Press Statement of the meeting on the 40th Anniversary of the 1984 Sikh Genocide, entitled, “Oppose the Politics of Communal Violence! Fight for Unity and Peace! An Attack on One Is an Attack on All!”
Lok Raj Sangathan marks the 40th anniversary of the gruesome 1984 Sikh genocide that unfolded in the capital of India and other cities from October 31 to November 3.
A public meeting was organised on this occasion in Jantar Mantar on 2nd November 2024.
Participants held placards with slogans – “Down with State-oranised Communal Violence and State Terror!”,” Punish those guilty of organising the genocide of Sikhs!”, “Punish the organisers of Communal violence of 1992, 2002, 2022 and others!”, “An Attack on One’ Is an Attack on All!”
This heinous attack on the Sikh community was led by top leaders of the Congress Party, the ruling party at that time. It had the full support of authorities at the highest level. It was meticulously planned several days, if not several months, before the actual date.
The genocide has left indelible scars in the memories of millions of our people. While the loss of thousands of innocent lives remains unforgotten, the calls for justice have remained largely unheeded till today. Even when several inquiry commissions highlighted the fact that command responsibility and accountability were neglected at every level, no action was taken by the then government and various governments that followed in the intervening decades.
As we reflect on this dark chapter, we have been witnessing the continuous use of communal violence by the ruling establishment for its own ends. While the Sikh community was targeted in the eighties, both the Muslim and Sikh communities are being targeted today. It is the right to conscience that is being violated every day. A shadow has been cast over the existence of their religious institutions. Acts of violence such as lynching have been on the rise. A disproportionate number of their community members have been put behind bars on various charges ranging from sedition to not respecting the national flag.
Vicious narratives against the community were shamelessly circulated in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The current discourse around madrasas and the Wakf Bill only adds fuel to an already volatile environment, making Muslims and their places of learning vulnerable to prejudice and disenfranchisement. These actions reflect a dangerous trend where the targeting of communities along religious lines is systematically orchestrated, so that people do not unite against the glaring inadequacies of the existing system such as inflation, unemployment, illiteracy and malnutrition. By keeping the people divided, the powers that be have ensured that people do not unite to resist the deprivation of rights.
The participants renewed the call for an end to state-organised communal violence and demand accountability from those who have the responsibility to protect citizens from such atrocities. They affirmed that an attack on one is an attack on all.
The participants in the meeting demanded that the government acknowledge and publicly recognise the organised nature of the 1984 Sikh genocide and its failure to provide justice to the victims. They also urged that mechanisms for accountability be established to prevent any future recurrence of such violence. The principle of command responsibility must be upheld, making those in positions of power accountable for orchestrating or enabling communal attacks.
They pointed out that in the four decades since 1984, commissions and inquiries have come and gone, and yet justice remains elusive. Reports submitted by various investigative bodies lie discarded. The genocide, which claimed the lives of nearly 10,000 people, accompanied by the brutal rape of women and widespread looting, has not been recognised as organised, systemic violence that it was. While token punishments have been handed out to a few individuals, the main perpetrators remain untouched.
The ruling establishment’s frequent invocation of the ‘rule of law’ is hollow in the face of their own impunity. Through communal divisions and politics of vote bank, they perpetuate a strategy of ‘divide and rule’ that deepens rifts within our society, undermining our collective strength and depriving people of their right to a secure and dignified life.
The meeting was organised by Lok Raj Sangathan, Jamaat E Islami Hind, Communist Ghadar Party of India, Welfare Party of India, Social Democratic Party of India, The Sikh Forum, LokPaksh, Mazdoor Ekta Committee, Purogami Mahila Sangathan, Hind Naujawan Ekta Sabha, Citizens for Democracy, Student Islamic Organisation, CPIML (New Proletarian), APCR and others.
The meeting was conducted by Sucharita from Lok Raj Sangathan.
Among those who addressed the meeting were, S Raghavan from Lok Raj Sangathan, Mohammed Salim Engineer from Jamat-e-Islami Hind, Ravindar from Lok Paksh, Birju Nayak from Communist Ghadar Party of India, Artist Aparna Caur, Hashim Malik from SDPI and Siddhant from IFTU Sarvahara.
