This is the tiny route that General Dyer had ordered the army to enter from. This door is dedicated to the martyrs who arrived at Jallianwala Bagh on Baisakhi Day, 13 April 1919, with their families.
• According to the official notification, “Four museum galleries have been created through adaptive reuse of redundant and underutilized buildings. The galleries contain documentsrelated to martyrs and showcase the historical value of events that unfolded in Punjab during that period, with the fusion of audio-visual technology, including projection mapping and 3D representation, as well as art andsculptural installations.”
• A sound and light performance has been created to depict the events of April 13, 1919, when British forces opened fire on a huge and peaceful crowd of protestors, killing over 1,000people and injuring hundreds.
• The Shaheedi well has been repaired and rebuilt, and the superstructure has been redesigned. The flame monument, the Bagh's heart, has been rebuilt and restored, the water bodyhas been rejuvenated as a lily pond, and the pathways have been widened for easier navigation
• Several new and modern features have been introduced, including redesigned pathways with appropriate signage, lighting in key locations, landscaping and hardscaping with the nativeplantation, and audio nodes installed throughout the garden. The Salvation Ground, Amar Jyoti, and Flag Mast have all been relocated to newer places.