#NeverForget1984 trends in the West but Sikh human rights continue to be violated

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As Sikhs worldwide remember the atrocities orchestrated by the Indian state in June 1984, issues regarding freedom, censorship and state propaganda continue to plague the Sikh community.

A unified effort by Sikhs in the west to promote awareness of the injustices of the 1984 Sikh genocide saw the hashtag #NeverForget1984 appear in the top trends list on Twitter in the UK, Canada and United States.


Popular Sikh figures such as Canadian politician Gurratan Singh, television host Lily Singh and rapper Fateh Doe contributed to the rising awareness of the hashtag, as Twitter users around who previously knew nothing of the Sikh genocide came to learn of the atrocities committed across India in 1984.


However, while Sikhs were heartened by the increase in awareness on Twitter, rival social media sites Instagram and Facebook took steps to stifle awareness of the tragedy.

Sikh educational organisation Sikh 2 Inspire noted that the hashtag #Sikh was no longer appearing in Instagram’s search results.

The rationale behind this censorship is unclear, but commentators online are suggesting that the Indian government may have applied pressure on the platforms, in an attempt to deflect attention away from the genocide of Sikhs that it orchestrated in 1984 and subsequent years.

When the hashtag was searched on Facebook, a notice appeared that read: “Keeping Our Community Safe: Posts with #sikh are currently hidden here. Some content on those posts goes against our community standards”. On Instagram, the notice read: “Posts for this hashtag are temporarily hidden because of unusual activity that may not meet Instagram’s community guidelines”.

Instagram claimed that the blocking of the hashtag was a “mistake”. However, after the hashtag had been unblocked, a search for it on the platform yielded far fewer results referencing the atrocities committed at the hands of the Indian government in 1984.

Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike have been astounded by this unprecedented level of censorship, and the Sikh community at large lost confidence in the integrity of these platforms.

Sikh PA has approached the comms teams of the social networking sites for a full explanation. In previous years, we have made ad-hoc complaints about Sikh censorship on social media, however last year we were presented with various examples of such censorship by Sikh activism group the National Sikh Youth Federation. This has led to a behind-the-scenes effort to open up lines of communication with the social networking sites, but this has as yet proven unfruitful.

In the world of politics, chief minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh criticised “extremism” regarding the Sikh separatist movement, claiming that it is backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and “Khalistani sympathisers” in Canada, Italy, and the UK. However, the huge annual outpouring of emotion from Sikhs worldwide about the tragedy of 1984 that happens each year is independent of the Khalistan movement and motivated by the pain still felt by a community traumatised by their genocide.

Meanwhile Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, the UK’s first turban-wearing Sikh MP, brought up the 1984 Sikh genocide in British Parliament and called for an independent inquiry into Britain’s role in the Operation Blue Star attack.

“This week marks 36 years since then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi ordered her abhorrent attack on the most revered Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar,” he said.

“It eventually led, under media blackout, to the destruction of historic structures, the genocide of the Sikhs and the burning of the Sikh Reference Library, and that is why Sikhs can never forget 1984.”

He added that the struggle from those events is still ongoing, and asked for an explanation from the government for why there has still not been an independent inquiry into Britain’s involvement in the attack despite recent revelations, and calls from the British Sikh community and opposition parties.

Jacob Rees Mogg, leader of the House of Commons, responded by saying that a debate may potentially be held on the matter, but stated his personal belief Margaret Thatcher, British prime minister at the time, “would always have behaved properly”.

The oppression of Sikhs continued in India where, throughout the week commemorating the 36th anniversary of the Sikh genocide of 1984, Punjab police have banned Sikhs from entering Sri Harimandir Sahib with a Kirpan (sacred sword).

A Kirpan is an essential article of faith that every practicing Sikh is commanded to keep on their person at all times. In enacting this measure, police have committed a violation of international human rights and freedom of religious expression by restricting access to the holiest shrine to Sikhs simply for adhering to their faith.

The Punjab Police force also tightened security around the complex and restricted access into the central Gurdwara. They said that they took the measure due to clashes between SGPC workers and pro-Khalistan activists in the Gurdwara complex in previous years.

The police in Punjab are also attempting to crack down on Sikhs observing this period of mourning in their own homes. Sikhs whom they suspect of observing or commemorating the Sikh genocide in their homes were arrested and have had their properties raided. The crackdown was supported by the Indian Anti-Terrorism Squad.

One such arrest was of 32-year-old Sikh man Tirath Singh, who was arrested by Punjab police after he was found in possession of posters of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale at his residence.

Punjab police claim that his crime was supporting the Khalistan movement on social media, so they tracked him down and apprehended him. He is currently being detained and questioned.

Meanwhile, a reporter from India Today, a news outlet with a track record of publishing defamatory information about Sikhs, was spotted in London taking photos of a poster displayed outside Europe’s most visited Gurdwara of respected Taksal leader Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale.

Loveena Tandon, who has previously attended Sikh protest events with intentions to provoke the Sikh sangat (congregation), wrote: “The gurdwara located at Havelock Road in Southhall(sic) recently put up the picture of the militant leader.”

It may be noted that photos of Sikh freedom fighters including Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale have been on display in and outside of Gurdwaras, and even on billboards in cities, for several years. Tandon accused Sant Ji of “taking lives in the name of Sikhism”.

However, she also acknowledged that the same Sikhs she has been criticising throughout her career and labelling as extremists, were seen wearing jackets with Khalistan logos, on the premises of the gurdwara, giving out food parcels to those in need during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Sikhs will gather this Sunday, 7th June 2020, in central London for the annual remembrance march and freedom rally led by British-Sikh NGO Sikh Federation UK. Social distancing protocols will be in place and numbers controlled.

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