New Delhi. June 4th… is not just a date recorded in the calendar. This day commemorates the tragic incident that took place in 1989 in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the capital of China, which is today known as ‘Tiananmen Day’ or ‘Tiananmen Square Massacre’. In fact, in the year 1989, thousands of students and common citizens of China were raising their voice against democratic reforms, freedom of expression and increasing corruption. The movement that started in the month of April gradually turned into a big mass movement. Millions of people started gathering at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Their aim was not to overthrow the government, but rather they were demanding political reform, transparency and greater freedom. At that time, economic changes were taking place in China, but people were not getting political freedom. The general public was also troubled by rising inflation, low salaries and corruption. A public movement started regarding this. This movement continued peacefully for about six weeks. Protestors kept protesting, speeches kept happening and people kept expecting talks with the government regarding their demands. The Chinese government saw this as a challenge to its rule. After this, martial law was imposed in the capital Beijing.
The situation changed suddenly on the night of 3 June 1989 and the morning of 4 June. The Chinese army was ordered to end the movement. Soldiers reached Tiananmen Square and its surroundings with tanks and heavy weapons. According to eyewitnesses, the army fired at the protesters. Many unarmed students and civilians were killed and thousands were injured.
The exact figure of how many people died in this incident is still not clear. The Chinese government never officially made detailed information public. According to different sources, the number of dead is said to range from hundreds to thousands. This is why this incident remains a subject of controversy and discussion even today.
Even today it is not easy to discuss this topic openly in China. There are strict controls and restrictions imposed on media reporting, public events and content related to the incident on the Internet. The Chinese government considers this topic sensitive and limits public mention of it.
—
Read this also – Click to read the news of your state/city before the newspaper.