What lead to the Sikh Massacre in 1985, in India?

What led to the Sikh Massacre in 1985, in India?

In 1985 many Sikh families were killed by Hindus. There were violent riots in small and large Sikh communities around the country of India. Many young Sikhs did not understand why their fathers were being thrown into the streets and lit on fire, they did not understand why their mothers and sisters were being raped and killed, they also did not understand why their brothers were beginning to surrender their sacred turbans for the lives of their families.Today, as a young Sikh that lived through these events, I now understand why.

Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India at the time had turned anti-Sikh because Sikhs worldwide wanted their own country, Khalistan. Sikhs believed that if the Islamic community could have their own country of Pakistan and the Hindu community have their own country of Hindustan (India), then Sikhs should be able to have their own country as well.

Indira Gandhi is elected as the first female Prime...

A Nihang at Golden Temple, Amritsar (Harmandir Sah...

English: The Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) at ni...

Sikhs only wanted the land of Punjab, nothing more and nothing less. Indira Gandhi saw this as a threat because Punjab is one of the richest states in India and also, because Sikhs are the basis of the army of India.

Indira Gandhi then hired Jarnail (General) Singh Bhindrawale, a Sikh general of the Punjab Regime, to start a riot in the Sikh's holy temple, Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar. Bhindrawale, being a Sikh did not follow through with these orders and began the revolt against the Indian Army. After learning that Bhindrawale disobeyed Gandhi's orders, she then ordered the rest of the Indian army to go into the Golden Temple and begin mass killings of Sikhs. This was called Operation Blue Star.

After six months of killing innocent people and raping innocent girls, the Sikh community finally...