Reflections on the 1984 Anti-Sikh Pogroms

The Wiener Library and the City Sikhs Network (CSN) is honoured to host Professor Swaran P. Singh as a speaker as part of the programming for the exhibition ‘The 1984 Anti-Sikh Pogroms Remembered’.

Swaran Singh experienced first hand the 1984 killings that followed the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi. He witnessed the immediate aftermath of the carnage, the ‘institutional’ nature of the mass killings, the repeated failure of the Government to deliver justice, the collective desire amongst non-Sikhs to justify the massacre and the cycle of violence that worsened in neighboring Punjab. In the following years, he ran a clinic for the child survivors, trained to become a psychiatrist, studied the psychological aspects of militancy and explored its flip side: self-immolation as political protest. In the 30 years since, he has maintained an active interest in Human Rights, including charity work for areas blighted by ethnic violence worldwide. In this talk he will reflect upon the long-term psychological outcomes of ethnic violence, exemplified by his recent return to meet the survivors of 1984.

Admission is free, but booking is essential as space is limited.

Professor Swaran P Singh is head of the Division of Mental Health and Wellbeing, University of Warwick. He is also a Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, mandated by the UK Parliament.

The event will be chaired by Jasvir Singh, Chair of the City Sikhs Network (CSN).