Sikhs to march for campaign against killings

London, UK: Members of Banbury’s Sikh community will join peaceful protests in London on June 9 as campaigners fight for justice following killings in India more than 20 years ago.

The Golden Temple attacks in 1984 saw many Sikh men, women and children killed with no prosecutions being made – and thousands of Sikhs have been marching through the capital to raise awareness of the incident ever since. Manvir Singh lives in Waller Drive, Banbury and works as a chaplain at Bullingdon Prison near Bicester.

He has been attending the rallies for the past ten years, and said: “About 30,000-60,000 people attended last year and sometimes we see other politicians join in the rallies because they believe that what has happened is wrong.

“This is something we Sikhs feel very strongly about, and there are many families in the area who have been affected by this incident.” The 1984 incident, known as the Sikh genocide or Operation Blue Star, resulted in 11,000 deaths following the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.

A coach has been organised to leave from Leamington, with about 30 to 40 people from Banbury attending.

Mr Singh said: “We will be going to make our voices heard, and become the voice of the voiceless. I have been really impressed by the support and the rallies are getting bigger and bigger each year.”

Source: Banbury Guardian.Co.UK