New Delhi, Delhi, India

As Jallianwala Bagh massacre will mark the 100th year on April 13, families of those killed said they demand an apology and not regret from Britain.

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British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday said that the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy was a shameful scar on British Indian history. She also said that the United Kingdom deeply regret the tragedy but she stopped short of a formal apology.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday also rejected Britain's regret and demanded an unequivocal official apology.

Terming the tragic event as a heart-wrenching moment in India's history, the chief minister said: "People of India wanted an unequivocal apology from Britain for the atrocity. The Punjab Vidhan Sabha had passed a resolution demanding the same."

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"The candles that had been lit today had rekindled memories of the sad day and would serve as a reminder of the sacrifice of the hundreds who were killed in the massacre and went on become an inspiring source of patriotism and nationalism for generations of Indians," Amarinder Singh added.

Jallianwala Bagh massacre om April 13, 1919, was the deadliest attacks in the history of the world. 

Colonial-era records show about 400 people died in the northern city of Amritsar when soldiers opened fire on men, women and children in an enclosed area, but Indian figures put the toll at closer to 1,000.

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"My mama-Ji (maternal uncle) Mela Ram was martyred at the age of 18 in the massacre," said 86-year-old Krishana Chohan, recounting how she grew up hearing tales about the incident.

"When the troops started indiscriminate firing on the peaceful gathering, everybody panicked, people started running helter-skelter without having any understating where to go. It was plain ground and there was only one exit, which was a narrow lane. As a result, there was a stampede and many fell upon each other and some fell inside the well in the ground," she told PTI.

She said her uncle was one of those who fell inside the well.

Britain's foreign office Minister Mark Field said representatives from the British High Commission would visit the site to lay a wreath and that the government would also publicly acknowledge the centenary in Britain.