Sikhs protest in New Zealand against India over 1980s massacre

The Sikh Khalistan movement staged a protest in New Zealand against Indian authorities over the 1980s Sikh massacre.

The protestors raised the flags of the Khalistan movement and they also shouted slogans against the Indian government.

Addressing the protesters, the leaders emphasized the need for justice for the Sikhs and called for the establishment of Khalistan province for the community's freedom from Indian rule.

During the demonstration, the protesters also tore the Indian flags. The Sikhs vowed to intensify the Khalistan movement and expose Indian conspiracies at the international level.

During the protest, the violent incidents that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 were recalled.

The Sikh massacre was a series of organised pogroms against Sikhs in India following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, which took place after she had ordered Operation Blue Star in 1984.

 The operation had resulted in a deadly battle with armed Sikh groups who were demanding greater rights and autonomy for Punjab and the deaths of many pilgrims.

In the aftermath of the pogroms, the government reported that 20,000 Sikhs fled the city while hundreds of persons were displaced.  The most affected regions were the Sikh neighbourhoods of Delhi – the capital of India.