Why 1984 Still Matters
| Creator | World SIkh Organization of Canada |
| First Sentence | WORLD SIKH SIKH ORGANIZATION OF CANADA FIGHTING FOR YOUR RIGHTS SINCE 1984 www.worldsikh.org Ef Why 1984 Still Matters... As we come upon the 27th anniversary of the November 1984 genocide of Sikhs across India, it is no secret that 1984 still matters and Sikhs still remember. Although there are voices which tell the Sikh community that it's time to move on and that we must forget what happened, forgetting isn't an option for Sikhs. And it can't be for India either. Why India Must Not Forget The mass killing of Sikhs in 1984 started a pattern in India. It showed that state actors can facilitate and encourage massacres of minorities and the guilty will go unpunished. Amnesty International noted in its 2010 report that after at least 9 inquiry commissions, only approximately 20 people have ever been convicted of being involved in the violence. As recently as May 2010, a local court in India's Bihar state acquitted 27 individuals accused of killing Sikhs in November 1984 for want of evidence. Additional district and sessions judge Nand Kishore Sharma criticized the police for its failure to produce witnesses in the case before the court, which led to the court having to acquit the accused. The witnesses, all police officials, did not appear despite repeated reminders issued by the court. Because the perpetrators of the 1984 Sikh genocide weren't held accountable, the Godhra massacre of Muslims was allowed to happen in 2004 with the cooperation of members of the Gujarat government. The 2008 killings of Christians were allowed to happen in Orissa. The pattern of 1984 has been allowed to perpetuate itself and become part of the Indian system. India has never been able to confront the events of 1984. To this day, no memorial or museum exists to commemorate the events in any Indian city. Until India confronts this dark chapter in its history and delivers justice to the victims, 1984 will remain an open wound. |
| Published | 2012 |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 2 |
| Copies | 1 |
| Tags | Sikh History 1984 WSO World Sikh Organization |
| Collection | Community Texts |
| Read | 0 times |
