Reginald Edward Harry Dyer CB ( 9 October 1864 – 23 July 1927 ) was an Indian-born officer of the Bengal Army and later the newly constituted Indian Army . His military career began serving briefly in the regular British Army before transferring to serve with the Presidency armies of India . As a temporary brigadier-general he was responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar ( in the province of Punjab ) . He has been called " the Butcher of Amritsar " , because of his order to fire repeatedly on a crowd of peaceful protestors . This resulted in the killing of at least 379 people and the injuring of over a thousand more . Subsequently Dyer was removed from duty and widely condemned both in Britain and India , but he became a celebrated hero among some with connections to the British Raj . Some historians argue the episode was a decisive step towards the end of British rule in India
Jallianwala Bagh massacre
Jallianwala Bagh massacre
Reginald Dyer