List of bus killings during Punjab insurgency

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There were multiple incidents of killing of bus passengers during the Insurgency in Punjab, India, which was an armed campaign by the pro-Khalistan militants from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. [1] Major incidents included the Lalru massacre of 38 Hindu bus passengers on 6 July 1987, by the Khalistan Commando Force militants near Lalru, Punjab, India.; [2] and Fatehabad bus killings on 7 July 1987, in which 34 Hindus on two buses were killed. [3] [2] [4]

Contents

This is a list of bus passenger killings during the Insurgency in Punjab, India in the 1980s and 1990s (also includes rail passenger killings).

Incidents involving shootings by militants

DatePlaceIncident
September-

5 October 1983

Dhilwan, Kapurthala district Six Hindu passengers were shot dead by two pro-Khalistan Sikh militants, [5] [6] who hijacked a bus going from Dhilwan to Jalandhar in Punjab, and opened fire on Hindu passengers. [7] [8] This bus massacre triggered the President's rule in Punjab as by this time, more than 175 people had been killed in militancy-related violence. [9]
18 Nov 1983 Kapurthala district Nine armed men killed four Hindu bus passengers in Kapurthala district, Punjab, which had earlier witnessed another bus massacre in October by Sikh militants, and in both cases, the hijacked bus was abandoned at Chitiwind village on the outskirts of Amritsar. [10]
23 Feb 1984 Punjab, India 11 Hindus killed by Sikh militants, including incidents in trains and busses. [11]
21 May 1984Moga4 Hindu travelers were killed, and 10 others were wounded near Moga, about 175 miles northwest of New Delhi after six Sikh gunmen hijacked a bus and fired at its Hindu occupants. [12]
12 September 1984Batala8 bus passengers killed. [13] [14]
25 July 1986Mukatsar15 bus passengers gunned down by suspected Sikh militants. [15]
30 November 1986Khudda24 Hindu bus passengers gunned down. [16]
6 July 1987Near Lalru Khalistan Commando Force militants hijacked a Haryana Roadways bus and killed 38 Hindu bus passengers. [3]
7 July 1987Near Fatehabad Sikh militants kill 34 Hindu bus passengers from two Haryana Roadways buses near Fatehabad [3]
15 June 1991Ludhiana district 1991 Punjab killings; 110 passengers killed by Sikh militants. [17]

Incidents involving mobs

DatePlaceIncident
8 July 1987 Jagdarshi A Hindu mob set fire to a bus with Sikhs in it killing 1 and injuring 6. [18]

Incidents involving bus bombings

DatePlaceIncident
10 and 11 May 1985New Delhi85 Hindus were killed by militants in bombings, including bombs in a train and 2 buses. 59 Hindus had died on the spot while the rest succumbed to injuries after being hospitalized. The terrorists used transistor bombs in a train and 2 buses. [19] [20]

Incidents involving Punjab Police

DatePlaceIncident
11 September 1982 Tarn Taran 32 Sikh activists and two police guards were killed and 21 others injured when a speeding train slammed into a bus with the newly arrested Sikh political activists, who had courted arrest as part of Dharam Yudh Morcha. [21] [22] Multiple Sikh leaders accused this of being a deliberate incident by the police to kill Sikhs who courted arrest. [23] [24]
July 1992 Uttar Pradesh 10 Sikhs were pulled off of a bus by police and killed in fake encounters while heading to Gurdaspur from Hazur Sahib. [25] [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalistan movement</span> Sikh separatist movement in the Punjab region

The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno-religious sovereign state called Khalistan in the Punjab region. The proposed boundaries of Khalistan vary between different groups; some suggest the entirety of the Sikh-majority Indian state of Punjab, while larger claims include Pakistani Punjab and other parts of North India such as Chandigarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Shimla and Lahore have been proposed as the capital of Khalistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale</span> Figure in the Sikh Khalistan movement (1947–1984)

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was a militant. After Operation Bluestar, he posthumously became the leading figure for the Khalistan movement.although he did not personally advocate for a separate Sikh nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dal Khalsa (organization)</span> Radical Sikh outfit

Dal Khalsa is a Sikh organisation, based in the city of Amritsar. The outfit was formed in 1978 by Gajinder Singh, the hijacker of Indian Airlines Flight 423. It came to prominence during Insurgency in Punjab along with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in 1981. Members of the Dal Khalsa have also been accused of the assassination of Lala Jagat Narain. The primary aim of Dal Khalsa is to form a Punjabi Sikh nation state called Khalistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalistan Commando Force</span> Sikh Khalistani organisation

The Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) is a Sikh Khalistani militant organisation operating in the state of Punjab, India with prominent members based in Canada, United Kingdom and Pakistan. Its objective is the creation of a Sikh independent state of Khalistan through armed struggle. KCF is also responsible for many assassinations in India, including the 1995 assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. It is designated as a terrorist organisation by the Government of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Punjab, India</span> 1984–1995 Sikh-nationalist militant uprising in Punjab, India

The Insurgency in Punjab was an armed campaign by the separatists of the Khalistan movement from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Economic and social pressures driven by the Green Revolution prompted calls for Sikh autonomy and separatism. This movement was initially peaceful, but foreign involvement and political pressures drove a heavy handed response from Indian authorities. The demand for a separate Sikh state gained momentum after the Indian Army's Operation Blue Star in 1984 aimed to flush out militants residing in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a holy site for Sikhs. Terrorism, police brutality and corruption of the authorities greatly exacerbated a tense situation. By the mid-1980s, the movement had evolved into a militant secessionist crisis due to the perceived indifference of the Indian state in regards to mutual negotiations. Eventually, more effective police and military operations, combined with a policy of rapprochement by the Indian government and the election loss of separatist sympathizers in the 1992 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, largely quelled the rebellion by the mid-1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalistan Liberation Force</span> Sikh militant group

The Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) is a Khalistani militant organisation operating in the Punjab state of India, with prominent members based in Canada, United Kingdom and Pakistan. Its objective is the creation of a sovereign Sikh nation‐state of Khalistan through armed struggle. It is responsible for numerous assassinations, abductions, and military engagements with the Indian Armed Forces during the Insurgency in Punjab. The KLF is also listed as a designated terrorist group by India.

The Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan (BTFK) is a Sikh militant organization and was one of several major separatist organizations in the Khalistan movement during the insurgency in Punjab, India. The BTFK's main aim was to establish a Sikh homeland called Khalistan. At its peak, the BTFK's membership totaled 500 members and remained the strongest pro-Khalistan group in Tarn Taran Sahib, which was the epicenter of violence during the Punjab insurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dashmesh Regiment</span>

The Dashmesh Regiment is a militant group, and is part of the Khalistan movement to create a Sikh homeland called Khalistan via armed struggle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labh Singh</span> Leader of Khalistan Commando Force

Sukhdev Singh Dhillon, also known as General Labh Singh and Sukha Sipahi was an Indian militant, police officer, and Sikh separatist who took command of the Khalistan Commando Force after its first leader, Manbir Singh Chaheru, was arrested in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manbir Singh Chaheru</span> Indian Khalistan Commando Force leader

Bhai Manbir Singh Chaheru, also known as General Hari Singh was an Indian militant, Sikh separatist, and the first leader of the Khalistan Commando Force.

From 1984 to 1995, the state of Punjab in northern India was engaged in a power struggle between the militant secessionist Khalistan movement and Indian security forces. The Indian government responded to the escalating Punjab insurgency by launching Operation Blue Star in 1984, storming the Harmandir Sahib, or Golden Temple complex in Amritsar—the center of Sikh religious and spiritual life, where some militant groups had retreated. The Operation was controversial and resulted in death of hundreds of civilians, militants and soldiers. After Sikh bodyguards assassinated Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a state wide massacre ensued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lalru</span> Town in Punjab, India

Lalru is a town and a Municipal Council In Mohali District about 30 km from Chandigarh, the capital of both Haryana and Punjab, on the Chandigarh-Ambala National Highway, NH 22. Lalru is having one of the toll tax barriers on this Chandigarh - Delhi National Highway. It is part of Greater Mohali and Chandigarh Capital Region (CCR) or Chandigarh Metropolitan Region (CMR), Which is an area, which includes the union territory city of Chandigarh, and its neighboring cities of Mohali, Zirakpur, New Chandigarh, and Panchkula. Chandigarh Administration, Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) and Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) are different authorities responsible for the development of this region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala</span> Sikh militant from India (1966–1992)

Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala was a Sikh militant and the third Jathedar of the Khalistan Liberation Force. Budhsinghwala's organization, KLF, was one of the most active and main Sikh militant groups during the insurgency in Punjab, India. Budhsinghwala had KLF join the Sohan Singh Panthic Committee and partnered with Khalistan Commando Force (Panjwar), Babbar Khalsa, Bhindranwale Tiger Force (Sangha), and Sikh Student Federation (Bittu) in militant actions.

1986 Hoshiarpur Bus Massacre was a massacre of 24 Hindu bus-passengers by Khalistani militants. The bus massacre was the worst terrorist incident in Punjab of the year 1986. It occurred on Sunday, 30 November 1986, near Khuda located in the Hoshiarpur district in the northern state of Punjab, India close to the Indo-Pak border.

1986 Muktsar bus massacre was a massacre of 14 Hindu and one Sikh bus-passenger by Khalistani militants. It occurred on 25 July 1986, when a bus was attacked by militants in which 15 people were shot dead in Muktsar in the northern state of Punjab, India.

The 1983 Dhilwan Bus massacre was a massacre of 6 Hindus by extremists amidst the Insurgency in Punjab. It occurred on 5 October 1983, when a bus going from Dhilwan in Kapurthala district to Jalandhar was attacked by Sikh militants in which six Hindu passengers were shot dead in Dhilwan in the northern state of Punjab, India.

The 1987 Lalru bus massacre was a massacre of 38 Hindu bus passengers on 6 July 1987, by the Khalistan Commando Force militants near Lalru town in Punjab, India.

The following timeline documents the insurgency in Punjab, India:

On 7 July 1987, Khalistani militants killed 34 Hindus on two buses near Fatehabad in the Hisar district of Haryana, India. The same attackers may have been involved in the Lalru bus massacre a day earlier.

References

  1. ↑ Ray, Jayanta Kumar (2007). Aspects of India's International Relations, 1700 to 2000: South Asia and the World. Pearson Education India. p. 484. ISBN   978-8131708347. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  2. 1 2 Tavleen Singh; Sreekant Khandekar (1987-07-31). "Terrorists kill bus passengers in Punjab and Haryana mercilessly". India Today. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  3. 1 2 3 Dilip Ganguly (1987-07-07). "Sikhs Kill 34 Hindus on Two Buses, Bringing Two-Day Toll To 72". AP. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  4. ↑ Richard M. Weintraub (1987-07-07). "Gunmen kill 38 passengers on crowded bus in India". Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  5. ↑ Martin, Gus (2011-06-15). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Terrorism, Second Edition. SAGE Publications. p. 544. ISBN   978-1-4522-6638-1. In October 1983, six Hindu bus passengers were slaughtered by Sikh militants
  6. ↑ Hardgrave, Robert L. (1984). India Under Pressure: Prospects For Political Stability. Routledge. ISBN   978-0-429-71661-4.
  7. ↑ "Sikhs execute six hindus on hijacked bus". The Washington Post. 6 October 1983. Two Sikh extremists hijacked a New Delhi-bound bus in northern Punjab state Wednesday night and opened fire on Hindu passengers with a machine gun, killing six
  8. ↑ "Indian government orders crackdown on terrorism". Lakeland Ledger. p. 59.
  9. ↑ "Indian Government takes over a state swept by religious strife". 7 October 1983. Retrieved 22 November 2014. Late Wednesday six Hindu passengers were hauled off a bus and gunned down. In the other incident, a police subinspector and a tax inspector were killed aboard a train. In all more than 175 people have died in the Punjab disturbances.
  10. ↑ Shekhar Gupta (1983-12-15). "Brutal slaying of four Hindu bus travelers takes tension in Punjab to a new high". India Today. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  11. ↑ Stevens, William K. (23 February 1984). "11 HINDUS KILLED IN PUNJAB UNREST, WILLIAM K. STEVENS, The New York Times, Feb 23, 1984". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "Sikh Terrorists Kill 13 In Northern India State". The New York Times. 23 May 1984.
  13. ↑ "India/Punjab (1947-present)". uca.edu. 1 January 2009.
  14. ↑ Carol Christine Fair (2009). Lessons from India's Experience in the Punjab, 1978-1993. Routledge. p. 108. ISBN   9780203879207 . Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "Suspected sikh terrorists kill 15 on bus". Los Angeles Times. 26 July 1986.
  16. ↑ "Sikh extremists hijack Punjab bus and kill 24". NeyYork Times. 30 November 1986.
  17. ↑ "Sikhs storm 2 trains, KIll 110 in Punjab". Los Angeles Times. 16 June 1991.
  18. ↑ "Hindu youths attacked Sikhs and torched Sikh-owned property in..." UPI. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  19. ↑ "1985 transistor blast case stuck for 20-yrs". Times of india. 21 Nov 2005.
  20. ↑ "India seizes 1500 as deaths mount". The New York Times. 12 May 1985.
  21. ↑ "A speeding train slammed into a bus packed with". UPI.com. 1982-09-12. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  22. ↑ "Timeline of incidents in Punjab (Jan to Dec 1982) | KEM". Khalistan Extremism Monitor. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  23. ↑ Gill, Kanwar Pal Singh (1997). Punjab, the Knights of Falsehood. Har-Anand Publications. p. 73. ISBN   978-81-241-0569-6.
  24. ↑ Dhillon, Gurdarshan Singh (1992). India Commits Suicide. Singh & Singh Publishers. p. 182.
  25. ↑ "Pilibhit fake encounter: 'Will seek death penalty for guilty cops'". Hindustan Times. 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  26. ↑ Jaijee, Inderjit Singh (1999). Politics of Genocide: Punjab, 1984-1998. Ajanta Publications. p. 176. ISBN   978-81-202-0415-7.
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