San Jose, CA, USA—On 9/26/15, Indian Prime Minister Modi was welcomed in San Jose by a diverse crowd of invited South Asian guests representing all of the cultures, states and religions of India. While many of the dignitaries seemed content to enjoy the gala and take selfies, Mayor Amarpreet Singh Dhaliwal of the City of San Joaquin, used this opportunity to take a principled stand on behalf of Sikhs worldwide.
Mayor Dhaliwal attended the event and delivered the letter addressed to PM Modi, calling upon the PM “to state the universally recognized truth that the government of India and its agents were responsible for the November 1984 Genocide of Sikhs.” The letter includes a copy of California Assembly Concurrent Resolution 34 that memorialized the victims of the genocide. Mayor Dhaliwal stated in the letter that “It is now time for an unambiguous statement from the Prime Minister’s Office acknowledging and denouncing the Indian government’s central role in the genocidal violence against Sikhs in 1984. India’s integrity as a democracy on the world stage depends on it.” The full letter is available at this link.
Although many state and federal elected officials met with PM Modi during his most recent trip to the United States, only Congressman John Garamendi advocated on behalf of those communities that are being persecuted in India. Two weeks prior to his meeting with PM Modi, Congressman Garamendi met with American Sikh PAC representatives to discuss the long history of human rights violations perpetrated by the government of India.
