March 22, 2023
It is essential to recognize that Punjab's political and religious spheres have historically been interconnected, and any shifts in one realm can have long-lasting impacts on the other. The Indian Government's genocide of Punjabi people in 1984 incited outrage within the global Sikh community, who saw the military operation as an assault on their religion. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination on October 31, 1984, by two of her own Sikh bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, occurred just four months after the June assault, further fueling the anti-Sikh massacre. This was a series of planned genocide against Sikhs throughout India by anti-Sikh mobs in retaliation for the prime minister’s murder. Additionally, it is worth noting that even the highest position in the country, the president of India at that time, Zail Singh was not immune to the violence. In fact, he was among the first Sikhs to be attacked during the riots. The aftermath of Indira's death saw anti-Sikh riots in some regions, killing over 3,000 Sikhs in New Delhi and an estimated 8,000 individuals across the country. The attackers carried weapons such as iron rods, knives, clubs, and combustible materials like gasoline and diesel.
Government officials are alleged to have engaged in violence against members of the Sikh community, reportedly burning Sikh-owned businesses and forcibly removing Sikhs from their homes, vehicles, and trains before assaulting or setting them ablaze. The perpetrators then proceeded to rampage through Sikh neighborhoods, engaging in brutal massacres of men and women while also destroying Gurdwaras, residences, and commercial establishments. Eyewitness testimonies suggest that law enforcement and public officials were complicit in these heinous acts by participating in the violence, inciting citizens to retaliate, and even arming the mobs.
It is imperative to comprehend the government's role in the genocide, given the abundance of evidence, as the Indian state consistently refuses to acknowledge its participation in the widespread bloodshed. To date, only a small number of perpetrators have been held accountable for their actions. Additionally, the involvement of the police in the atrocities has not been given adequate attention. Retired police officers have acknowledged in interviews that they prevented victims from filing first information reports and that by supporting anti-Sikh rhetoric, they played a role in instigating the ensuing violence.
In 1987, the Kapoor-Mittal committee was established to investigate the involvement of the police in the 1984 genocide. The committee recommended that 30 out of the 72 officers investigated be dismissed for their irresponsible behavior. However, the government did not take any action to discipline or terminate these individuals. Furthermore, due to a lack of substantial evidence, the government frequently closed cases related to the genocide. To exacerbate matters, anyone who raises awareness of this issue and speaks out against it is still subjected to police brutality to this day. Jagtar Singh Johal, a British citizen, was taken into custody by the Punjab Police in November 2017 and has been held without charge since then. Other Sikh activists contend that Jagtar's detention was prompted by his use of the website NeverForget84.com to draw attention to the events of 1984 and raise awareness among younger generations. Additionally, Jagtar has described in handwritten notes how the police beat him and subjected him to electric shocks. Despite urging by UN experts for India to conduct an independent investigation into these allegations of torture, no such inquiry has been initiated.
Lovepreet Sandhawalia