The Ghost of 1984 Sikh Genocide on Indian State Elections

Five Indian states are going into elections in Nov-Dec 2023. Kamal Nath, the Chief Minister aspirant from Madhya Pradesh, is contesting from his home constituency, Chhindwara. BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya raised the issue of Nath's involvement in New Delhi in the 1984 Sikh Genocide. Witnesses and journalists have attested to Nath being involved in the killing of Sikhs near Gurdwara Rakab Ganj; he has never been formally charged for the crime. Whether the BJP benefits from raising this issue or not, they are certainly a blot on the INC which it has not washed in the last 39 years. On 18 Oct, the National Commission for Minorities asked ten Indian state secretaries for a report on compensation granted to the 1984 victims. Hearings against another INC leader, Jagdish Tytler, in the Pul Bangash case are in progress in the courts. Meanwhile, in Delhi, the INC is pursuing widespread outreach in Sikh-dominated areas. Delhi state Congress President Arvinder Singh Lovely is expected to preside over 300-400 public meetings until December. One such meeting took place on 22 Oct and did see a large turnout by Sikhs. INC overtures and Sikh response is one part of the story. With Nath leading the INC campaign in Madhya Pradesh, Sikhs continue to be denied justice over 1984.