Genocide, Panjab and Collective Healing

CN: contains mentions of violence, sexual abuse, and other upsetting events

We would like to extend our warm wishes to everyone during this time. As term gets into full swing, and the country goes into nationwide lockdown, as a Sikh Society, we still hope to connect and support one another. We hope you found our plethora of welfare resources useful, and we would like to remind you that the Sikh Society is always a space where you are welcome, valued and supported – and we all are united in our Sikhi.

Our Rehraas Sahib sessions will continue tonight as usual, with a drop-in Welfare session with Simmi from 5:30, Rehraas taking place at 6, and a short Vichaar and discussion taking places from 6:30 onwards. As always, you can find the link to the event page here. We also hope that you are all enjoying your Panjabi and Gurmukhi classes; if there are any issues feel free to get in touch with a member of the committee.

The subject of the bulletin this week is a sombre one. Every November, Sikhs around the world come together to mark the 1984 Sikh Genocide. Following on from our lecture with Jaspinder Singh from Nishaan, we wanted to follow up with a bulletin providing different perspectives and ways to interpret what took place. Rather than a descriptive series of events, we instead wanted to present you with a more nuanced take in understanding the importance of 1984 to us as Sikhs today; and the several ways it has affected us as a community.

The violent pogroms that emerged after the death of Indira Gandhi at the hands of her two Sikh bodyguards are a vital part of Sikh history. Indira Gandhi and the Indian State continually suppressed of Sikh political action, culminating with the attack on Harmandir Sahib in June 1984 (which we have covered in an earlier bulletin), and in November of 1984, there was a level of brutal violence that was unprecedented. Whilst government figures only acknowledge 3000 dead, independent estimates put this figure at nearly 20,000 (Daily Telegraph). It is often the case that we acknowledge this as a ‘genocide’ rather than just simply riots – as these were organized, calculated, and targeted towards the Sikhs.

Following news of Indira Gandhi’s death, armed mobs took to the streets. What followed was a series of pogroms (a violent riot targeted at a religious or ethnic group), that took place across India, from in Delhi, Panjab, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to name a few. Sikhs were deliberately targeted as a scapegoat for the assassination; and a whole nation’s contempt was projected on these Sikhs. Many were attacked and businesses, homes, and vehicles were set alight. The brutal way that men, women and children were often set alight is often accompanied with images of Sikhs ringed in tyres and covered in kerosene. There are also many accounts of Sikh woman being raped by these mobs. The dehumanization that fueled these riots is especially notable; and many often draw comparisons to the pogroms against Jews in the 1930s. In the tight, urban spaces of Delhi, there are stories like the one of Trilokpuri – where in one block, 350 Sikhs were butchered.

Recently, news has come to light that politicians, celebrities, and the police were all complicit in this mob violence. Not only were they silent in the face of vast human rights violations, but they often encouraged, abetted, and participated in the violence. Not only is there evidence that figures like Sajjan Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan shouted slogans and encouraged violence. But also, that politicians were providing voter lists of Sikh residences, and that the police often stood by and watched as these brutal acts took place over a period of nearly two weeks. This was far from anarchy, it was organized and encouraged by the system – punctuated by another decade of killings in false encounters that took place in the decade that followed.

When reflecting on the violence that took place against Sikhs during November 1984, it is first important to acknowledge that this was not an isolated incident. This was a culmination of state violence against the Sikhs that had been taking place during the 70s and 80s. Many perpetrators have gone off scot-free, cloaked by their anonymity. And it has been an uphill battle ever since for Sikhs who’ve tried to achieve some sort of justice. We also see similar violence being enacted against Indian Muslims today, as well as more sporadic attacks against people from lower caste backgrounds that have always taken place. India’s record on minorities is particularly bloody and brutal.

When it comes to processing the trauma of 1984, our community faces a difficult task. With the deep level of pain that many survivors and families still feel, many still find it hard to articulate their feelings to what took place. For those who are outspoken, they are often met with backlash by the Indian government. Whilst we as a community can never forget, we can certainly come together and try to heal from the trauma done unto us. That takes place from discussion, empathy and understanding.

In that vein, we present to you a non-exhaustive list of resources we’ve curated to help begin that conversation: