1984 anti-Sikh riots

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The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also known as the 1984 Sikh massacre, were a series of organised pogroms against Sikhs in India following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Government estimates were that about 2,800 Sikhs were killed in Delhi and 3,350 nationwide, whilst other sources estimate the number of deaths at about 8,000–17,000. The assassination of Indira Gandhi had taken place after she had ordered Operation Blue Star, a military action in June 1984 to secure the Golden Temple, a Sikh temple complex in Amritsar, Punjab, which is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism. The operation led to a deadly battle with armed Sikh groups demanding greater rights and autonomy for Punjab, resulting in the deaths of many pilgrims. Sikhs worldwide had criticised the army action and many saw it as an assault on their religion and identity. In the aftermath of the pogroms, the government reported that 20,000 Sikhs had fled the city; the People's Union for Civil Liberties reported...

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