Queen Likely To Place A Wreath At Jallianwala Bagh

Amidst demands that Queen Elizabeth II tender an apology for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Prime Minister I K Gujral has advised her not to visit Amritsar during her October state visit. But indications are that she will visit the site and place a wreath at the martyrs memorial there.

Officials involved with the visit told `Business Standard' that heads of state like the queen do not tender an apology, but an act like placing a wreath is enough indication of regret. The queen and her consort, the Duke of Edinburgh, are scheduled to arrive here for a three-day state visit in late October. She is also likely to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

In an interview to British newspaper `Sunday Observer', Gujral said: 'We have suggested as a government to the British that it would be much better if she doesn't visit Amritsar, particularly when such issues have been raised. It is a goodwill visit and we would not like to add anything historically that would cause bitterness. I think India has the legacy of Gandhi that makes us forget bitterness of the past'.

The paper said Gujral's pronouncements had startled the foreign office and now British and Indian officials were working on a compromise under which the queen would visit the Golden Temple as planned but then would also visit the scene of the 1919 massacre at Jallianwala Bagh nearby.

The paper said no apology would be expected from the British monarch, but her presence at the site would be widely seen as a gesture of reconciliation.

The paper said Gujral had shown 'indifference' towards the return of the Kohinoor diamond, once the jewel in the crown of Indian kings and now part of British crown jewels. Gujral told the paper: 'India's wealth does not depend on the Kohinoor. We have several Kohinoors in our treasury