1984 Sikh “Genocide” Case Presented To US Department of State

New York, United States: In order to secure support for the 1984 “Genocide” Petition, the rights group “Sikh for Justice” (SFJ) met the representatives from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Office of India Affairs; Office of Religious Freedom and the Office of Legal Advisor of the US Department of State. The Rights Group, in support of the Genocide Petition submitted a legal brief, statements of survivors and the newly the discovered evidence since 2011 such as mass graves in Hondh-Chillar, Haryana and other States of India. On December 15, a Petition with more than 46000 signatures was tabled before Obama Administration urging to recognize the organized violence perpetrated against Sikhs during November 1984 as “Genocide”.

During the meeting with the US Department of State, the rights group presented Official Records of Government of India showing that a total of 35,000 claims of deaths and serious injuries were filed by Sikhs who sustained genocidal attacks during November 1984. Out of which more than 20,000 claims were from attacks that took place in the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir; Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

According to attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ “the recent discoveries of mass graves and ruins of Sikh localities clearly show that the violence against Sikhs during November 1984 is “Genocide” as per article 2 of the Genocide Convention and White House is under obligation to recognize the same.” The evidence submitted by SFJ to the Department of State will help the US Government in making a determination regarding Sikh Genocide and rights group will continue to submit this evidence to members of US Congress.

“Contrary to what is commonly portrayed, November 1984 was not the result of a spontaneous reaction of the masses on the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. It was rather an organized, deliberate and politically engineered action by Congress leaders that unleashed a nightmare of violence against the Sikh community of India on November 01, 1984 which continued unabated for at least next four days” added attorney Pannun.

The Sikh Genocide Petition is expected to get a response from US Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. The Bureau deals with issues relating to the international human rights violations and crimes against humanity.

Source:Support@sikhs for justice.org