Baku Initiative Group exposes India's role in 1984 anti-Sikh violence

The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) has examined a 1984 study documenting systematic mass violence against the Sikh community in India.

The Group said the study Who Are the Guilty?, jointly prepared by two Indian human rights organisations—the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and the People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR)—represents an independent investigation into the events, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The report analyses the events of October 31, 1984, in Delhi and surrounding areas, when mass violence was perpetrated against Sikhs. The investigation drew on interviews with survivors, witnesses, refugees, police officers, and politicians. Its main conclusion is that the violence was premeditated and organised by government forces.

The peak of the violence occurred from November 1 to 3, 1984. Eyewitness accounts indicate that over 1,000 people were killed in Delhi alone. Hundreds of killings were reported in the Trilokpuri and Mangolpuri districts. Widespread looting, arson of homes, shops, and schools, as well as sexual assaults against women, illustrate the scale of the tragedy. According to various estimates, more than 50,000 people were left homeless, thousands of families lost their breadwinners, and hundreds of children became orphans.

The report emphasises the systematic nature of the attacks and the responsibility of state authorities, calling for an independent judicial investigation and punishment of those responsible. Despite the establishment of the Mishra Commission (1985) and Nanavati Commission (2005), senior officials and politicians have not yet been held accountable for the crimes committed against the Sikh community.

International human rights organisations have described the Indian government’s actions as “organised state-level carnage,” and the report remains one of the key documents on the subject.

Last month, under BIG’s initiative, an international conference was held in Baku, where representatives of Sikh communities from multiple countries called on the Indian government to halt persecution and officially recognise the mass killings.

By Khagan Isayev