1984 — Not just a year, but also a part of the national Sikh consciousness.

 1984 — Not just a year, but also a part of the national Sikh consciousness.

May the tragedy of November 84 not be a source of hatred, but a source of inspiration for consciousness, unity and justice.

1984 was not just a year on the calendar, it is that page of Sikh history that gave the Sikh community a new consciousness, a new zeal for its identity, security and justice. The attack on Sri Darbar Sahib by Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi in June 1984 and the Sikh genocide that took place in many cities of the country, including Delhi, in the first week of November after her assassination six months later on 31 October, are two such important events in the Sikh history of the 20th century, the memory of which has never been erased, nor has the pain faded even after 41 years. These memories and pain will always remain in the minds of the people.

The attack on Sri Darbar Sahib with tanks and cannons by Indira Gandhi was part of her political interests. This has been revealed in the testimonies of the then DGMO V. N. Sharma, Major General P. K. Sehgal, Intelligence Officer G. B. S. Sidhu, former IAS Sarabjit Singh and other responsible persons through statements.

This attack was Indira Gandhi's biggest historical mistake, which shook the roots of Sikh psychology. The pain of using tanks and shells in the Guru Ghar remained indescribable and unbearable for the Sikh psyche.

In that atmosphere, when Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards on 31 October 1984, the poison of hatred towards Sikhs in the Congress dissolved to such an extent that Sikhs were massacred with utmost brutality in cities like Delhi, Kanpur, Bokaro, Ranchi, Indore etc. Sikh men were taken out of their homes, poured oil on them and burnt alive by putting tires in their cheeks; Gurdwaras and houses were set on fire; Women were subjected to extreme humiliation and children were brutally killed. In Delhi alone, more than 2733 Sikhs were killed, while the number across the country was over seven thousand.

The government, administration and police not only remained silent spectators but also helped the murderous gangs. Rajiv Gandhi's saying that "when a big tree falls, the earth shakes" was an open signal to the murderers that the state was on their side. This was a planned, politically sponsored Sikh massacre. According to testimonies, Congress leaders like Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and Harkishan Lal Bhagat were themselves instigating the violence, while the police were helping the mob at many places. By the time the pressure of violence subsided, about five thousand Sikhs had been killed. International media and human rights organizations termed it a "State-Sponsored Pogrom".

The central government and the government machinery remained silent during this atrocity. Later, 10 inquiry commissions were formed from Marwah to Nanavati, but justice did not come. Despite thousands of witnesses, many accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The Nanavati Commission report in August 2005 clearly stated that Congress leaders were involved in the massacre, but the then Congress government not only protected them but also gave them high positions. People like H. K. L. Bhagat, Kamal Nath, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar continued to enjoy the comforts of power.

Although some honest judges like Justice Dhingra listened to the voice of their conscience and convicted H. K. L. Bhagat in 1995. But in most cases, the witnesses fled the world one by one while waiting for justice.

1984 had shaken the foundation of the trust of the Sikh community, the faith built on the Constitution and secularism was broken. Thousands of women were forced to live in widows' colonies. This was not just a social event, but a wound on the soul that has not yet healed. This collapse fundamentally changed the political landscape of India. The sense of security and self-esteem among the Sikhs became stronger.

The question is not only what happened in 1984, the question is also why people remained silent at that time? If innocent citizens of any religion are killed with the connivance of the state machinery and the society remains silent, then that silence itself takes the form of violence.

Thousands of Sikh men, women and children were killed in the capital of India and other cities simply because they were “Sikhs”. This was not a ‘mob violence’, but a planned genocide, in which the ruling leaders, the police administration and the government machinery were involved.

The Sikhs, who gave their blood for the freedom and reconstruction of India, never thought that they would have to become targets in their own country.

Modi government's historic step towards justice and truth In 2014, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, understanding the suffering and pain of the Sikhs, took the first decision to open the way for justice. In March 2015, a new SIT (Special Investigation Team) was formed under the Ministry of Home Affairs, which started re-investigation of 186 unsolved cases.

It was during the Modi government's tenure that in 2018, Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment - this was the biggest judicial victory in the history of the Sikh massacre, which came after 34 years. Accused Yashpal was sentenced to death, Naresh Sherawat to life imprisonment and many other accused were sentenced. The Yogi government of UP also arrested dozens of accused involved in the Kanpur massacre. Today, Jagdish Tytler himself is in the courtroom. All this is a symbol of the Modi government's commitment to justice.

In 2019, for the first time, the central government officially registered the 1984 incident not just as a “riot” but as “Organised Mass Violence”.

Prime Minister Modi said in a rally in Hoshiarpur on 10 May 2019 that “the 1984 massacre is a black mark on the soul of the nation. Justice may be delayed, but it will not stop.” He also said that it was a crime against humanity, and remembering this is a lesson for the new generation that political violence can never be accepted. This statement certainly became an emotional but not a political support for the Sikh community.

The Modi government made arrangements for ₹5 lakh compensation, housing, employment and education for the victims’ families. Rekha Gupta's BJP government in Delhi gave government jobs to 125 riot victims and Naib Saini's BJP government in Haryana gave government jobs to 121 victim families. The Central Government started dialogue with foreign Sikh representatives and laid the foundation of "Sikh Justice Memorials". This step was not taken by any government before.

Even today, the Sikh community is making a significant contribution to the development of the country. But the feelings of alienation and indifference that arose due to the third Ghallughara of 1984 and the atrocities that followed are the biggest need of the hour. The governments should understand well that there are many such forces active at the national and international levels which are repeatedly inciting the Sikh community to clash with the country to achieve their goals towards India.

The Central and State Governments should take more concrete steps to end the feeling of alienation created among the Sikhs through the wrong decisions of the Congress governments. Of course, the constructive efforts being made by Prime Minister Modi in this regard should be welcomed.

Should the Sikh genocide be forgotten? Sikhism teaches us “forgiveness”, but not “forgetting”. The Gurus taught that tolerating oppression and not opposing it is a sin. The Sikh community has never harbored a sense of revenge, but has always continued to demand truth and justice. Many culprits are still roaming freely today. I want to say that Sikhs should not forget 1984. But that tragedy should not be made a source of hatred, but a source of inspiration for awareness, unity and justice. Because “the nations that forget their history also lose their future.”