Organized by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), an international conference titled “June 1984, Amritsar Events: India’s Transnational Repression Against Ethnic Minorities in the Context of Genocide” will be held on June 3 at Baku State University, dedicated to the Indian government’s repressive policy against ethnic minorities.
According to the information provided to elchi by the Baku Initiative Group, representatives of the Dalit community, who suffer from the Indian government’s repressive and systematic discriminatory policies, will also participate in the events held in our country for the first time.
The event will also be attended by influential representatives of the Sikh community from Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, and the USA, as well as heads of think tanks, experts in the field of human rights and ethnic minorities, and individuals who are direct victims of the Indian government’s repressive, racist, and persecution policies.
The conference will discuss issues related to keeping the Indian government’s policy of transnational repression and systematic persecution against ethnic and religious minorities, particularly representatives of the Sikh and Dalit diasporas and their family members, on the agenda of international organizations. At the same time, an exchange of views will be held on strengthening coordinated cooperation among diaspora organizations affected by repressions, strengthening common legal defense mechanisms against transnational persecution, and joint activities on international platforms. In addition, discussions will be held on providing an international legal assessment of the armed attacks, acts of violence, and the death of thousands of innocent people carried out by India against the Sikh community and their religious-cultural values during the Amritsar events in June 1984, as well as on the Indian government’s compliance with its obligations to international organizations regarding the rights of ethnic minorities.
The armed attack carried out by the Indian government starting from early June 1984 against the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, considered one of the sacred religious sites of the Sikh community, is a state-organized act of violence directed against the religious-spiritual values, freedom of worship, and historical-cultural heritage of the Sikh community. Based on information collected from reports of international non-governmental organizations, independent sources, and witness testimonies, it is noted that up to 8,000 civilians lost their lives in Amritsar and surrounding cities as a result of the armed attack.
It should be noted that in March of this year, the report titled “Crossing Borders: India’s Transnational Repression Against the Sikh Diaspora,” jointly prepared by the Baku Initiative Group and the Sikh Federation International, reflected facts about the Indian government’s repressive policy against diaspora members living outside the country and the 1984 Amritsar events.