1984 Sikh Massacre · Sikh Massacre 1984

Culture of origin: Sikh · Historical

Holiday sources: Sikhism

After Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, on October 31, 1984, organised mobs killed Sikhs in Delhi and in other cities and states until November 3. India's government counted about 2,800 dead in Delhi and 3,350 nationwide; other estimates run from 8,000 to 17,000. The Nanavati Commission found that local Congress party leaders and workers had incited or helped the mobs and that the Delhi Police did not protect the victims; in 2018 the Delhi High Court sentenced the Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment. The Akal Takht calls it a genocide, and the SGPC holds a remembrance at the Golden Temple each year in early November.