Britain's Johnson faces calls to apologise for India massacre

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces calls to apologise for a colonial-era massacre when he visits the Indian state of Gujarat Thursday, 100 years after as many as 1,200 people were killed protesting against imperial rule.

Last month saw the centenary of the Pal-Dadhvav massacre, when Indian historians say around 2,000 tribal people led by social reformer Motilal Tejawat gathered to protest against exploitation, forced labour and high taxes.

According to the Gujarat state government, British Major HG Sutton ordered his troops to open fire.

"Like a battlefield, the entire area was filled with corpses," it said. Two wells, it added, were "overflowing with bodies".