1984 anti-Sikh riots

1984 anti-Sikh riots
Part of the Insurgency in Punjab, India
Sikh man surrounded and beaten by a mob
Date31 October – 3 November 1984; 40 years ago (1984-11-03)
Location
Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar[1]

30°46′N 75°28′E / 30.77°N 75.47°E / 30.77; 75.47
Caused byAssassination of Indira Gandhi
Goals
MethodsPogrom,[2] mass murder, mass rape, arson, plundering,[1] acid throwing,[3] immolation[4]
Parties
Casualties
Death(s)3,350 (Indian government figure)[7][8]
8,000–17,000 Sikhs (other estimates)[dubious – discuss][4][9]

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also known as the 1984 Sikh massacre, was a series of organised pogroms against Sikhs in India following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.[10][11][12][13][5][14] Government estimates project that about 2,800 Sikhs were killed in Delhi[5][6] and 3,350 nationwide,[7][8] whilst other sources estimate the number of deaths at about 8,000–17,000.[dubious – discuss][4][9][15][16]

The assassination of Indira Gandhi itself had taken place after she had ordered Operation Blue Star, a military action to secure the Golden Temple, a Sikh temple complex in Amritsar, Punjab, in June 1984.[17] 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.[18][19][20]

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.[21] The most-affected regions were the Sikh neighborhoods of Delhi. Human rights organizations and newspapers across India believed that the massacre was organized.[5][22][23] 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.[24] The Akal Takht, Sikhism's governing body, considers the killings a genocide.[25][26][27]

In 2011, Human Rights Watch reported that the Government of India had "yet to prosecute those responsible for the mass killings".[28] According to the 2011 WikiLeaks cable leaks, the United States was convinced of the Indian National Congress's complicity in the riots and called it "opportunism" and "hatred" by the Congress government, of Sikhs.[29] Although the U.S. has not identified the riots as genocide, it acknowledged that "grave human rights violations" occurred.[30] In 2011, the burned sites of multiple Sikh killings from 1984, were discovered in Hondh-Chillar and Pataudi areas of Haryana.[31] The Central Bureau of Investigation believes that the violence was organised with support from the Delhi police and some central-government officials.[22]

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.[32] 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.[33][34][35]

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  1. ^ a b Brass, Paul R. (2016). Riots and Pogroms. Springer. ISBN 9781349248674. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  2. ^ Paul Brass (October 1996). Riots and Pogroms. NYU Press. p. 201. ISBN 9780814712825. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference tribune_phoolka was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference SAGE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d Bedi, Rahul (1 November 2009). "Indira Gandhi's death remembered". BBC. Archived from the original on 2 November 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2009. The 25th anniversary of Indira Gandhi's assassination revives stark memories of some 3,000 Sikhs killed brutally in the orderly pogrom that followed her killing
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Nanavati was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b "What Delhi HC Order on 1984 Anti-Sikh Pogrom Says About 2002 Gujarat Riots". Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Why Gujarat 2002 Finds Mention in 1984 Riots Court Order on Sajjan Kumar". Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  9. ^ a b Nelson, Dean (30 January 2014). "Delhi to reopen inquiry in to massacre of Sikhs in 1984 riots". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  10. ^ Jeffrey M. Shaw; Timothy J. Demy (27 March 2017). War and Religion: An Encyclopedia of Faith and Conflict [3 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 129. ISBN 978-1610695176. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  11. ^ Paul R. Brass (October 1996). Riots and Pogroms. NYU Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-0814712825. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference toiprog was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference rediffprog was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ensaaf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Jagdish Tytler's role in 1984 anti-Sikh riots to be re-investigated". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  16. ^ Pillalamarri, Akhilesh. "India's Anti-Sikh Riots, 30 Years On". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  17. ^ "1984: Assassination and revenge". BBC News. 31 October 1984. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
  18. ^ Westerlund, David (1996). Questioning The Secular State: The Worldwide Resurgence of Religion in Politics. C. Hurst & Co. p. 1276. ISBN 978-1-85065-241-0.
  19. ^ "1984, the State, a Carnage and What the Trauma of a People Means to India Today". thewire.in. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  20. ^ "1984 anti-Sikh riots: Compensation still a dream but a sense of closure for victim families as SIT makes arrests". The Hindustan Times. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  21. ^ Mukhoty, Gobinda; Kothari, Rajni (1984), Who are the Guilty ?, People's Union for Civil Liberties, archived from the original on 5 September 2019, retrieved 4 November 2010
  22. ^ a b "1984 anti-Sikh riots backed by Govt, police: CBI". IBN Live. 23 April 2012. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  23. ^ Swadesh Bahadur Singh (editor of the Sher-i-Panjâb weekly): "Cabinet berth for a Sikh", The Indian Express, 31 May 1996.
  24. ^ Dead silence: the legacy of human rights abuses in Punjab. Human Rights Watch. May 1994. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-56432-130-5. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  25. ^ "1984 riots were 'Sikh genocide': Akal Takht – Hindustan Times". Hindustan Times. 14 July 2010. Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  26. ^ "1984 anti-Sikh riots: Congress leader Jagdish Tytler gets anticipatory bail". livemint.com. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  27. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (20 September 2023). "Ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar acquitted in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 February 2024. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  28. ^ World Report 2011: India (PDF). Human Rights Watch. 2011. pp. 1–5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  29. ^ "US saw Cong hand in Sikh massacre, reveal Wiki leaks". The Times of India. 6 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  30. ^ "US refuses to declare 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India as genocide". Washington: CNN-IBN. Press Trust of India. 2 April 2013. Archived from the original on 6 April 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  31. ^ "India: Bring Charges for Newly Discovered Massacre of Sikhs". Human Rights Watch. 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  32. ^ "1984 anti-Sikh riots: Sajjan Kumar convicted! HC reverses acquittal, hands life term to Congress leader". 17 December 2018. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  33. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India : Latest news, India, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal, Uttarakhand, J&K, sports, cricket". Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  34. ^ "Delhi court awards death penalty in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case: Chronology of events". India Today. 22 November 2018.
  35. ^ "A first for SIT: Two convicted for 1984 killings". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2018.