Ethnic Conflict in India

Khalistan Movement
Content
⟶Introduction
⟶Background
⟶Conflict
⟶Genocide
⟶International Stance
⟶Conclusion
Introduction
Ethnic Conflict
An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more ethnic groups. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or
religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic group's position within society. This criterion differentiates ethnic
conflict from other forms of struggle.
Sikhism
Profile

● Sikhs are a religious minority in India.

● They are mostly found in the north-western
state of Punjab, where they form the
majority.
● There are around 20.8 million Sikhs in India
according to the 2011 Census.
● Most Sikhs live in Punjab, but there are also
significant communities in Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and Delhi.
● Many Sikhs have emigrated and now live in
North America, Europe, and Australia.
● Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak (1469-
1539) at the end of the fifteenth century.
Khalistan Movement

● The Khalistan movement seeks to create a

separate homeland for Sikhs.
● This homeland would be called Khalistan,
meaning "land of the Khalsa."
● The proposed area for Khalistan varies;
some groups want just the Indian state of
Punjab, while others include parts of
Pakistani Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana,
and Himachal Pradesh.
● Suggested capitals for Khalistan include
Shimla and Lahore.
Sikh Genocide of 1984- Background
Pre-1947 British Indian Rule
● 1849 British Raj annexes the huge Sikh
Kingdom
● 1900s Sikhs fight bravely for Indian
independence
● Sikhs (2% Indian population) give 80% of
sacrifices in the freedom struggle
● M. Gandhi and Nehru promise Sikh state
within Federal India
● Punjab got split into two halves, half is in
India and the other half is in Pakistan.
● 60% of Sikhs became refugees, 14 million
people were displaced and 1 million Sikhs
died.
1947-50 Independent India’s New
Constitution
● Sikhs are classified as Hindus
● Punjabi is not Punjab’s first language
● 75% of the water and 70% of the revenue of
Punjab is sent to other states
● Sikhs are seen as a Hindu sect that needs
suppression and re-assimilation
● PM Nehru says, Sikhs ‘missed the boat’
● Sikhs feel betrayed and refuse to sign the
constitution
1950-66 Punjabi Suba Movement
● Masses of Sikhs agitate peacefully for socio-
political rights
● 26,000 Sikhs are arrested in 1960
● Government responds with violence
● 1966 Government creates Punjabi-language
State, but ⅓ of Punjab’s original size
● The government denies Punjab its own
capital or control over economic policies.
1966-84 Anandpur Resolution - Dharam Yudh Morcha
● In 1971, over 250,000 Sikhs demonstrate for reasonable socio-economic demands of the Anandpur
Resolution
● Government and Police turn more violent and hostile
● Propaganda defames Sikhs as extremists and separatists
● In 1975, Sikhs hailed as ‘saving democracy’ through massive demonstrations against Indira Gandhi’s
dissolving of parliament
● Indira Gandhi develops a grudge against Sikhs
● In 1978, an Anti-Sikh group kills 13 Sikhs whilst Police stand by
● Police brutality escalates
● In 1982, Sikhs launch Dharam Yudh Morcha to implement the Anandpur Resolution
● This mass movement with several leaders is portrayed by Government as solely led by Sant Jarnail Singh
Ji Bhindranwale, who is also demonized as an extremist separatist
 3-8 June 1984

Operation Blue The Indian Government launches the largest

military operation against its own citizens,
Star - Sikh killing over 5000+ innocent Sikhs.
THEY SAY: A Sikh country was about to be
Genocide of 1984 declared.
TRUTH: To protest for the Anandpur
resolution, a stoppage on grain shipments out of
Punjab was planned for June 3rd.
Operation BlueStar was conducted in three stages:-

● Operation Metal - Confined to Harmandir Sahib complex

● Operation Shop - Raiding of countryside Punjab looking for possible
suspects
● Operation Woodrose - Sikh protestors carrying weapons were targeted
Huge destruction in temple complex, total seizure and encounter of militants
Many Sikh soldiers mutinied, resigned or returned awards and honors
THEY SAY: Terrorist occupation meant Army was needed.
TRUTH:
● The attack was pre-planned in 1982.
● In 1983, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale (a preacher) was invited into the temple complex.
● A police arrest warrant was not issued for him despite open access to him.
● The army besieged the complex. No one was allowed to get out. The army did attack without a warning
or negotiation (illegal by Indian law).
● A media blackout was imposed.
‍
Assasination
On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was murdered
in an act of revenge by two of her Sikh bodyguards.

Following the assassination, mobs, often instigated

by Congress Party leaders, went on a rampage
against Sikhs in Delhi and other cities. Over three
days, at least 2,733 Sikhs were killed, their property
looted and destroyed. Many women were raped in
the capital. Hundreds of Sikhs were killed
elsewhere in the country. The authorities quickly
blamed every incident of mass communal violence
on a spontaneous public reaction—Gandhi’s son
and successor, Rajiv Gandhi, declared at a rally in
the capital, “Once a mighty tree falls, it is only
natural that the earth around it shakes.”
Eyewitness Account
► The casual slaughter of some 350 Sikhs, including
women and children in the trans- Yamuna Trilokpuri
resettlement colony, was without doubt the most
brutal.
The massacre took place in two narrow alleyways not
more than 150 yards long, both Janes were littered
with bodies with body parts and hair brutally hacked
off, forcing people to walk on tiptoe entire area was
awash with blood, the blood did not flow down the
drains, as they too were now choked with human
body parts.
► A quasiconscious half-burnt Sikh man came from
punjab to visit relatives in trilokpuri told a rampaging
mob armed with lathis and machetes had killed his
hosts and set him on fire after dousing his body with
kerosene.
International Response:
To address the 1984 abuses and the continuing problem of
communal violence, Human Rights Watch urged the
authorities in India to:
● Establish an independent, time-bound investigation
into the 1984 violence cases, including the 237 cases
closed by police, with the authority to recommend
cases for prosecution.
● Implement police reforms to insulate the police
from political pressure to protect perpetrators, such
as occurred after communal violence in 1984
(Delhi), 1992 (Mumbai), 2002 (Gujarat), and
2013 (Muzaffarnagar).
● Create a police complaints authority both at the
state and district levels, as recommended by the
Supreme Court, that would investigate public
complaints of serious police misconduct.
● Establish an effective witness protection
program to end the intimidation, threats, and
harassment of victims and witnesses such as
occurred after the 1984 attacks.
● Enact pending laws against communal
violence, compliant with international human
rights standards, that would make state
officials liable for failure to act to prevent and
stop communal violence, including as a matter
of superior responsibility. Adopt measures on
nondiscrimination for displaced people, access
to relief, and voluntary return and resettlement
in line with the United Nations Guiding
Principles on Internal Displacement, and on
the right to redress in line with the UN Basic
Principles and Guidelines on Remedy and
Reparation.
Commissions and Inquiries: Nanavati Commission:
Formation and Report Submission:

● Up to nine inquiry commissions established ● Established: 8 May 2000.

to investigate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. ● Report Submitted to Parliament: February 2005.
● Report Released: August 2005.
● Notable commissions include the Nanavati
Commission, established on 8 May 2000 by
the government, headed by former Supreme
Findings
Court judge G.T. Nanavati.

● Credible evidence" of Congress party leaders'

involvement.
● One Congress minister "very probably" involved in
organizing attacks.
● Police were passive and did not protect citizens.
● Failure to maintain law and order.
● The 2005 Nanavati commission said the violence,
in different localities, followed a similar pattern
Government and Organizational Responses:
● Immediate Reactions:
● Some senior Congress leaders resigned.
● No prosecutions for those responsible
for planning and instigating the riots
(HRW).
● US International Religious Freedom
Report 2006:
● Resignations occurred but no formal
punishment handed down.
● Ensaaf's Assertion:
● Government failed to further
investigate implicated officials.
Public Apologies and Promises:
● Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Public
Apologies: August 2005.
● Government's Promise: Reopen another
inquiry commission.
● Ongoing Issue: Most police officers
responsible for human rights abuses between
1984-1994 evaded justice (AI).
● Despite numerous commissions and
inquiries, accountability and justice for the
1984 anti-Sikh riots remain limited.
● Continuous calls for further investigations
and formal punishments for those
responsible.
Presented by:
Maham Shabir Afia Mudassar
211003004-013 21103004018
Whosoever kills a human being without (any reason like) man slaughter, or
corruption on earth, it is as though he had killed all mankind ... (5:32)

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