On June 3, an international conference dedicated to the Indian government's repressive policies against ethnic minorities will be held in Baku, organized by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG).
The conference is titled "June 1984, Amritsar Events: India's Transnational Repression against Ethnic Minorities in the Context of Genocide."
For the first time, representatives of the Dalit community, who suffer from systematic discrimination by the Indian government, will participate. The event will also feature prominent representatives of the Sikh community from Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, and the USA, as well as think tank leaders, human rights experts, and direct victims of repression.
Discussions will focus on keeping India's transnational repression and systematic persecution of Sikh and Dalit diasporas on the international agenda. The conference will also aim to strengthen coordinated cooperation among affected diaspora organizations, enhance joint legal defense mechanisms, and exchange ideas for joint action on international platforms. Additionally, legal assessment of the armed attacks and violence against the Sikh community during the June 1984 Amritsar events, which resulted in thousands of civilian deaths, will be discussed, along with India's compliance with its international obligations regarding minority rights.
In early June 1984, the Indian government launched an armed assault on the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, one of the holiest sites for the Sikh community. According to reports from international NGOs, independent sources, and witness testimonies, up to eight thousand civilians died in Amritsar and surrounding areas.
It is noteworthy that in March of this year, BIG and Sikh Federation International jointly published a report titled "Crossing Borders: India's Transnational Repression against the Sikh Diaspora," documenting these facts.
On June 2, conference guests will visit the Ateshgah Temple complex, where they will learn about the rich historical and cultural heritage of the temple, visited by Sikh merchants and pilgrims from India in the 17th-18th centuries, as well as by Sikhism founder Guru Nanak.
