“Nothing has changed for Sikhs since 1984”: Reaction to India #FarmersProtest attacks
Sikhs across the world shared hurt, frustration and defiance as images of mainly Sikh protesters being attacked by Indian police, hand-in-hand with Indian nationalist mobs, went viral.
Yesterday (29.01.21), in what seemed a coordinated move, Indian police and Indian nationalists mobs began assaulting protesters in their protest camp sites, where up until now, things have been relatively peaceful.
The attacks by police seemed to have started approximately 24 hours earlier, when reports of a midnight lathi (police stick) charge against sleeping protesters at the Ghazipur camp broke. This sustained attack on the Ghazipur site, which included blocking drinking water from the sites, continued into the next day.
The attacks were happening at the same time as thousands more farmers and supporters of the protest joined the movement, with a particularly big influx from Haryana. Indian Government response to this was to shut down internet in the whole of Haryana until 30.01.21 5pm.
However, the government did not shut down the influx of hundreds of Indian nationalist mobs on the camps that caused the biggest stir. The mobs were aided by the police in attacking protesters and damaging property, and then destroying empty camp sites. It was revealed that BJP figures were seen leading the mobs. In case their intentions were unclear, one of the mobsters specifically stated they would use violence against protesters. In evidence of the fact these attacks were largely Sikh focused, the nationalist mobs also formed outside of the historic Sis Ganj Sahib Gurdwara in Delhi, not far from the protest camps.
The nationalists were soon able to single out protesters and the brutal, bloody attacks began, with support from police. Images of these attacks went viral in Sikh circles.
The acts of coordinated violence by Indian police and Hindutva mobs aimed at Sikhs triggered distressing memories of the 1984 Sikh genocide for many.
It was made clear though, the spirit of the Sikh resistance at the #FarmersProtest remains.
As countless Sikhs displayed their disgust and frustration about India’s continued tyranny, others also worked to try to address the situation. Sikh legal advocacy organisations Khalra Mission and Punjab Disappeared, led by India based barrister Satnam Singh, held a press conference in Amritsar on the attack. The group released a statement in which they called what happened a “draconian attack on their fundamental right to protest”.
A conglomerate of 23 Sikh orgs, including leadership groups such as the Sikh Assembly and Sikh Council UK and some of the biggest Gurdwaras in the UK, also signed a joint letter to UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab requesting them to “raise these matters urgently to the Indian government”, regarding Sikh community distress about the police-mob attacks.
A template for a letter people can send to their local MP in the UK to have the issue addressed governmentally has also been created at http://bit.ly/FarmersProtestsOpenLetter. Sikh Federation UK also offered a template of their letter to Raab online, whilst the World Sikh Org urged Canadians to contact their MPs about the situation.
Meanwhile, diaspora Sikh politicians themselves have spoken, with condemnation against India authorities’ attacks coming from Preet Kaur Gill and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (both UK Labour), as well as Jagmeet and Gurratan Singh (Canada NDP).
Non-Sikh political figures have also spoken out, mainly from the US.
Post the disturbing attacks, more info began coming out about the false narratives being pushed by Indian authorities to justify their violence against peaceful protesters.
A worrying and continuing occurrence is the fact journalists have been reported as being arrested or removed from/not allowed in protest sites. This has become more enforced by police since yesterday.
The legal status and wellbeing of many that were arrested by police in the last few days, including those publicly beaten yesterday, is a great cause of concern for many. Some Sikh orgs are helping with legal support and more.
Aside from comparisons to the 1984 Sikh genocide, some are also highlighting these types of attacks are continuing trend of Indian authorities for minority communities in the country.
For regular updates on the situation, Sikh PA suggest following-
Saving Punjab
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