On January 16, the international conference “Racism and Violence against Sikhs and other National Minorities in India: Current Realities” dedicated to the repressive policy of the Indian government against ethnic minorities will be held for the first time in Azerbaijan, organized by the Baku Initiative Group.
Elchi.az reports that the event will be attended by Ramesh Singh Arora, Minister of Human Rights and Minorities of Punjab Province, and other officials, as well as influential representatives of the Sikh community from Canada, Great Britain and the USA, as well as heads of think tanks, scholars working in the field of human rights and ethnic minorities of foreign universities, and people who are direct victims of the repressive, racist and persecution policies of the Indian government.
The conference will discuss the racial discrimination, violence and repressive policies systematically pursued by the Indian government against Sikhs and other ethnic minorities, in particular, the gross violation of the Indian government’s obligations under the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention against Torture in relation to ethnic minorities.
Discussions will be held on keeping the real situation on the agenda of international organizations and making appropriate decisions, in particular, the possibility of investigating the violated rights of ethnic minorities in India by the UN Human Rights Committee, executions carried out without court decisions, and documenting human rights violations and international monitoring by UN special rapporteurs.
The role of international and local non-governmental organizations and academic circles in this process, the impact of their reports, legal opinions and recommendations on international decision-making mechanisms will be discussed.
It should be noted that Sikhism originated in the 15th century and in its doctrine promotes complete equality among all people, regardless of caste, gender, and language, and therefore strictly rejects the traditional Hindu caste system. The total number of the Sikh community in India is more than approximately 25 million. Sikhs mainly live in the state of Punjab, which is considered the main agricultural region of India.
Reports submitted to international organizations by non-governmental organizations and independent experts state that as a result of armed raids and repressive policies carried out by Indian law enforcement agencies, 8,000–17,000 Sikhs were killed in 1984 alone, and more than 50,000 Sikh members fled to foreign countries to escape persecution by the Indian government. In 1980–1990, thousands of members of the Sikh community in Punjab were kidnapped or abducted, and at the same time, they were killed with fabricated charges without trial. Currently, Sikh activists demanding their rights are arrested on charges of “separatism” or “espionage”, and police raids in Punjab continue to increase. Terrorist acts have been organized against Sikh activists living abroad, and official institutions in Canada and the USA have accused the Indian special services of committing these terrorist acts.
It should be reminded that the vast majority of the members of the escaped Sikh community are currently settled in Canada, Great Britain, the USA and Australia. They demand justice against the political repressions that continue in India today.
The Sikh community demands that the Indian government officially recognize the 1984 anti-Sikh massacres as genocide, create a new independent commission of inquiry, bring the organizers of the genocide to justice, and clarify the fate of thousands of forcibly disappeared persons in Punjab in 1980-1990 and punish the perpetrators, demands the release of illegally arrested Sikh activists and granting them political prisoner status. The expansion of Punjab’s autonomy includes a ban on interference by the central government in governance. In addition, it is demanded that transnational repressions against Sikh activists abroad, including assassinations and threats, be stopped, international investigations be allowed, as well as the Indian government officially apologize for the 1984 massacres and pay compensation to the victims.