Genocide, Eight Stages of Genocide and Sikh Genocide 1984: Parmjeet Singh's Speech During Seminar

Patiala: A seminar dedicated to the memory of those killed during Sikh genocide of November 1984 was organised by students of Punjabi University, Patiala. The topic of the seminar was “on the “Sikh Genocide 1984”.

Senior journalist and author of the book “Gujarat Files” Rana Ayub, Sikh historian Bhai Ajmer Singh, and Editor of Sikh Siyasat News (SSN) Parmjeet Singh were the main speakers during this event.

During this seminar Parmjeet Singh presented his paper on topic “Genocide and the Sikh Genocide 1984”. He threw light on the term “genocide” as coined by a Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin to define the practise of genocide. Parmjeet Singh explained as to how the term genocide conceived its meaning, was generalised and was recognized as a ‘crime of all crimes’ under the international law.

He quoted genocide scholar Gregory H. Stanton’s research about the “Eight Stages of Genocide” to lay stress on the fact that the November 1984 massacres of Sikhs in India were in fact a ‘genocide’. Along with the two Ghalugharas (Holocausts) suffered by the Sikhs in the 18th century, the Sikh Genocide of November 1984 has attained place as the third major Ghallughara of the Sikh history. He said that this heinous crime was committed in the so-called largest democracy on earth by active participation of the state apparatus.

He further laid stress to remember such cultural traumas and make that a part of collective psyche of the entire Sikh nation.