Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide in India - Essay Example

Crimes against humanity and genocide in 1984 Punjab, India The anti-Sikhs ‘riots’ of 1984 in the state of Punjab, India, also referred to as the Sikh Massacre, refer to a sequential occurrence of events that directly targeted the Sikh community in India. Anti-Sikh mobs, randomly attacked the existing Sikh community, as a direct response to Indira Gandhi assassination, carried out by her Sikh bodyguards. The paper aims at discussing the direct influence of Indira Gandhi’s assassination, on the Sikh community in India resulting in the infringement of many of their human rights and freedoms in terms of crimes against humanity, as well as genocide. The violence that broke out was patterned on the themes of political/religious intolerance and ethnic cleansing. Pertinent issues of concern include: the lack of proper police response, as well as organized perpetration of crime that went unabated by concerned security agencies (in Delhi). The involvement of government officials will be discussed, as well the Indian Army’s role-play. The massacre of the Sikhs in Punjab, India was an organized crime that was supported by the government following the assassination of Indira Gandhi who was Prime Minister at the time of her death, having had a massive influence on India’s political landscape because of her relation to Mahatma Gandhi, India’s most revered personality. The massacre led to the death of many people and destruction of a lot of property following the effective organization of the massacre. It is during her administration that the Indian Emergency (1970s) was imposed with this subsequently resulting in the detention of thousands of Sikhs who were politically agitating for some form of autonomy (Deol 78). During this era, sporadic violence was present, resulting from increased armed activity of an armed Sikh separatist group. The Indian government’s apt designation of this separatist group as a terrorist entity further worsened the already tense political atmosphere (Deol 75). This culminated in the commencement of Operation Blue Star, where Prime Minister Indira ordered an attack on the Golden Temple by the Indian Army. This was in response to the violent occupation of the Temple by Sikh separatists, whom being viewed as insurgents, were reported to have been stockpiling weapons (Singh). Her tough stance towards the group, resulted in this direct order that was to focus on eliminating any insurgents founds, with later armed operations initiated in the larger Punjab state’s countryside. Indian paramilitary forces were commanded to clear any separatists that were hosted in the countryside with no option of negotiation (Rana). In Delhi, violence erupted as a direct result of Indira’s assassination on 31 October 1984. The assassination was carried out by two of her Sikh bodyguards, projected as being a direct response to her authorization of the aforementioned military operation. In the ensuing chaos, an estimated 2,700 deaths were reported in the city, with more than 20,000 reported to have fled the city. Here, the most affected areas were mainly the Sikh neighborhoods where numerous human rights abuses were witnessed. The unfortunate mass violence and killing that occurred, as well as population displacement is not debatable. The Indian government did not label the massacres of Sinks as genocide following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Instead, it labeled it as a riot to mischaracterize the massacre and make it appear as if it was not a serious issue. It is widely acknowledged that the Indian government participated heavily in the massacre of the Sinks as senior political party officials of the ruling party and the police carefully planned it. The congress party officials met with their local supported who helped identify the sinks and their properties, distributed weapons, chemicals and other things that could help to make the massacre of the Sinks successful. The same night, the police and the officials posted a rumor that the Sinks had celebrated the killing of Indira Gandhi creating a fertile ground for the violence that took place (SIKHSIYASAT). What happened in Delhi, and subsequently in the greater national arena, cannot be viewed as sporadic violence based on communal unrest. It is viewed by many as unfortunate that not only did the Indian government and police hurriedly bring to closure this case, but that the international community, as well as global oversight bodies also seemed to be in agreement in confining such violence as spontaneous rioting that went out of control (Deol 73). The most notable issue is that Amnesty International India used the term ‘riots’ in reference to the systematic and organized two-phased and two-pronged genocidal onslaught carried out in both Delhi and the Punjab state. As projected by the SIKHSIYASAT (2014), the direct target of this violence was the overall Sikh population, viewed by many as enemies within, and hence need for decisive action against them. The anti-Sikhs riots of 1984 represent horrific and violent crime against humanity, as a result of the Indian government directly launching a vicious war on the State of Punjab in June. This was through invasion and subsequent occupation of the region, carried out in a brutal and inhumane manner. In the same breadth, the army and Special Forces utilized, further bombarded the Golden Temple that was specifically the Sikh national shrine located in Amritsar (SIKHSIYASAT). Because the Golden Temple was Sikh nation’s holiest place, it brought about great bitterness portrayed by the populace as it was used for the crimes that were committed against its rightful owners. The Indian government through the Indian Army utilized helicopter gunships and tanks to deal decisively with the insurgents housed in the Temple. On the other hand, by closing off the entirety of the State of Punjab to the rest of global society, the Indian government turned it into a massive concentration camp. Here, Indian soldiers were accused of rampaging through all villages engaging in mass arrests, torture, rape and killings. In the city of Delhi, the Sikh neighborhoods were turned into killing zones, as Sikh men were dragged out of their houses, hacked to death, shot or doused with petrol and burned alive by the frenzied mobs. Sikh women were further raped with the children not being spared either. Subsequently, their bodies were stripped of both belongings and clothing, to be cremated en-mass (Singh). Such systematic killing of a community falls under the crime of Genocide, as well as crimes against humanity (Charny 516). Such wide-scale violence as witnessed in Delhi’s Sikh neighborhoods was directly enhanced through collaboration of both officials from the nation’s ruling Congress party and local authorities through logistical support, financing and preparation of the killing squads. In addition, use of voting lists enabled targeted killings, as Sikhs were promptly identifiable and hence easily located. The state media’s incitement best presented through superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s utterances of the slogan ‘khun ka badla khun sae laengae' (Blood for blood) further fueled the tension. Such a leading Indian figure, in uttering such sensitive words on public television was taken up by a majority of the concerned perpetrators as being a rallying point for the subsequent engagement in vicious atrocities against the Sikhs (Rana). Further worsening the situation is what appeared to be state-orchestrated cover-up. This was in the form of how the government subsequently handled the case, terming the deaths as directly resulting from communal riots, as opposed to systematic massacre of a religious minority. In addition, fundamentally worsening the fragile reconciliation process is the fact that perpetrators as well as organizers and inciters to the violence were never fully prosecuted (Singh). Instead, almost all cases were brought to quick closure, without proper justice being dispensed, citing lack of evidence. Only a few police officers, were charged with negligence to their duties and provision of protection to attackers. Notable in this context is use of the term ‘Riots’, which negate the full impacts of the violence to communal unrest. Additionally, the influential nature of official British aid through its SAS military department is also an issue here. This was through intelligence reporting as well as logistical support (SIKHSIYASAT). Since the Indian government has hid the evidence and shielded those responsible for the massacre for a long time and even went ahead to characterize it as a communal riot, it is evident that India cannot achieve accountability. To achieve peace and justice, the international community in conjunction with the International Criminal Court should conduct fresh investigations to bring the culprits to justice even if it means putting sanctions on the Indian government to cooperate. After this, reconciliation process can begin after the truth of the matter is known and the culprits face the law for their actions. In conclusion, as stated above, the anti-Sikhs ‘riots’ of 1984 in the state of Punjab, India, also referred to as the Sikh Massacre refer to a sequential occurrence of events that directly targeted the Sikh community in India. The main cause of the massacre was the impunity that had lasted in the country for a very long time. The Indian government participated heavily in the massacre of the Sinks as senior political party officials of the ruling party and the police carefully planned it. The congress party officials met with their local supported who helped identify the sinks and their properties, distributed weapons, chemicals and other things that could help to make the massacre of the Sinks successful. In fact, the government played down the massacre by labeling it a riot. The lack of proper consideration of the violence as being equal to genocide by the international community and concerned global oversight bodies is what fuels continued strive for justice and final justified closure to the case by the global Sikh community. Works Cited Charny, Israel W. Encyclopedia of genocide. ABC-CLIO. 1999, (pp. 516–517). Print. Deol, Harnik. Religion and Nationalism in India: The Case of the Punjab. London: Routledge, 2000. Print. Rana, Yudhvir. 1984 riots: ‘Why nobody noticed Amitabh Bachchan spewing venom in India. The Times of India, 20 Oct. 2011. Web. 12 Nov 2014. SIKHSIYASAT (Punjab Update Bureau). Sikh Genocide 1984: Amnesty International India petition demands Justice for victims BUT terms it as ‘riots’. Punjab Update Bureau, 25 Oct. 2014. Web. 12 Nov 2014. Singh, Parmjit. UK had helped India to prepare June 1984 attack on Sikhs, reveals Secret British documents released after 30 years. SIKH SIYASAT NEWS – Special News. 13 Jan. 2014. Web. 12 Nov 2014. 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