New Delhi: The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also called the 1984 Sikh massacre, were a series of violent attacks against Sikhs in India. These attacks happened after the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Government estimates state that around 2,800 Sikhs were killed in Delhi, and about 3,350 were killed nationwide. Forty years on, let us look at the timeline from October 1 to November 3 and what led to the anti-Sikh riots.
What led to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots?
Background
In 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered Operation Blue Star to remove Sikh militants from the Golden Temple.
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It was the largest internal security mission of the Indian Army aimed at suppressing the Khalistan movement for an independent Sikh state.
The Army used tanks to destroy the Akal Takhat and took control of the Harmandir Sahib complex.
Official reports recorded 83 Army deaths and 49 civilian deaths during the operation.
Media in Punjab experienced a blackout during the operation, leading to heightened tensions with the Sikh community worldwide.
Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984, shortly after Operation Blue Star.
1984 anti-Sikh riots
October 31
Indira Gandhi was shot and killed by two of her Sikh security guards at her residence. After hearing the news, Rajiv Gandhi returned to Delhi, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) from West Bengal.
When President Zail Singh’s motorcade returned from a foreign visit, stones were thrown at it near AIIMS. A bodyguard loses his turban in the incident.
What happened on October 31 evening and night?
After hearing Indira Gandhi’s assassination news, a huge crowd gathered outside the AIIMS.
Violence against Sikhs and damage to Sikh homes increased.
Rajiv Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister. Senior lawyer and BJP leader Ram Jethmalani met with Home Minister PV Narasimha Rao and urged immediate action to protect Sikhs from more attacks.
At night, surveyors identify the homes of Sikhs. They use lists to locate these homes and mark them with an “S”.
Around 9 pm on October 31, an elderly Sikh man becomes the first victim. Delhi Lieutenant Governor and Police Commissioner visit the affected areas.
November 1
Organised mobs were driven outside of Delhi in the early morning, and they targeted Sikh neighbourhoods.
Gurdwaras were attacked and set on fire in the morning.
Mobs wandered about East Delhi’s Trilokpuri area in the morning. Hundreds of Sikhs were “butchered” all day long in the colony’s two tiny lanes. The killings went on for several days.
An eyewitness reported that Sikhs repelled some of the crowds. After that, police arrived, took away the Sikhs’ guns and barricaded all escape routes. As a result, the Sikhs were left helpless and open to attack by the crowds.
November 2
Trains arrived in Delhi with dead bodies of Sikhs, and around 17 Sikhs were burned alive in Pataudi.
Five hundred armed men were reportedly taken in trucks to Hondh-Chillar.
A curfew was announced in Delhi but was not enforced. Although the army was present throughout the city, the police did not cooperate with the soldiers (who are forbidden to fire without the consent of senior police officers and executive magistrates).
What happened on November 3 evening?
By late evening, the army and local police worked together to control the violence.
After they step in, the violence becomes less severe.
In Delhi, the bodies of those who died in the riots were taken to the AIIMS and the Civil Hospital mortuary.
