Anti-Sikh riots of 1984
Also called: 1984 anti-Sikh riots · Topic: Regional Aspirations: J&K, Punjab, the North-East and Accommodation · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 8 "Secularism"; Class 12, Ch 7 "Regional Aspirations"
Meaning
The anti-Sikh riots of 1984 were attacks on Sikhs that followed the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 31 October 1984. Two of her Sikh bodyguards killed her to take revenge for Operation Blue Star. The violence went on for almost a week. The riots matter because they raise hard questions about secularism, about the state's duty to protect minorities and about delayed justice.
Example
More than 2,000 Sikhs were killed in Delhi, and the official figure is above 2,700. Hundreds more were killed in places such as Kanpur, Bokaro and Chas. What hurt victims most was the slow return to normal life and the fact that the killers went unpunished. The Nanavati Commission (report 2005) found that the attacks were organised "in a systematic manner". On 11 August 2005, PM Manmohan Singh apologised in the Rajya Sabha: "I bow my head in shame".
Related concepts
- Khalistan movement
- Operation Blue Star
- Nanavati Commission
- Rajiv Gandhi-Longowal Accord
- Operation Black Thunder