An official inquiry

The Disorders Inquiry Committee, commonly called the Hunter Committee after its chair, was appointed in October 1919 to investigate disturbances in Punjab, Delhi and Bombay and the measures taken in response. Its remit included the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar, where British troops fired on a gathering on 13 April 1919. The committee gathered evidence and issued a report in 1920. It was an official inquiry established by the colonial government; its scope, procedures and conclusions were contested. Its records are important sources, but an account of the period should also examine evidence gathered outside the inquiry.[1]

Majority and minority

The published inquiry record includes separate majority and minority reports. The minority was signed by the committee’s Indian members, while the chair and four other members signed the majority report. A historical thesis on the government under Lord Chelmsford notes that the minority questioned the existence of a rebellion and the need for martial law, among other differences. Both reports should be read in full before drawing conclusions about every finding. Agreement on some matters did not erase disagreement over interpretation, responsibility and the severity of official actions in Punjab.[2][1]

Debate and the record

The House of Lords debated the Punjab disturbances and General Dyer’s position in July 1920. Hansard records speeches presenting sharply different interpretations of the events and the committee’s work. Parliamentary speeches reveal how politicians argued in Britain; they are not a complete account of the experiences of people in Punjab or independent proof of every claim made in debate. The inquiry’s evidence, the separate Congress investigation, local testimony and later scholarship offer different kinds of material for study. Comparing them helps readers distinguish the committee’s conclusions from subsequent political arguments about them. The debate occurred after the inquiry reported and reflects the politics of that later moment.[3]

Sources & notes

Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.

  1. Disorders Inquiry Committee. Report: Disorders Inquiry Committee 1919–1920 ↗Written source · Source date: 1920 · Locator: Introduction and remit. Accessed 2026-11-03.Written source inspected; historical interpretations and official perspectives attributed.Return to An official inquiry, paragraph 1 ↑Return to Majority and minority, paragraph 1 ↑
  2. Peter Graham Robb. The Government of India under Lord Chelmsford, 1916–1921 ↗Written source · Source date: 1971 · Locator: Hunter Committee majority and minority. Accessed 2026-11-05.Thesis PDF was previously inspected. SOAS repository record and file listing were checked in indexed text; the record returned 403 and the old PDF hostname did not resolve in this local check.Return to Majority and minority, paragraph 1 ↑
  3. UK Parliament, Hansard. Punjab Disturbances: The Case of General Dyer ↗Written source · Source date: 1920-07-19 · Locator: House of Lords debate. Accessed 2026-11-03.Written source inspected; historical interpretations and official perspectives attributed.Return to Debate and the record, paragraph 1 ↑
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