November 1984 massacre of Sikhs

Attacks began in Delhi on the evening of 31 October. The Nanavati Commission of Inquiry says that most deaths came on 1 and 2 November and that violence continued until 5 November. It describes Sikh men dragged from their homes, beaten and burned alive, some with tyres around their necks, and shops and homes looted and burned. Bokaro, Chas and Kanpur were also badly affected, and the Home Minister reported deaths in other parts of the country.

The Commission's report is titled with the phrase 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots. Its text uses riots throughout, and also massacre and organized carnage. Human Rights Watch writes of pogroms. This page uses massacre, a word the official report itself uses. The word chosen often reflects a view of who was responsible.

Two official inquiries reached different conclusions. The Mishra Commission reported in 1986 that a spontaneous reaction turned into riots through anti-social elements and police passivity, and ruled out the Congress(I) as a party while finding that some members took part on their own. The Nanavati Commission reported in 2005 that attacks from 1 November were organised, that many affidavits pointed to local Congress(I) leaders and workers inciting or helping the mobs, and that there was no evidence that Rajiv Gandhi or other high-ranking leaders suggested or organised them. Both criticised the police.

Unofficial reports went further. A joint report by the PUDR and PUCL in November 1984 alleged a plan involving senior Congress(I) politicians and officials, and Human Rights Watch says senior politicians and police orchestrated the attacks. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh apologised in Parliament in August 2005. The Delhi High Court gave former MP Sajjan Kumar a life sentence in 2018, and he received a second in 2025. He died in August 2026 while serving his sentence.[Src][Src][Web][Web][Web][Web][Web]