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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1554 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1554

 Expressing support for the recognition and commemoration of the Sikh 
                           Genocide of 1984.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 25, 2024

  Mr. Valadao (for himself, Mr. Costa, Mr. Fong, Mr. Duarte, and Mr. 
  Harder of California) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing support for the recognition and commemoration of the Sikh 
                           Genocide of 1984.

Whereas the Sikh religion, originating in the Punjab region of South Asia, is 
        the fifth-largest faith in the world with over 25,000,000 followers, and 
        is a monotheistic faith rooted in truth, service, and justice;
Whereas Sikhism is practiced by over 500,000 individuals in the United States, 
        and Sikhs have been part of the American fabric for more than 120 years, 
        arriving initially to work on farms, in lumber mills, mines, and on the 
        Western Pacific Railroad, and subsequently settling in every State and 
        territory, contributing significantly to the Nation's social, cultural, 
        and economic landscape across diverse fields such as art, music, 
        trucking, agriculture, information technology, law, medicine, and many 
        more;
Whereas systemic and orchestrated genocidal violence was perpetrated against 
        Sikhs in 1984 in the capital territory of Delhi, the states of 
        Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, 
        West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, 
        Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Maharashtra, and India-
        administered Jammu and Kashmir;
Whereas, during the Sikh genocide, Sikhs were assaulted, tortured, burned alive, 
        and murdered, and Sikh women, many of whom lost their families during 
        the genocide, were sexually assaulted and raped by groups of attackers;
Whereas Sikh homes, businesses, and gurdwaras, or houses of worship, were 
        looted, damaged, and destroyed during the genocide, causing the 
        intentional destruction of many Sikh families, communities, homes, and 
        businesses;
Whereas the Indian government, through officials and Members of Parliament and 
        with the support of the police and other state institutions, led 
        genocidal attacks and participated in, and failed to intervene to 
        prevent, the genocide;
Whereas, in 1984, over 30,000 Sikhs were murdered;
Whereas the ``Widow Colony'' in New Delhi still houses Sikh women who were 
        assaulted, raped, tortured, and forced to witness the dismemberment, 
        burning, and murder of their families, and who are still calling for 
        justice against the perpetrators;
Whereas the Sikh community in the United States has not recovered from the 
        physical and psychological trauma of the genocide, as they keep alive 
        the memory of those who were killed, and will never forget the Sikh 
        genocide; and
Whereas recognizing the state-sponsored violence that targeted Sikhs across 
        India is an important and historic step toward justice, accountability, 
        and reconciliation, which should be an example to other governments: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
it is the policy of the United States to--
            (1) commemorate the Sikh Genocide of 1984 through official 
        recognition and remembrance;
            (2) call for all perpetrators, regardless of rank or 
        status, to be brought to account; and
            (3) reject efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise 
        associate the United States Government with denial of the Sikh 
        Genocide.
                                 <all>
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