Baku Initiative Group calls Amritsar turning point in India's ethnic repression policy

BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 3. The Amritsar events of 1984 reflected the real attitude and approach towards ethnic minorities in India and became a turning point in the history of the policy of repression and discrimination against ethnic minorities in India, Executive Director of the Baku Initiative Group Abbas Abbasov told reporters, Trend reports.

He made the remark on the sidelines of an international conference titled "June 1984, events in Amritsar: India's transnational repression of ethnic minorities in the context of genocide", held at Baku State University.

According to the executive director, after these events, unfortunately, about 5 million members of the Sikh community were forced to leave the country. They began their legitimate struggle by creating large diaspora organizations in the U.S., UK, and Canada.

"Later, the policy of repression and discrimination began to be applied by the Indian government beyond the borders of the country. Unfortunately, instead of dialogue and negotiations at the table, they preferred a policy of transnational repression against the Sikh community. At a later stage, this approach began to be extended to other ethnic minorities and people belonging to lower castes."

Abbasov added that the newly signed memorandum will regulate the relations to be established at the academic level between the Sikh International Federation and the Baku Initiative Group.

"Cooperation in the protection of the rights of ethnic minorities should not be limited to political and economic spheres. This cooperation should also be developed in the fields of science, education, and academic activities. That is why we will further strengthen the activities we will carry out at the academic level through this memorandum."

Abbasov recalled that since 2026, initial contacts have been established with the Dalit community, and the first discussions have been held.

"In the coming months, we will present to the public the joint projects we will implement with the Dalit community. Dalits are also a group that is subject to ethnic and social discrimination. Unfortunately, they have been facing repression and discrimination for many years. Their number is approximately 320 million. Despite this, the Indian government continues to discriminate and repressive measures against them today," he added.