Withdrawing motion condemning 1984 riots, Nijjar murder by UK council draws polar reactions: Report

Fury and outrage were seen in the form of protests in United Kingdom's Slough Borough Council after a motion to recognise and commemorate the "40th anniversary of the 1984 Sikh genocide" was withdrawn last week.

According to a report by The Times of India, the motion was challenged by Dexter Smith of the Conservative Party at the last minute, leading to its withdrawal.

The motion which also condemns the killing of Sikh activists in other foreign countries was proposed by Councillor Sabia Akram.

Akram had quit the newly-elected UK PM Keir Starmer's Labour Party in June and now remains an Independent.

On July 25, Smith told the council meeting that he had received a petition from 57 Sikh residents in Slough who completely rejected some of the motion's text, claiming that it is divisive, undermines community cohesion, and creates animosity towards Sikhs.

According to TOI, the motion also appealed the UK government to 'seek justice for the 1984 Sikh genocide victims, to take stringent action against those responsible for it and to condemn all abuse and human rights violations against Sikhs and other minorities in India and Jammu and Kashmir'.

The motion also called on Smith, asking him to write to Slough MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi to 'convey the demands of Slough Sikhs for independence in Punjab' and asked to 'write to the Foreign Secretary to release jailed British Sikh Jagtar Singh Johal'.

Smith said that the motion sounded like a 'pro-Sikh motion' for some, whereas for others it was like an 'anti-Sikh, anti-Indian and even anti-Indian government motion'.

According to the report, he said, "It offers sympathy to victims of inter-communal violence in India in 1984, but also appears to ascribe motives and blame for actions that followed both."

The report quoted Akram defending the motion, saying, "People in this chamber are safe to call the 1984 atrocities an act of genocide. It was also an accepted definition by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, no less. The fact that security agencies have contacted members of two families in Slough who are British citizens to say their lives are at risk demonstrates the real threat to our sovereignty as a country."

Referring to the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in 2023, Akram contended that 'anti-Sikh transnational repression' is 'very real'.

Nineteen councillors voted in favour of Smith's challenge, eight in favour of the motion, two abstained and eight councillors didn't vote, which led to the challenge being in majority and the motion being withdrawn.

Following the withdrawal, outrage was witnessed with angry Sikhs shouting slogans - 'Never forget 1984 Sikh genocide' and 'Shame on you'.

They accused the council of supporting the genocide, and some were heard saying, "There are Sikhs in Slough under threat by the Indian government. If they are murdered, you are all at fault."

According to the publication, the UK Sikh Federation said, "We wrote to the council leader in advance of the meeting and said preventing the motion from being debated was a direct attack on democratic British values and it would lead to community disharmony."