London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged the Government to apologise for a colonial-era massacre in India in which hundreds of people were killed.

British Indian Army troops opened fire on thousands of unarmed protesters in Amritsar on 13 April 1919, killing at least 379 people.

David Cameron was the first British prime minister to visit a memorial for the Amritsar massacre in the northern state of Punjab in February 2013.

He described the massacre by troops under British command as "deeply shameful", but stopped short of an apology.

Writing in the memorial's visitors' book on Wednesday, Mr Khan said it had been "incredibly moving" to see the site of the mass shooting, calling it a tragedy that should never be forgotten.


Image: London Mayor Sadiq Khan at the Golden temple in Amritsar

"It is time for the British government to finally apologise," wrote Mr Khan. "Our thoughts are with all those who died."

He also laid a wreath at the site and said afterwards: "It is wrong that successive British governments have fallen short of delivering a formal apology to the families of those who were killed.

"I'm clear that the Government should now apologise, especially as we reach the centenary of the massacre.

"This is about properly acknowledging what happened here and giving the people of Amritsar and India the closure they need through a formal apology."

The Labour politician also visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the most important pilgrimage site of Sikhism.

He is on a six-day trip to India and Pakistan to strengthen cultural and economic ties between the countries and the English capital.