November 1, 2014 (New York, NY) – Thirty years ago, from October 31 – November 3, 1984, Sikhs were hunted and murdered, in the thousands, by government-orchestrated mobs in cities throughout India following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. As Manoj Mitta stated in his remarks at the U.S. Congressional briefing, “By any standards of the civilized world, Delhi 1984 is one of a kind, a monstrosity without a parallel.”
Harjinder Kaur
Although tens of thousands of Sikhs were killed between 1984 and 1994, many of their tragic stories remain untold and most of the perpetrators have not been held accountable. To that end, we supported the 1984 Living History Project, which is working to capture the stories of anti-Sikh violence in India during that time. This project seeks to build awareness of state-sponsored human rights violations, suppression of information and social trauma, while recognizing the survival and resilience of a people.
Today, on the 30th anniversary of the attacks, we urge you to listen to the stories of individuals from across the world as they recount their memories of 1984. For instance, there is the story of Harjinder Kaur. Harjinder courageously shares her family’s experience, including the brutal attack on her 16-year old son, husband, brother, nephew and father right in front of her eyes. And there is Gurpreet Kaur who describes her family’s story from June to November 1984.
Gurpreet Kaur
We can not achieve accountability without continuing to find ways to document and share the history of what happened. This project is one of the many ways that we can continue to work towards that goal. This is our responsibility. We encourage each of you to submit a video of yourself, a relative or friend who was affected by 1984. Interested in doing more? Consider setting up a recording studio to capture our history in your voice.
[Click here for details on how to submit a video and learn more.]