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Revision as of 15:15, 6 February 2005 by Gaurav1146 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Anti Sikh Riots took place in India after the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 . India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own guards who were Sikhs in revenge of Operation Bluestar. Over the next four days thousands of Sikhs were massacared by the Congress activists. The congress did not do anything to stop the riots. The then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (son of Indira Gandhi) said "When a big tree falls, the earth is bound to shake" on the Sikh carnage. In about three days about 4000 sikhs were massacared. The most affected regions were neighborhoods in Delhi. Numerous commissions have been setup to investigate the riots but to no avail. The culprits are still at large. According to a The Times of India report nine commissions and committes have inquired into the riots. Justice Rangnath Mishra headed the first commission on the riots. This commission was a total mockery of justice as the statements of the accused were made available to the culprits. The most recent commision on the riots ,headed by Justice G.T. Nanavati is expected to submit its report in February 2005.One of the accused Jagdish Tytler is currently a minister under the congress government. The 20th anniversary of the Sikh riots was observed in November 2004.
The Incident
The following account is based on the report released in the House of Commons, Britain, on May 25 ,2004 to mark the 20th anniversary of the riots. The report was prepared by Truth & Justice Campaign, Berkshire (London). The report is titled '1984 Sikhs' Kristallnacht', or 'Night of the Broken Glass'.
On November 1, 1984, a huge mob from the suburbs of Delhi descended on various localities where the Sikh were maily concentrated. They carried iron rods, knives, clubs, and combustible material, including kerosene. They had voters' lists of houses and business establishments belonging to the Sikhs. People began to swarm into Sikh homes, ripping the occupants to pieces, chopping off the heads of children, raping women, tying Sikh men to tyres set aflame with kerosene, burning down the houses and shops after ransacking them. They stopped buses and trains, in and out of Delhi, pulling out Sikh passengers to be lynched or doused with kerosene and burnt. There was no retaliation by the Sikhs.
Quotes related to Riots
- I felt like a refugee in my country. In fact, I felt like a Jew in Nazi Germany. (Khuswant Singh)
- Criminally led hoodlums killed Sikhs, looted or burnt homes and properties while the police twiddled their thumbs.(India Today, November 15, 1984)