BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 16. Operation Blue
Star marked the beginning of the Khalistan movement, Ramesh Singh
Arora, Punjab’s Minister of Human Rights and Minorities, said at an
international conference titled “Racism and Violence Against Sikhs
and Other National Minorities in India: Current Realities” in Baku
today, Trend
reports.


According to him, the deep-rooted nature of violence against
Sikhs is due to a combination of political opportunism, state
repression, and the denial of Sikh identity and national
aspirations.


"It is enough to read Article 25(b) of the Indian Constitution
for this. That is, under constitutional law, the identity of Sikhs
is effectively erased," he emphasized.


The minister noted that the Indian Army’s attack on the Golden
Temple, the holiest shrine of Sikhs, during the 1984 Operation Blue
Star, is a clear example of this:


"This event caused deep wounds in the collective consciousness
of the Sikh community and also marked the beginning of the
Khalistan movement, i.e., the idea of full freedom and sovereignty.
From that point on, the struggle shifted from a demand for greater
autonomy for Punjab to a fight for complete independence. The
assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984,
became an excuse for the events that followed. Genocide took place
in Delhi and other cities: armed mobs, provided with selective
lists by politicians, attacked Sikh families' homes, burned Sikh
men alive, killed children, and raped women. This was a
continent-wide attempt by the Indian state to complete the genocide
process it had initiated," Arora recalled.







He noted that, even after more than 40 years, those responsible
for the violence remain unpunished:


"Real legal justice has not been provided for the victims of the
1984 genocide to this day. In this regard, India’s presentation of
this 'truth' to the world is questionable.


India has referred to this historical period as a 'riot'.
However, a riot implies a confrontation between two equal sides. In
this case, it involves the mobilization of the full machinery of a
powerful state: selective lists were given to violent mobs, the
police either stood by doing nothing or participated in the
violence, and the army and security forces were not deployed to
restore peace," the Punjab official added.


Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News
Agency's WhatsApp channel