More about the November 1984 Riots

Killing, looting, and burning of the Sikhs and their property occurred in every state except Punjab, where there were hundreds of thousands of army personnel stationed. [source: The Sikhs in History by Sangat Singh]
Sikh places of worship were sought out to be destroyed and Sikh religious texts and literature, including the Adi Granth, holy book of the Sikhs, were defecated upon. [source: The Sikhs in History by Sangat Singh and Misra Commission]

There were two phases to the operation and rioting in New Delhi:
Phase 1- spreading of false propaganda against the Sikhs by the police to raise the levels of fear and hate against the Sikhs and make the atrocities against them seem acceptable.
Phase 2- Bringing of groups of armed men to at least ten different sections of New Delhi. After this phase, the government allowed the situation to get out of control for over two days before putting an end to the rioting and pogroms. [source: Who are the Guilty? ]
Police not only stood aside and watched as people were killed, but actively participated in the looting and killing and even disarmed and killed those Sikhs who were trying to defend themselves. [source: Who are the Guilty? ]

Many hundreds of Sikh families were destroyed, while the men were killed and the women gang raped.
A pregnant women was stabbed and a large number of Sikhs were made to pay to get themselves shaven or face death. [source: Who are the Guilty? ]
The police drove around in jeeps equipped with loudspeakers not only spreading false propaganda, but also telling the Sikhs that they should go to their houses (setting them up for sure destruction) and that the police could no longer assure their safety. [source: Who are the Guilty? ]
Women survivors told of how their children were ripped apart, the men and boys made to cut their hair, and the women raped. Then the men and boys were beaten up and burnt alive. [source: Who are the Guilty? ]
Sikh passengers on buses and trains were stopped at the station, dragged outside and either thrown on the tracks or burnt. [source: Who are the Guilty?
Although the number of dead will never be truly known, the serious estimates range between one thousand [PUCL] to six thousand [Khushwant Singh] dead in Delhi alone and 12, 000 to 20, 000 dead Sikhs nationwide, with violence in Bihar and other states topped only by the carnage in Delhi. [source: The Sikhs in History by Sangat Singh]

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