October 31, 2024 (Nationwide) — Today, the Sikh Coalition joins with sangat members around the world in observance of the 40th anniversary the Sikh Genocide. 

From October 31 to November 3, 1984, thousands of Sikhs throughout India were hunted and murdered by mobs following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The government of India and the then-ruling party unleashed this campaign of premeditated, organized violence—including killings, sexual and gender-based violence, torture, the desecration and destruction of gurdwaras and libraries, and the destruction of Sikh homes and businesses—with the goal of eliminating Sikhs from Delhi and other cities throughout India.

This violence followed the June 1984 coordinated attack on Darbar Sahib and dozens of other gurdwaras throughout Punjab—codenamed “Operation Blue Star” by the Indian Army. It also preceded the “decade of disappearances” where India’s security forces perpetrated widespread and systematic torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial execution, among other human rights violations and forms of persecution, arising to crimes against humanity. According to eyewitnesses and human rights activists, tens of thousands of Sikhs were killed from 1984 into the 1990s, with much of the violence organized by government officials and facilitated by police officials. 

To mark this critical 40 year anniversary, the Sikh Coalition has pursued multiple different projects. In April, we shared an advocacy toolkit for sangat members to pursue state- and local-level commemorations of 1984. Earlier this month, we joined with other Sikh organizations—including the American Sikh Caucus Committee, the Jakara Movement, Ensaaf, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and United Sikhs—to endorse and encourage members of Congress to support Congressman David Valadao’s (R-CA) and Congressman Jim Costa’s (D-CA) House Resolution recognizing the Sikh Genocide. And starting today, we are proud to partner with the International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination (ICAAD) and artist, storyteller, and advocate Vishavjit Singh to support a multimedia exhibit of Sikh artists in New York City titled 40 Years Later: Art, Resilience, and the Legacy of 1984. 

In light of continued Indian transnational repression against our community—including this month’s indictment of a then-Indian government employee for directing the assassination of Sikhs on U.S. soil—the legacy of 1984 is more important than ever. It is despicable that the Indian government continues to deny justice to victims and survivors, and it is unacceptable that most of the individuals responsible for the atrocities (including some who are still in power today) have escaped accountability. In addition to the work described above, we continue to share resources that document the Sikh Genocide, the subsequent campaign of violence through the 1990s, and the effects of both on the collective Sikh diaspora:

Videos and Personal Accounts 

Reports 

As we have argued before, we believe that our history is our responsibility. We also believe that it is our solemn duty to keep that history from repeating itself for our community or any other. For this reason, we will continue our efforts to safeguard the lives and liberties of Sikhs here in the United States, all while we endeavor to conduct our civil rights work more broadly in the spirit of sarbat da bhala.

As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly, and to remember and honor those who died doing so.