General information
Part of Conflict: n/a
First Battle Related Death: 1989-01-01
Date when dyad reached 25 battle releated deaths: 1989-02-04
Comment on date when dyad reached 25 battle related deaths: The Sikh insurgents first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 1989, when the one-sided violence resulted in at least 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in February of that year, after 2 moderate Sikh political leaders were murdered, bringing the total toll to at least 25 deaths.
Conflict issues
Annual information
This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.
1989
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 1351 |
| Best | 140 |
| Low | 140 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Sikh insurgents): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1990
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 376 |
| Best | 296 |
| Low | 296 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Sikh insurgents): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1991
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 619 |
| Best | 433 |
| Low | 433 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Sikh insurgents): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1992
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 498 |
| Best | 445 |
| Low | 442 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Sikh insurgents): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1993
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 34 |
| Best | 34 |
| Low | 34 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Sikh insurgents): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1994
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 0 |
| Best | 0 |
| Low | 0 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Sikh insurgents): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
1997
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 0 |
| Best | 0 |
| Low | 0 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Sikh insurgents): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2009
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 1 |
| Best | 1 |
| Low | 1 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Sikh insurgents): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2020
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 0 |
| Best | 0 |
| Low | 0 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Sikh insurgents): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
2024
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 0 |
| Best | 0 |
| Low | 0 |
Secondary Warring Support:
Side A (Sikh insurgents): n/a
Side B (Civilians): n/a
Dyad Archive
This section contains annual information no longer systematically collected by the UCDP.
1989 Dyad Archive
Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: The large discrepancies in the estimates are caused by very unclear reporting during the year, with many news reports not being specific in regard to under what conditions many civilians were killed.
Comment on Active: The most targeted group during 1989 were the Hindus, who make up the bulk of the civilians that were killed during the year. The Sikh insurgents also targeted many Sikh and Hindu politicians, as well as carrying out violence that was labelled as being ‘indiscriminate’, such as spraying fire into crowds and bombing civilian buses.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1990 Dyad Archive
Comment on Active: Members of the Hindu group continued to be the most targeted victims of the Sikh insurgents during 1990. Many were killed in small-scale encounters, but several large-scale massacres also took place, such as the ones in Abohar town in early March (31 people killed) and in a bomb attack on a Hindu procession in Batala in early April (40 people killed).
Targeted killings of Sikh and Hindu political leaders and activists also continued to reap many casualties.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1991 Dyad Archive
Comment on Active: In 1991 Hindus continued to be the group that was the most targeted by one-sided violence carried out by the Sikh insurgents. Several large-scale massacres took place, targeting specifically Hindu religious processes or places where Hindus congregated. One high-profile event stood out; the 15 June massacre near Ludhiana when Sikh militants killed up to 140 civilians riding two separate trains. Most of these fatalities were Hindus. Other large-scale massacres also took place, in Haryana state on 5 December (26 people killed) and at a Hindu religious proceeding in Uttar Pradesh on 17 October (44 people killed), to name but a few.
General elections in India, planned for June of 1991, brought an increase in Sikh insurgent targeting of political opponents. Scores of politicians and political activists, both moderate Sikh and Hindu in general, were killed by the insurgents as they attempted to derail the vote.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1992 Dyad Archive
Comment on Active: As in previous years Hindus continued, during 1992, to be the most targeted group. Several large-scale massacres were carried out during the year by Sikh insurgents, attacking buses carrying Hindus, religious processions and temples, as well as factories and farms that employed Hindus. Such massacres took place all through the year.
Many fatalities in one-sided violence were related to the upcoming elections in Punjab in early 1992; the first elections since President’s Rule from New Delhi was installed in 1987. Seeking to influence the vote the Sikh insurgents targeted election workers, politicians and party workers in deadly attacks. Several teachers were also killed, since teachers were commonly recruited as election workers.
In 1992 the police and security forces scored several successes against the embattled militants, killing several leaders of the groups. In retaliation for this the insurgents went on a killing spree targeting relatives and families of police constables and officers, killing at least 50 civilian family members.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1993 Dyad Archive
Comment on Active: In 1993 the number and severity of Sikh insurgent attacks waned, due to the serious pressure placed on the groups by the government’s counterinsurgency efforts. The Sikh insurgency was declared defeated the same year.
Only a few sporadic incidents occurred during the year, carried out mainly by the KFC (Khalistan Commando Force). Hindus were the most targeted group in these attacks, that also included a few bomb attacks.
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1994 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1997 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2009 Dyad Archive
Negotiations: NO
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
2020 Dyad Archive
Terminated: NO
2024 Dyad Archive
Terminated: NO
