#4: Anti-Sikh Massacre of 1984
While it may not be as sensational as an Indo-Pak war or a civil war, the Anti-Sikh riots were detrimental and extremely critical in forming the religious landscape prevalent in India today. These riots refer to the series of organized crimes against members of the Sikh community (a religion with unique and distinctive scripture, principles, and codes of conduct, and a community comprising approximately 2% of the Indian population). This was in response to the assassination of Indira Gandhi India’s former prime minister, by Sikh bodyguards.
On the 31st of October, Indira Gandhi, on her way home was met with her guards, Satwant and Beant Singh. After the two guards opened fire and murdered the Prime Minister, Beant stated that “I have done what I had to do. You do what you want to do”. Beant was subsequently killed and Satwant was arrested and hanged along with his accomplice Kehar Singh. This was said to be in response to Operation Blue Star, a mission set by Indira Gandhi to neutralize Sikh militant preacher Jarnail Singh and his followers where over 7000 Sikhs died. Operation Bluestar is said to be one of the most violent incidences in Indian history, and despite being an attempt to flush out militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, it resulted in further demolition.
Upon the assassination, anti-Sikh riots erupted like wildfire over the following few days killing over 3,000 Sikhs who were murdered in New Dehli, and over 8,000 others were killed across the nation itself. Individuals carried weapons such as rods, knives, flammable items and violated Sikh neighborhoods killing in mass numbers. The most affected areas swerve Trilokpuri, Shahdara, Mongolpuri, Sultanpur, Nand Nagri, and Geeta Colony. Within these riots, it was stated that over 20,000 Sikhs fled the capital and were displaced and over 2800 were killed according to government reports. Despite violence slowly decreasing in the months ahead, as the Khalistani movement (Sikh separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikh, Khalistan) continued to gain popularity, violence continued to increase.
However, through the violence, there was resolve. HKL Bhagath, Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, Lalit Makan, Dharam Das Shastri were some of the key members involved in instigating the riots and were legally accused of doing so. The Dehli High Court convicted Sajjan to life imprisonment and four others were sentenced to a murder of a five-membered Sikh family. Despite some justice, many vigilantes went by acquitted of charges and most were never accused as guilty.
The Anti-Sikh Riots, their lack of recognition and the lack of prior and current action continue to be a stain in our country’s contemporary history. Many have titled this the “Sikh Genocide” that continues to shake this nation. Many continue to state that this will always act as a shadow and the reason why the over 21 million Sikhs in this nation will continue to feel alienated and targeted by their own government.
