NDP Statement on the 38th Anniversary of the 1984 Sikh Genocide

Jagmeet Singh, Leader of Canada's NDP, issued the following statement to remember the 1984 Golden Temple Invasion:

This month, New Democrats mark the 38th anniversary of the invasion of the Darbar Sahib Complex and dozens of other Gurdwaras in Punjab, India by the Indian Government.

I wish to personally extend my sympathies to the families who lost loved ones during the state-sanctioned attacks, and all those who were victims of the brutal repression that followed, which included forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture and secret and illegal mass state cremations.

New Democrats and Sikhs remember the painful marks left on survivors of this genocide, and we continue to stand in firm solidarity in calling for a full rendering of accounts during these tragic events. We echo the calls of human rights advocates pursuing the truth about the state-imposed media blackout, the killing and detention of innocent civilians, the deliberate destruction of the Sikh Reference Library, and the barring of access to human rights and humanitarian groups such as the Red Cross, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and United Nations Human Rights Reporters.

In the aftermath of such atrocities, we have a duty to seek answers, accountability, and justice on behalf of those who still live with this trauma, Canadians and non-Canadians alike.

This month, as Canadians recall the tragic events of June 1984, we remember the victims and the families who suffered such grave violence – and we honour them with our recommitment to seek justice.

Lest we forget.