1984 |

"The U.S. government has moved quietly and aggressively to prevent undocumented Indians from entering the United States, many of whom are Sikhs fleeing political repression or economic collapse at home." (Source: Buzzfeed News)

The journey of Punjab’s issues to America’s front door

February 3, 2016 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

David Noriega and John Templon write in Buzzfeed News about detention of Punjabi Sikhs at US borders who are seeking asylum. This well-written and comprehensive article connects the dots to the legacy of issues plaguing Punjab and its people today.

Categories: 1984, Civil Rights, News Bits • Tags: 1984, 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms, Buta Singh, Buzzfeed News, David Noriega, farmer suicides, Immigration, John Templon, Operation Blue Star, Punjab police, trafficking

"Mourning Chants" by cartoonist Vishavjit Singh. (Source: sikhtoons.com)

Picture of the Day: “Mourning Chants” by Vishavjit Singh

November 4, 2014 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Cartoonist (and often Captain America) Vishavjit Singh of Sikhtoons has created a cartoon documenting the timeline of the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom orchestrated by Indian government officials against Sikhs in New Delhi, India, and other places across the country. This week marks the 30th anniversary of the orchestrated genocide of Sikhs in which thousands of innocent men, women and children were slaughtered in the streets of New Delhi in a matter of just days, and for whom justice has been denied since. The phrase […]

Categories: 1984 • Tags: 1984, 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms, 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Sikh genocide, Sikhtoons, Vishavjit Singh

1984 Living History Project to launch “Reclaim the Flames” campaign

October 31, 2014 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The 1984 Living History Project, a grassroots initiative that is creating a video archive of testimonials and experiences related to the events of 1984 in India, is embarking on a campaign in November called “Reclaim the Flames” (#ReclaimtheFlames): Thanks to the participation of volunteers and sangats around the world during this thirtieth anniversary year of 1984, #1984LivingHistory Project has collected powerful and diverse videos. Beyond the known facts of November 1984, what else do these accounts tell us? What else can we learn? […]

Categories: 1984 • Tags: #ReclaimtheFlames, 1984, 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms, 1984 anti-Sikh riots, 1984 Living History Project, Operation Blue Star, Operation Bluestar

RETROSPECTIVE: “Sikhs Tortured for Religious Beliefs” by Ajit Mann (1986)

October 31, 2014 by American Turban Guest Contributor

Sikhs Tortured for Religious Beliefs By Ajit Maan (Originally published on July 17, 1986) Cultural theorist Ajit Maan was an undergraduate student when she wrote her article for the Kansas State University newspaper, The Collegian. Nearly 30 years later, as we recognize the 30th anniversary of the anti-Sikh pogrom in India in which thousands of Sikhs were massacred in India in a matter of days, she shares that article with American Turban and reflects upon how the violence of 1984 affected […]

Categories: 1984 • Tags: 1984, Ajit Mann, anti-Sikh pogroms, anti-Sikh riots, Operation Blue Star, Operation Bluestar

1984 through Indian Eyes: Part II — Amu by Shonali Bose

July 9, 2014 by American Turban Guest Contributor

1984 through Indian Eyes: Literary Accounts of Operation Blue Star and the Anti-Sikh Pogroms By Lori Way Part II – Amu by Shonali Bose In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Operation Bluestar in Amritsar, India, in June, 1984, and the anti-Sikh pogroms that took place the following November in New Delhi, Lori Way continues her series of essays discussing works of literature focusing upon these events. You can read the first article in her series, in which she discusses Amandeep […]

Categories: 1984, Literature, TV/Movies • Tags: 1984, Amu, Lori Way, Operation Blue Star, Operation Bluestar, Shonali Bose

1984 through Indian Eyes: Part I – Roll of Honour by Amandeep Sandhu

June 6, 2014 by American Turban Guest Contributor

1984 through Indian Eyes: Literary Accounts of Operation Blue Star and the Anti-Sikh Pogroms By Lori Way Part I – Roll of Honour by Amandeep Sandhu As we look back upon the 30th anniversary of the June 1984 attack on the Golden Temple at Amritsar, many Sikhs and non-Sikhs around the world will remember this event and the massacre of Sikhs that followed later that year as some of the most brutal acts of violence within India’s recent history. In […]

Categories: 1984, Literature • Tags: 1984, Amandeep Sandhu, Lori Way, Operation Blue Star, Operation Bluestar, Roll of Honour

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill lay a wreath at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi on July 23. Gandhi's granddaughter, Tara Gandhi, is at right. (Source: Deccan Chronicle)

The Veep visits India

July 24, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

As Vice President Joe Biden visits India this week, I was reminded of President Barack Obama’s visit to India in late 2010, in which he avoided visiting the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, Punjab, a site which reportedly draws up to a hundred thousand of visitors per day, not including Presidents of the United States. For a well-known location which has such appeal to Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike and to residents of and visitors to India, it was noteworthy that […]

Categories: 1984, Politics • Tags: 1984, 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Amritsar, anti-Sikh pogroms, Barack Obama, Darbar Sahib, drug trade, drugs, Golden Temple, Harmandir Sahib, Joe Biden, Mahatma Gandhi, November 1984, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF, Vice President of the United States

In a process that took 30 years, Sajjan Kumar, a leader in India's Congress Party, was recently acquitted in the case implicating his involvement in the anti-Sikh pogroms in 1984. Five co-accused were convicted.(source: Live Mint)

The Indian Disconnect

May 21, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

About two months ago, I observed the continuing engagement by representatives of the Indian government with the Sikh American community, which in that instance took the form of an exhibition on Sikh heritage in Atlanta, Georgia, sponsored by the Government of India. This exhibit has just recently been presented in Washington, D.C., as well, and it is consistent with increased engagement and activity related to the Sikh American community — be it directly, or through lobbying of US officials — […]

Categories: 1984, Civil Rights, Politics • Tags: 1984, 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Government of India, November 1984, Sajjan Kumar

A poster for the film "Sadda Haq" at an American movie theater.

Keeping the untold story untold

April 5, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The Punjabi film “Sadda Haq” (loosely translated as “our rights”) — telling a story about the insurgency in Punjab, India, during the 1980s and 1990s — opens today around the world. Not so ironically, the film has just been banned by the Punjab government, the land in which the film is set. “The Punjab government has imposed ban on the screening of movie ‘Saada Haq’ till further orders. This step has been taken to maintain communal harmony in the state,” […]

Categories: 1984, TV/Movies • Tags: 1984, anti-Sikh pogroms, Ensaaf, Government of India, Sadda Haq, Sikh genocide petition, Sikhs for Justice, White House

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: 1984