Labour MPs accused Foreign Secretary William Hague yesterday of dodging the full truth about Britain's connections to the bloody 1984 massacre of thousands of Sikhs in Amritsar.

Mr Hague told the Commons that an inquiry by Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood had concluded that Britain's "assistance" to the Indian government was "purely advisory and limited."

The tame probe was launched last month amid an outcry over documents released under the 30-year rule, which revealed that an SAS officer was sent to advise Indian military authorities in the run-up to their attack on Sikhs occupying the Golden Temple.