UK Envoy 'Regrets' 1919 Amritsar Massacre By British Forces

Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar houses a national memorial (Picture: Bijay Chaurasia).

The UK envoy to India has said his country regrets a massacre of hundreds of Indians by British colonial forces in the north-west city of Amritsar 100 years ago, and "will continue to do so".

Saturday marks the centenary of the attack at Jallianwala Bagh by British colonial troops on unarmed Indians attending a peaceful rally calling for independence.

More than 300 Indians were killed and 1,200 injured during the massacre, which galvanised the national independence movement.

British High Commissioner Dominic Asquith said "the revulsion that we felt at the time is still strong today", as he paid tributes at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial in Amritsar.

He added: "I would just ask you to respect what I came here to do, which was to commemorate those who died 100 years ago, to express the sorrow of the British Government and of the British people.

"But I would repeat what I said: both governments are committed to building a very strong relationship."

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Theresa May called the killings a "shameful scar" in British-Indian history but stopped short of formally apologising.