1984 anti-Sikh riots
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also known as the 1984 Sikh massacre, was a series of organised pogroms[14][15][5] against Sikhs in India following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.[16][17][18] Government estimates project that about 2,800 Sikhs were killed in Delhi[5][6] and 3,350 nationwide,[11][12] whilst other sources estimate the number of deaths at about 8,000–17,000.[4][13][19][20]
1984 anti-Sikh riots
31 October – 3 November 1984
The assassination of Indira Gandhi itself had taken place after she had ordered Operation Blue Star, a military action to secure the Harmandir Sahib Sikh temple complex in Amritsar, Punjab, in June 1984.[21] The operation had resulted in a deadly battle with armed Sikh groups who were demanding greater rights and autonomy for Punjab and the deaths of many pilgrims. Sikhs worldwide had criticized the army action and many saw it as an assault on their religion and identity.[22][23][24]
In the aftermath of the pogroms, the government reported that 20,000 had fled the city; the People's Union for Civil Liberties reported "at least" 1,000 displaced persons.[25] The most-affected regions were the Sikh neighborhoods of Delhi. Human rights organizations and newspapers across India believed that the massacre was organized.[5][26][27] The collusion of political officials connected to the Indian National Congress in the violence and judicial failure to penalize the perpetrators alienated Sikhs and increased support for the Khalistan movement.[28] The Akal Takht, Sikhism's governing body, considers the killings a genocide.[29][30][31]
In 2011, Human Rights Watch reported that the Government of India had "yet to prosecute those responsible for the mass killings".[32] According to the 2011 WikiLeaks cable leaks, the United States was convinced of the Indian National Congress' complicity in the riots and called it "opportunism" and "hatred" by the Congress government, of Sikhs.[33] Although the U.S. has not identified the riots as genocide, it acknowledged that "grave human rights violations" occurred.[34] In 2011, the burned sites of multiple Sikh killings from 1984, were discovered in Hondh-Chillar and Pataudi areas of Haryana.[35] The Central Bureau of Investigation believes that the violence was organised with support from the Delhi police and some central-government officials.[26]
After 34 years of delay, in December 2018, the first high-profile conviction for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots took place with the arrest of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court.[36] Very few convictions have taken place in the pending 1984 cases, with only one death penalty conviction for an accused, Yashpal in the case of murdering Sikhs in the Mahipalpur area of Delhi.[37][38][39]
Geo-political context
Before British colonization, Punjab was a region dominated by Sikh Misls, which were later unified into the Sikh Empire by Maharajah Ranjit Singh. Post the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849, the Sikh Empire was dissolved, leading to its integration into the British province of Punjab. This period saw the emergence of religio-nationalist movements as a response to British administrative policies and socio-political changes. The concept of a Sikh homeland, Khalistan, emerged in the 1930s as the British Empire began to dissolve. This idea gained momentum in response to the Muslim League's demand for a Muslim state, with the Sikhs viewing it as an encroachment on historically Sikh territory. The Akali Dal, a Sikh political party, envisioned Khalistan as a theocratic state, comprising parts of what is today Punjab in both India and Pakistan.
Post-independence, the Akali Dal led the Punjabi Suba movement, advocating for the creation of a Punjabi-majority state within India. The movement's demands ranged from autonomous statehood within India to a fully sovereign state (Khalistan). Initially, the Indian government resisted these demands, wary of creating another state based on religious grounds. By the late 1970s and 1980s, the Khalistan movement began to militarize, marked by a shift in Sikh nationalism and the rise of armed militancy. This period, especially leading up to and following Operation Blue Star in 1984, saw increased Sikh militancy as a response to perceived injustices and political marginalization.[56]
International perspectives
Organizations like ENSAAF, a Sikh rights group, have documented the involvement of senior political leaders, notably from the Congress Party, in orchestrating the violence. These organizations have provided detailed accounts of how the violence was not spontaneous but organized, with state machinery used to facilitate the massacres, including using government buses to transport mobs to Sikh localities.[71] Over the years, at least ten different commissions and committees were appointed by the Indian government to investigate the violence. These commissions faced criticism for a lack of transparency and effectiveness. The Misra Commission, for instance, was criticized for its in-camera proceedings and failure to allow victims' lawyers to attend or examine witnesses. Other commissions, such as the Kapoor-Mittal and Jain-Banerjee committees, recommended actions against police officers and politicians, but these recommendations were often not fully acted upon.[72]
The response within India was marked by a call for justice from various quarters, including victims and activists. The Indian government's formation of Special Investigation Teams (SITs) and the extension of their mandates were seen as efforts to address the issue, though some viewed these measures as inadequate. There has been a persistent demand for accountability and justice for the victims and survivors of the riots.[73]
Impact and legacy
On 12 August 2005, Manmohan Singh apologised in the Lok Sabha for the riots.[141][142] The riots are cited as a reason to support the creation of a Sikh homeland in India, often called Khalistan.[143][144][145]
On 15 January 2017, the Wall of Truth was inaugurated in Lutyens' Delhi, New Delhi, as a memorial for Sikhs killed during the 1984 riots (and other hate crimes across the world).[146][147]
The anti-Sikh riots have been the subject of several films and novels: