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1984: India's Guilty Secret
This shocking exposé of a true-life Orwellian plot of nightmarish proportions reveals the chilling events of November 1984 following Indira Gandhi's assassination, and the cover-up by the Indian Government. For over three days, armed mobs systematically butchered, torched and raped members of the Sikh community in Delhi and other places, unchecked. The sheer scale of the killings exceeded the combined civilian death tolls of other conflicts such as Tiananmen Square and 9/11. In Delhi alone 3,000 people were killed. Thirty-three years on, the full extent of what took place has yet to be fully acknowledged. Based on victim testimonies and official accounts, this book exposes how the largest mass crime against humanity in India's modern history was perpetrated by politicians and covered up with the help of the police, judiciary and media. A book that posits fundamental questions, it will shake you to the core.
295 pages, Paperback
Published November 20, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 6, 2018
It looks like perpetrators of 1984 riots would never be brought to justice. Gurcharan Singh Gill who lost his father and ten members of his family in 1984 riots says that if the 1984 victims had received justice, then people would not have dared to do the same in Gujarat in 2002. People responsible for the riots go on to become part of the government. And you can't fight the government. Well, riots are here to stay. There is a pattern to every riots. The political party responsible for the riots have always benefited in the elections. It's a powerful weapon and politicians are going to make use of it. These were my thoughts when I finished reading this book. This well researched book is a reminder why every Indian should feel ashamed of themselves when a riot breaks out in any corner of the country. And remember it will usually happen before the election.
June 10, 2020
➳ Raj
Whilst reading 1984 India’s Guilty Secret by Pav Singh it was impossible to not experience heart wrenching pain, with tears flowing down my face and left emotionally raw. The author put his heart and soul into his research, and allowed me as a reader to be fully immersed in the narrative of the November Delhi 1984 Sikh Genocide. Pages of fact-based evidence taken from eyewitness accounts delivered a chilling tale of human right violations, a corrupt and shameless government and its spider web of conspirators and participators consisting of; a revengeful prime minister, politicians, police, media, convicted thugs, backstabbing neighbours and the judiciary system. Not forgetting the hospitals and doctors who failed in their duty as institutes, as human beings and their profession by refusing medical assistance and hospital admittance to the Sikh victims, who died in agonising pain without medical aid whilst the Sikh Gurus taught them about compassion, and they encompassed this in their lives irrespective of religion. They all have Sikh blood on their hands.
In conclusion I thought I had understood everything about the 1984 Sikh Genocide, but upon reading this book the author opened up my eyes as to how far back, and deep the treachery actually went of all those involved prior to the Delhi November 1984 genocide. So much injustice carried out and worst to bare is knowing the ethnic cleansing of Sikhs didn’t stop after the November 1984 massacre, but it continued momentum with the fake encounters of Sikh males, and killings of women and children in Punjab.
This is why Sikhs want justice for their people, a kaum who had valiantly fought for a country they deemed as their own under false and broken promises. I highly recommend this book after all knowledge is power!
To the gallant people who risked their lives in helping Sikhs and saw humans being killed just for their identity, thank you for standing up against injustice!
Whilst reading 1984 India’s Guilty Secret by Pav Singh it was impossible to not experience heart wrenching pain, with tears flowing down my face and left emotionally raw. The author put his heart and soul into his research, and allowed me as a reader to be fully immersed in the narrative of the November Delhi 1984 Sikh Genocide. Pages of fact-based evidence taken from eyewitness accounts delivered a chilling tale of human right violations, a corrupt and shameless government and its spider web of conspirators and participators consisting of; a revengeful prime minister, politicians, police, media, convicted thugs, backstabbing neighbours and the judiciary system. Not forgetting the hospitals and doctors who failed in their duty as institutes, as human beings and their profession by refusing medical assistance and hospital admittance to the Sikh victims, who died in agonising pain without medical aid whilst the Sikh Gurus taught them about compassion, and they encompassed this in their lives irrespective of religion. They all have Sikh blood on their hands.
In conclusion I thought I had understood everything about the 1984 Sikh Genocide, but upon reading this book the author opened up my eyes as to how far back, and deep the treachery actually went of all those involved prior to the Delhi November 1984 genocide. So much injustice carried out and worst to bare is knowing the ethnic cleansing of Sikhs didn’t stop after the November 1984 massacre, but it continued momentum with the fake encounters of Sikh males, and killings of women and children in Punjab.
This is why Sikhs want justice for their people, a kaum who had valiantly fought for a country they deemed as their own under false and broken promises. I highly recommend this book after all knowledge is power!
To the gallant people who risked their lives in helping Sikhs and saw humans being killed just for their identity, thank you for standing up against injustice!
December 3, 2021
The 1980s was a difficult period in the history of the Indian state of Punjab. A few extremist elements among Sikh religious teachers flocked together to advocate secession from India and create a new theocratic state of Khalistan. Pakistan bankrolled the Khalistan movement in India and elsewhere in the West. Attacks against symbols of state power and targeted killings of minority Hindus became a daily routine in Punjab. The militant activities were coordinated by hardcore fighters who found safe haven in the Golden Temple, Sikhism’s holiest shrine. Compelled to deal a crippling blow to terrorism, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered the troops to enter the temple and flush out militants. The ringleaders were eliminated in the operation, but unfortunately the temple premises suffered considerable damage in the military maneuvers. The Sikh community was greatly aggrieved and four months later, on October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was shot dead by two Sikh bodyguards posted for her own security. The ruling Congress party was stung by the murder of their leader and its prominent leaders decided to punish all Sikhs for the misdeed of two persons from that community. For the next three days, Delhi and many parts of north India witnessed brutal attacks on innocent Sikhs. An estimated 8000 people were killed in the atrocities, which is equivalent to the civilian death tolls of the Northern Ireland conflict, Tiananmen Square and 9/11 combined. This book examines the pogrom by Congress workers who manipulated state machinery to ensure no conviction for the perpetrators from a judicial court of law. Pav Singh is settled in England and the son of Punjabi immigrants. He is a leading campaigner on the issues surrounding the 1984 massacres.
Indira was shot in the morning and her body was taken to AIIMS Hospital. The electronic media was totally under government control then and they did not report anything about the incident till afternoon. Rumours began to spread like wildfire. A serious one among them was how some Sikhs in Delhi celebrated the death with firecrackers and distributing sweets. The author claims this to be false, but there is a strong balance of probability that some incidents of rejoicing might have occurred. It is recorded that in London and other British cities, the expatriate Sikhs made a great show of joy and dance. Attacks on Sikhs started by that evening itself and its victims included no less a person than the Sikh head of state, President Giani Zail Singh. As his cavalcade approached the hospital gate, it was pelted with stones and a bodyguard’s turban was forcibly removed. This was child’s play when compared to what happened next. By the state-sanctioned complicity of enforcement agencies, large scale organized terror was unleashed on innocent people and spread throughout the capital and surrounding rural areas. The book is replete with gruesome descriptions of how people were killed and their property torched. Such graphic testimony of violent acts and sacrilege of holy books seem to be intentional to keep the flame of hatred alight in the hearts of Sikhs who have no memory of those times.
The complicity of Congress party leadership in the riots is a point the author repeatedly hammers home. The chain of guilt extends from the very top to the most bottom. The author notes that Rajiv Gandhi remarked on his arrival at the airport that the Sikhs must be taught a lesson. He also termed the riots as a natural response expected from an angered Indian populace. Even when the ferocity of the pogrom was fully exposed a short while later, Rajiv did not flinch a bit as observed in his public remark that when a mighty tree falls, it is only natural that the earth shakes a little. Prominent Congress leaders like HKL Bhagat, Arun Nehru and Jagdish Tytler met at the hospital and organized the violence. They also coined the rallying cry khoon ka badla khoon (blood for blood) which is clearly audible in the television footage aired from the hospital premises. Congress politicians brought mobs in busses who descended on Sikh neighbourhoods to carry out horrible crimes. The leaders openly walked alongside the mobs and cracked black jokes on the suffering Sikhs. Practically nobody was taken to task for their crimes. Any serious attempt to punish the guilty began only after the Congress was voted out of power. Commissions of enquiry were set up and incriminating reports published after two decades. When the Nanavati Commission report was tabled in parliament in 2005, Jagdish Tytler was a member of the Manmohan Singh ministry and Sajjan Kumar the chairman of Delhi Rural Development Board.
It is true that the society must be aware of the crimes committed on victims in riots of this nature. This helps it to understand how far a section of its members can deviate from decency and take steps to prevent such occurrences in the future. But this exposition should be done in a careful way so as not to make passions flare up again. This book fails on this crucial aspect. Perhaps with around fifty pages listing each and every atrocity, it might have been deliberately crafted to excite Sikh temper and to muddy things up. Sikh militancy that erupted in Punjab for nearly a decade is taken very lightly and not criticized at all. In fact, it is highly probable that the book caters to dissenting Sikh elements in Britain. Congress politicians planned and instigated the violence, but the author tries on many occasions to paint the conflict as one inflicted by Hindus on Sikhs. This is a clear falsehood as we have evidence of people’s participation in the riots irrespective of religion. This book is written with liberal inputs from foreign-funded NGOs which allege that the violence was preplanned and would have taken place even if Indira Gandhi was unharmed. The violence was said to be scheduled to start on Guru Nanak Jayanti on Nov 8. However, this is just hearsay even though he claims to have obtained it from ‘influential officials’ without naming them. Indira Gandhi’s indifference to Sikh lives is ‘proved’ on the fact that Operation Blue Star took place on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, one of the busiest days of the Sikh calendar. It is also mentioned that India availed the services of a British military expert in planning the eviction of terrorists from inside the Golden Temple.
A large part of the book consists of repeated allegations raised by spurious human rights groups. Some of them are ridiculously unauthentic. Facts published in the government white paper on Punjab militancy are claimed to be false, because a report on ‘Surya’ magazine refuted it! The author claims that the weapons seized from Golden Temple after Blue Star was placed there by security agencies. If the terrorists were unarmed, then how come hundreds of security personnel were killed in the initial stages of the assault? Pav Singh insists that caste differences in Hinduism did not exempt anyone from the blame on violence against Sikhs and notes that some of those who participated were hailing from scheduled castes (p.122).
Commissions of inquiry constituted by non-Congress governments were helpful to some extent, but even they were handicapped by the passage of time and bureaucratic apathy. The Ranganath Mishra commission followed the official line in its report that what happened was more of an unavoidable backlash than organized mass murder. Still, it must be admitted that the very few who were convicted were indicated by the commissions. The book suggests a truth, justice and reconciliation commission to be set up to ensure that lessons are learned and implemented, a semblance of justice for the victims is secured and closure achieved to allow the healing process for Indian society to truly begin.
This book appears to be a mouthpiece of Khalistani Sikh organisations in the UK. The narrative is propagandistic in nature rather than a calm and pointed analysis. Many anti-India remarks are seen in the book such as its description as ‘a dangerously corrupt political system masquerading as a democracy’. Another outrageous remark is that India executes a deliberate campaign to spread drug addiction among Sikh survivors of the 1984 riots. The author’s real motive in writing this book is not to heal the wounds but keep it festering. This malicious intent come out into the open through cleverly camouflaged rhetoric.
The book is not recommended.
Indira was shot in the morning and her body was taken to AIIMS Hospital. The electronic media was totally under government control then and they did not report anything about the incident till afternoon. Rumours began to spread like wildfire. A serious one among them was how some Sikhs in Delhi celebrated the death with firecrackers and distributing sweets. The author claims this to be false, but there is a strong balance of probability that some incidents of rejoicing might have occurred. It is recorded that in London and other British cities, the expatriate Sikhs made a great show of joy and dance. Attacks on Sikhs started by that evening itself and its victims included no less a person than the Sikh head of state, President Giani Zail Singh. As his cavalcade approached the hospital gate, it was pelted with stones and a bodyguard’s turban was forcibly removed. This was child’s play when compared to what happened next. By the state-sanctioned complicity of enforcement agencies, large scale organized terror was unleashed on innocent people and spread throughout the capital and surrounding rural areas. The book is replete with gruesome descriptions of how people were killed and their property torched. Such graphic testimony of violent acts and sacrilege of holy books seem to be intentional to keep the flame of hatred alight in the hearts of Sikhs who have no memory of those times.
The complicity of Congress party leadership in the riots is a point the author repeatedly hammers home. The chain of guilt extends from the very top to the most bottom. The author notes that Rajiv Gandhi remarked on his arrival at the airport that the Sikhs must be taught a lesson. He also termed the riots as a natural response expected from an angered Indian populace. Even when the ferocity of the pogrom was fully exposed a short while later, Rajiv did not flinch a bit as observed in his public remark that when a mighty tree falls, it is only natural that the earth shakes a little. Prominent Congress leaders like HKL Bhagat, Arun Nehru and Jagdish Tytler met at the hospital and organized the violence. They also coined the rallying cry khoon ka badla khoon (blood for blood) which is clearly audible in the television footage aired from the hospital premises. Congress politicians brought mobs in busses who descended on Sikh neighbourhoods to carry out horrible crimes. The leaders openly walked alongside the mobs and cracked black jokes on the suffering Sikhs. Practically nobody was taken to task for their crimes. Any serious attempt to punish the guilty began only after the Congress was voted out of power. Commissions of enquiry were set up and incriminating reports published after two decades. When the Nanavati Commission report was tabled in parliament in 2005, Jagdish Tytler was a member of the Manmohan Singh ministry and Sajjan Kumar the chairman of Delhi Rural Development Board.
It is true that the society must be aware of the crimes committed on victims in riots of this nature. This helps it to understand how far a section of its members can deviate from decency and take steps to prevent such occurrences in the future. But this exposition should be done in a careful way so as not to make passions flare up again. This book fails on this crucial aspect. Perhaps with around fifty pages listing each and every atrocity, it might have been deliberately crafted to excite Sikh temper and to muddy things up. Sikh militancy that erupted in Punjab for nearly a decade is taken very lightly and not criticized at all. In fact, it is highly probable that the book caters to dissenting Sikh elements in Britain. Congress politicians planned and instigated the violence, but the author tries on many occasions to paint the conflict as one inflicted by Hindus on Sikhs. This is a clear falsehood as we have evidence of people’s participation in the riots irrespective of religion. This book is written with liberal inputs from foreign-funded NGOs which allege that the violence was preplanned and would have taken place even if Indira Gandhi was unharmed. The violence was said to be scheduled to start on Guru Nanak Jayanti on Nov 8. However, this is just hearsay even though he claims to have obtained it from ‘influential officials’ without naming them. Indira Gandhi’s indifference to Sikh lives is ‘proved’ on the fact that Operation Blue Star took place on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, one of the busiest days of the Sikh calendar. It is also mentioned that India availed the services of a British military expert in planning the eviction of terrorists from inside the Golden Temple.
A large part of the book consists of repeated allegations raised by spurious human rights groups. Some of them are ridiculously unauthentic. Facts published in the government white paper on Punjab militancy are claimed to be false, because a report on ‘Surya’ magazine refuted it! The author claims that the weapons seized from Golden Temple after Blue Star was placed there by security agencies. If the terrorists were unarmed, then how come hundreds of security personnel were killed in the initial stages of the assault? Pav Singh insists that caste differences in Hinduism did not exempt anyone from the blame on violence against Sikhs and notes that some of those who participated were hailing from scheduled castes (p.122).
Commissions of inquiry constituted by non-Congress governments were helpful to some extent, but even they were handicapped by the passage of time and bureaucratic apathy. The Ranganath Mishra commission followed the official line in its report that what happened was more of an unavoidable backlash than organized mass murder. Still, it must be admitted that the very few who were convicted were indicated by the commissions. The book suggests a truth, justice and reconciliation commission to be set up to ensure that lessons are learned and implemented, a semblance of justice for the victims is secured and closure achieved to allow the healing process for Indian society to truly begin.
This book appears to be a mouthpiece of Khalistani Sikh organisations in the UK. The narrative is propagandistic in nature rather than a calm and pointed analysis. Many anti-India remarks are seen in the book such as its description as ‘a dangerously corrupt political system masquerading as a democracy’. Another outrageous remark is that India executes a deliberate campaign to spread drug addiction among Sikh survivors of the 1984 riots. The author’s real motive in writing this book is not to heal the wounds but keep it festering. This malicious intent come out into the open through cleverly camouflaged rhetoric.
The book is not recommended.
June 10, 2024
I've probably been reading this on and off for 2 years now, I've found it super challenging, glad it's done
July 29, 2020
I am crying as I am writing this. The book is divided into two parts. The first part covers the extremely heinous (every word would be an understatement to describe, actually) barbarity committed on the Sikh community — yes the community we ONLY remember for offering free langars or for making "Sardar" jokes — in Oct/Nov 1984 in the national capital and also across all over India. It was heart-wrenching and heart-breaking first. And then anguishing. And then just heart-numbing..because after some time I didn't know what I was feeling reading the vicious ordeal committed unabated on Sikh men, women and children for 4 long dark days. The second part covers how the Indian government (congress party) and its machinery from the police to the army to media to the judiciary — how everyone (even the western government) played their part in planning and committing blood-thirsty genocide of Sikhs in 1984, and also in covering everything with lies and destroying evidence, and giving impunity to all the big preparators and thereby never ever granting the justice to the victims and survivors of that brutal genocide who are till date struggling with trauma and other situations. How India and the West have long forgotten and never gave importance to this barbarous genocide it deserves. The book also briefly touches upon 'Blue-star operation' and what leads to that barbaric shameful attack on the holy Golden temple by the dictator Indira Gandhi led Indian government. I've been seeing jokes on Indian democracy recently. Well, Democracy has always been a big joke in this country. This book is really great. I loved the way it's written. I loved the writing. It's a well-researched book. Also, I know I am also very late but seriously the very least we can do for all victims and survivors of 1984 genocide and everyone from Sikh community all over the world is educate us — educate us about this long-forgotten and cleverly obliterated Indian state-orchestrated unforgivable genocide on Sikh community. Please, please, please read this book.
February 16, 2020
Very Bland book. It just states facts which is I know really really horrific. It feels like you are reading an encyclopedia about the incident and it does not engage the reader in an effective manner. If you want to just know the facts then go for it or else just don't read it. It's not worth your time.
November 16, 2019
Devastating
A devastating, well researched account of the 1984 Anti-Sikh Pogroms.
One day the full truth will be revealed and justice will prevail.
A devastating, well researched account of the 1984 Anti-Sikh Pogroms.
One day the full truth will be revealed and justice will prevail.
December 28, 2023
I started reading this book with a genuine interest of what really happened in 1984 in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi assassination. The book covers the terrible things that happened to sikhs and how the local, senior congress leaders were involved in planning the riots along with the local police to execute barbaric acts on sikhs with more than 3000 sikhs mainly men dead and countless women raped. That almost none of the culprits have been convicted is a blot on the Indian judicial system and the Congress party have been protecting the culprits.
But the author seem to be spinning a narrative of Hindus vs sikhs when it is mostly a congress perpetrated violence. The author has a bias against Hindus and seem to support the khalistanis. When trying to list down the riots after 1984, the author conveniently forgets about the Hindu genocide in Kashmir. The author seem to be a Sikh supremacist and a Khalistani who thinks only the Sikhs have suffered in Independent India while every community including the majority Hindus have suffered multiple fold for which they havent got any justice.
But the author seem to be spinning a narrative of Hindus vs sikhs when it is mostly a congress perpetrated violence. The author has a bias against Hindus and seem to support the khalistanis. When trying to list down the riots after 1984, the author conveniently forgets about the Hindu genocide in Kashmir. The author seem to be a Sikh supremacist and a Khalistani who thinks only the Sikhs have suffered in Independent India while every community including the majority Hindus have suffered multiple fold for which they havent got any justice.
February 25, 2020
Growing up in India, this incident has always been referred to as the “Anti-Sikh Riot”. The book helps change that perspective by highlighting the real narrative of these well-orchestrated genocidal massacres. A must-read for anybody with a sense of humanity.
As for the writing style - I must say that the content definitely provoked anger and deep sorrow for what shaped the 1984 killings. Although there was a definite possibility to reduce the length of some chapters by avoiding factual redundancy. However, if the intent behind the repetition was only to reinforce the themes of this book; they sure did a great job.
As for the writing style - I must say that the content definitely provoked anger and deep sorrow for what shaped the 1984 killings. Although there was a definite possibility to reduce the length of some chapters by avoiding factual redundancy. However, if the intent behind the repetition was only to reinforce the themes of this book; they sure did a great job.
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July 22, 2025How do you rate a book like this? I have no idea how to.
As I read this book, I kept thinking that it doesn't seem possible that the events described here could happen. But it did. Heartbreakingly, this happens in the world we live in.
Pav Singh has laid out information in a precise manner and you can see how this genocide unfolded from planning, to execution, to the aftermath.
The language is simple and precise.
The descriptions are brutal and gory. The pictures at the end of the book were heartwrenching.
The bloody aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assasination that led to the killing of approximately 8,000 Sikhs in a state sanctioned pogrom.
But was it truly only Hindus vs Sikhs? I was reminded of the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits and that was Muslims vs Hindus.
Different countries, different peoples. Same vicious brutal torture, rape and genocide
Hutus vs Tutsi. Bosnians vs Croats. Nazis vs Jews.
This vicious cycle just keeps repeating itself. Humanity never seems to learn to be better.
I can't speak to whether the views presented here are 100% correct. But it made for much food for thought for me personally. It's not for the faint hearted but I would suggest reading it.
As I read this book, I kept thinking that it doesn't seem possible that the events described here could happen. But it did. Heartbreakingly, this happens in the world we live in.
Pav Singh has laid out information in a precise manner and you can see how this genocide unfolded from planning, to execution, to the aftermath.
The language is simple and precise.
The descriptions are brutal and gory. The pictures at the end of the book were heartwrenching.
The bloody aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assasination that led to the killing of approximately 8,000 Sikhs in a state sanctioned pogrom.
But was it truly only Hindus vs Sikhs? I was reminded of the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits and that was Muslims vs Hindus.
Different countries, different peoples. Same vicious brutal torture, rape and genocide
Hutus vs Tutsi. Bosnians vs Croats. Nazis vs Jews.
This vicious cycle just keeps repeating itself. Humanity never seems to learn to be better.
I can't speak to whether the views presented here are 100% correct. But it made for much food for thought for me personally. It's not for the faint hearted but I would suggest reading it.
February 10, 2025
As an audiobook it's very short and direct. The author takes the biased standpoint of criticizing India and their leadership for allowing a genocide in India that killed over 8000 Sikhs after the authoritarian prime minister who proclaimed herself somewhat of a dictator was killed. This killing brought India back to basic democracy.
Obviously many nationalists supported such a strong Modi like leader. The author is accusing government officials left and right even naming names. And constantly focuses on how the genocide was swept under the rug and shows that India even today fights against anyone revealing info on it. Even Britain and Thatcher that initially were shocked and outraged were made to fall in line if they wanted to keep their trades with India. Hence it has become India's Tiananmen Square 1989 massacre.
The people who planned and managed the genocide hid away. While a few politicians and police commanders were charged the charges were lenient of hurriedly dropped again. The question of why it was planned is left somewhat unanswered. We don't quite understand why anyone would see this as the right answer to the killing of the dictator as surely this didn't actually achieve anything besides causing huge misery to a group seemingly living peacefully by themselves not bothering anyone. The planning of the genocide shows that Sikhs were not in power. The local police force often stood by and watched or even took part. So what needed to be wiped out with this culture? And why the violent killings and rapes? It seems like a rage induced genocide with no planning yet as the author points out if it was not planned how come authorities didn't stop it?
Secondly the details are not clear. Who did it? It reminds me of the Turkish coup in 2016. Who tried to get rid of the dictator? Or was it a faux coup to increase his hold on power? Is that why the coup was a few soldiers taking some bridges and not even capturing the president as would have been the first plan in any proper coup attempt?
We know that it was pro-dictatorship nationalists who did it. Yet I can't say more as the author doesn't really explain more. And as India burned documents pertaining to the event more cannot be uncovered. We know it happened as there are people who saw it happen to them. Yet no one seemed to have taken part in committing it.
Obviously many nationalists supported such a strong Modi like leader. The author is accusing government officials left and right even naming names. And constantly focuses on how the genocide was swept under the rug and shows that India even today fights against anyone revealing info on it. Even Britain and Thatcher that initially were shocked and outraged were made to fall in line if they wanted to keep their trades with India. Hence it has become India's Tiananmen Square 1989 massacre.
The people who planned and managed the genocide hid away. While a few politicians and police commanders were charged the charges were lenient of hurriedly dropped again. The question of why it was planned is left somewhat unanswered. We don't quite understand why anyone would see this as the right answer to the killing of the dictator as surely this didn't actually achieve anything besides causing huge misery to a group seemingly living peacefully by themselves not bothering anyone. The planning of the genocide shows that Sikhs were not in power. The local police force often stood by and watched or even took part. So what needed to be wiped out with this culture? And why the violent killings and rapes? It seems like a rage induced genocide with no planning yet as the author points out if it was not planned how come authorities didn't stop it?
Secondly the details are not clear. Who did it? It reminds me of the Turkish coup in 2016. Who tried to get rid of the dictator? Or was it a faux coup to increase his hold on power? Is that why the coup was a few soldiers taking some bridges and not even capturing the president as would have been the first plan in any proper coup attempt?
We know that it was pro-dictatorship nationalists who did it. Yet I can't say more as the author doesn't really explain more. And as India burned documents pertaining to the event more cannot be uncovered. We know it happened as there are people who saw it happen to them. Yet no one seemed to have taken part in committing it.
August 31, 2025
Reading India’s Guilty Secret was one of the most difficult yet important experiences I’ve had with a book. Pav Singh doesn’t just recount facts about 1984—he gives space to the survivors, their testimonies, their silences, and the haunting truths that too many people have tried to bury. Every chapter left me heavy, with anger at the complicity and heartbreak at the human loss.
The book is powerful because it refuses to let you look away. It forces you to see how systems failed, how justice was denied, and how communities were shattered. At times I had to pause because the pain in those words was overwhelming. But that’s exactly what makes it necessary—we owe it to those who lived through this to remember and to bear witness.
For me, this book isn’t just history—it’s a mirror to our society. It reminded me that silence can be just as cruel as violence, and that justice delayed is justice denied. Painful, yes, but also essential.
The book is powerful because it refuses to let you look away. It forces you to see how systems failed, how justice was denied, and how communities were shattered. At times I had to pause because the pain in those words was overwhelming. But that’s exactly what makes it necessary—we owe it to those who lived through this to remember and to bear witness.
For me, this book isn’t just history—it’s a mirror to our society. It reminded me that silence can be just as cruel as violence, and that justice delayed is justice denied. Painful, yes, but also essential.
October 10, 2019
I don't remember when was the last time that I cringed as much as I did while reading this book.
1984 Indias Guilty Secret is a mind boggling narrative of the 'state sponsored terrorism' following Indira Gandhi's assassination, the repercussions of which are fresh in my mind since we have very close family friends who are Sikhs. Thankfully, we were in Bihar and almost untouched by the insanity. I was only 3 years old, but I clearly remember the tension all around us. This book HAS to be read by anyone who wants to know what really happened and WHY was the army never deployed to put a stop to the killngs and WHY were policemen seen participating in them. It will shake you up to your core and make you question your patriotism. At one point, it even gets overwhelming. Please do not read if you have a weak heart. Well, I do. But then, what the heck!
1984 Indias Guilty Secret is a mind boggling narrative of the 'state sponsored terrorism' following Indira Gandhi's assassination, the repercussions of which are fresh in my mind since we have very close family friends who are Sikhs. Thankfully, we were in Bihar and almost untouched by the insanity. I was only 3 years old, but I clearly remember the tension all around us. This book HAS to be read by anyone who wants to know what really happened and WHY was the army never deployed to put a stop to the killngs and WHY were policemen seen participating in them. It will shake you up to your core and make you question your patriotism. At one point, it even gets overwhelming. Please do not read if you have a weak heart. Well, I do. But then, what the heck!
March 30, 2025
This exposé was long-overdue, uncovering the human rights violations committed at the hands of the world’s most populous “democracy.”
To highlight the words of an anonymous survivor of the 1984 Sikh Genocide:
“What kind of justice is it when these government-supporting killers go free? They’re not arrested, even those whose names have been reported. I say that those who have done this should be caught. Be they Sikhs, Muslims, Untouchables, or whoever. They should be punished, but the government’s dogs protect themselves.
I no longer have the strength to go on. I am so full of pain and sorrow. May God punish those who have done this to us. I ask the government: why do we continue to suffer?
We want justice, nothing else.”
To highlight the words of an anonymous survivor of the 1984 Sikh Genocide:
“What kind of justice is it when these government-supporting killers go free? They’re not arrested, even those whose names have been reported. I say that those who have done this should be caught. Be they Sikhs, Muslims, Untouchables, or whoever. They should be punished, but the government’s dogs protect themselves.
I no longer have the strength to go on. I am so full of pain and sorrow. May God punish those who have done this to us. I ask the government: why do we continue to suffer?
We want justice, nothing else.”
January 9, 2025
Well written, well researched.
The only thing is that the author missed explaining about the real agendas and actions of Bhindranwala which led to his assassination. It is a one sided written book.
Heartfelt sympathies for the victims and their families but this book if not read in the light of secularism and can seed the hatred all over again.
A very bad job done from an author’s perspective, showing only one side of the story and completely hiding the other. This books seems to be written for the sole purpose of glorifying an insidious plan of separating Punjab from Bharat.
Hence, 2 stars.
The only thing is that the author missed explaining about the real agendas and actions of Bhindranwala which led to his assassination. It is a one sided written book.
Heartfelt sympathies for the victims and their families but this book if not read in the light of secularism and can seed the hatred all over again.
A very bad job done from an author’s perspective, showing only one side of the story and completely hiding the other. This books seems to be written for the sole purpose of glorifying an insidious plan of separating Punjab from Bharat.
Hence, 2 stars.
June 3, 2018
Pav Singh in his book 1984 India's Guilty Secret details the horrors that people inflict on one another. This book is an easy read but also a painful read. India's massacre of Sikhs is another example of a genocide of a minority group by a more powerful majority and how easy it can be for people to engage in horrific atrocities against people in their community. This particular genocide is something unfamiliar to the wider world and an example of the never again slogan as a failed international idea.
April 22, 2023
Listened to the audiobook and read the ebook.
After the assassination of Indira Gandhi on Oct 31 1984 by 2 Sikh bodyguards thousands of innocent Sikhs were slaughtered by Hindus.
The book identifies many police and government and army officials that stood back and encouraged the murders.
A horrible scene of torture and rape continued for days.
The following "inquiries" were more of a whitewash and successive Prime Ministers also covered up the genocide.
Here it is then, more communal violence led by corrupt local leaders.
Business as usual for India.
After the assassination of Indira Gandhi on Oct 31 1984 by 2 Sikh bodyguards thousands of innocent Sikhs were slaughtered by Hindus.
The book identifies many police and government and army officials that stood back and encouraged the murders.
A horrible scene of torture and rape continued for days.
The following "inquiries" were more of a whitewash and successive Prime Ministers also covered up the genocide.
Here it is then, more communal violence led by corrupt local leaders.
Business as usual for India.
March 31, 2019
Book is good. It'll horrify u at some place. It's reveals many truths that were kept hidden from comman public. But some point writer repeats the same thing again n again. I don't know , whether it is to exaggerate or its the writing skills . But overall this book is a must read atleast for all indians.
April 17, 2020
A book that should be read and re-read by everyone in the country. Especially in the times that we live in. It's important that we identify those who to further their narrow political ideas, try to divide and perpetrate worst of atrocities against their fellow citizens.
Read
August 1, 2022Touching but repetitive!!
The author has done a decent job in describing what had happened in 1984 and the events that led to it. But the problem is the repetitive nature of the book which vlat times makes it a drag.
The author has done a decent job in describing what had happened in 1984 and the events that led to it. But the problem is the repetitive nature of the book which vlat times makes it a drag.
January 14, 2018
A good compilation of events, the book just outlines on how planned usage of power helped in organising crime. Dark years of India
November 16, 2019
A devastating, well researched account of the 1984 Anti-Sikh Pogroms.
One day the full truth will be revealed and justice will prevail.
One day the full truth will be revealed and justice will prevail.
March 19, 2020
I never been as horrified and haven't cried as much as I have while I was reading this book.
It was difficult to complete it simply because of the sad truth put on the book.
More power to the author.
It was difficult to complete it simply because of the sad truth put on the book.
More power to the author.
November 13, 2022
Emotional and informative, doesn’t shy away from the gruesome details of the Sikh genocide
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2022
Need guts to write such a book.
April 15, 2023
Interesting
September 20, 2023
I would have given it 5 stars but for the narration ( audiobook) which a little monotonous.
July 23, 2019
Pav Singh’s 1984: India’s Guilty Secret is a damning indictment of the nation as a whole in the 1984 Sikh pogrom. One might argue that the pogrom was the doing of the Congress Party and its “leaders” but the fact remains that everybody else stood by and allowed the horrors to take place.
Singh details the sheer scale of bloodthirsty violence and cruelty that resulted in thousands of deaths – in a variety of ways, some of which one might feel human beings are incapable of. By adopting a mix of details available to the citizenry and eye-witness accounts, Singh presents a picture that is quite different from that which even those who might know the basic facts of the massacre will testify to being aware of. Singh reminds us of the methods used to create distrust of Sikhs among non-Sikhs by the Congress, which is just another reminder that at their very core, all political parties are the same. He spares no one – not Tytler, not Sajjan Kumar, not HKL Bhagat, and certainly not Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who had, in response to the news of the bloodshed, talked of a tree falling and the ground shaking.
In places, Singh does stumble – giving space to hearsay and rumour – and a fatal flaw is his inability to question the Khalistani secessionist movement and the form it assumed. That apart, he sticks to a journalistic line that spares the reader no detail. A fine, fine book that should be prescribed reading for every single one of us…..so that such a thing never happens in India again.
Singh details the sheer scale of bloodthirsty violence and cruelty that resulted in thousands of deaths – in a variety of ways, some of which one might feel human beings are incapable of. By adopting a mix of details available to the citizenry and eye-witness accounts, Singh presents a picture that is quite different from that which even those who might know the basic facts of the massacre will testify to being aware of. Singh reminds us of the methods used to create distrust of Sikhs among non-Sikhs by the Congress, which is just another reminder that at their very core, all political parties are the same. He spares no one – not Tytler, not Sajjan Kumar, not HKL Bhagat, and certainly not Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who had, in response to the news of the bloodshed, talked of a tree falling and the ground shaking.
In places, Singh does stumble – giving space to hearsay and rumour – and a fatal flaw is his inability to question the Khalistani secessionist movement and the form it assumed. That apart, he sticks to a journalistic line that spares the reader no detail. A fine, fine book that should be prescribed reading for every single one of us…..so that such a thing never happens in India again.
March 2, 2020
Its a lot of information, brutal for leaders who claim to for the greatest democracy. None to comment further but a very sad episode but not the only cover up by the so called great leaders and party.
March 6, 2018
Here's what I wrote:
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/a...
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/a...
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