The Anti-Sikh Violence of 1984: Remember, Learn and Act

This June, Sikhs worldwide remember the Indian Army’s assault on Darbar Sahib (popularly known as the Golden Temple) and dozens of other Gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship) throughout Punjab in 1984. Code-named Operation Bluestar, the assault claimed the lives of thousands of innocent Sikh worshippers and set the stage for a decade of violent state repression that claimed thousands of lives.

Like Sikhs worldwide, the Sikh Coalition solemnly remembers the events of 1984, a turning point in modern Sikh history.

Recent events in India – including the hunger strike of Bapu Surat Singh; the gunning down of a Sikh protester by Indian police in Jammu earlier this week; and the failure of the Indian government to prosecute officials responsible for massacring Sikhs in Delhi and other parts of India in November 1984 – show that issues of state repression and impunity are still as relevant today as they were 31 years ago.

Videos

• Mapping June 1984: 31 Years Later, We Remember (by the 1984 Living History Project)
• A Witness Among the Bodies (by Ensaaf)
• Survivor Interviews, Days After Nov. 1984 (by Ensaaf)
• The Last Killing (by Ensaaf)
• 1984 Living History Project

Reports

• Amnesty International
• Human Rights Watch / Physicians for Human Rights
• The U.S. State Department
• Ensaaf

We will continue to work to create awareness about anti-Sikh violence in India and support efforts to promote justice and accountability.