1991 Punjab killings
| 1991 Punjab killings | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ludhiana district, Punjab, India |
| Date | June–Dec 1991 |
| Target | Punjabi Hindus |
Attack type | Mass shooting |
| Deaths | 125 |
| Perpetrators | Khalistan Commando Force[1] |
| Motive | Sikh Separatism |
30°52′59″N 75°51′00″E / 30.883°N 75.85°E The 1991 Punjab killings were a series of train massacres that occurred on 15 June 1991 and 26 December 1991 in the Ludhiana district of the Indian State of Punjab.Khalistani terrorists killed 125 Punjabi Hindu passengers[2][1] in these incidents.
Events
June 1991
The militants stopped the two trains about a kilometre from Ludhiana station by pulling the emergency cords, triggering emergency brakes. They proceeded to open fire inside the trains at around 9:35 p.m. (IST), killing at least 80 passengers.[3] After the attackers fled, the train moved back to Badduwal station, where the rescue team arrived with doctors. Local villagers helped the survivors with food, water, medicine, and mental support.[4] The attacks came less than five hours after polling closed in a national election already marred by violence and interrupted by the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi around a month prior.[4]
December 1991
On 26 December Thursday , four men, believed to have been Khalistani, boarded a local passenger train travelling from Ludhiana to Ferozepur at Ludhiana. They pulled the emergency cord about 7:30 in the evening near a village called Sohian. Six other armed militants climbed aboard the train at the Sohian crossing. The militants shot at passengers who appeared to be Hindu using AK-47s. All but two of the 49 victims were Hindus. After the massacre, the gunmen left the train and disappeared into the night.[5]
Preceding Historical Context
The idea of Khalistan, a separate Sikh homeland, developed over time due to both colonial and post-independence events. During British rule in India, the government often treated Sikhs and Hindus as separate groups. Sikhs were heavily recruited into the British army and sometimes used against Hindu-led states that resisted British control. After India became independent in 1947, problems between the central government and the Punjab region began to grow. Many Sikhs felt politically and economically overlooked, and over time, some began to support the idea of creating their own independent nation.[6]
See also
- 1987 Punjab killings
- List of Victims of Terrorism in Indian Punjab
- List of bus killings during Punjab insurgency
References
- ^ a b "A year after Hardeep Singh Nijjar's death, mysteries remain about how he really lived". The Globe and Mail. 2024.
In 1991, KCF militants boarded a train, separated Sikhs from Hindus, then slaughtered 125 Hindus, many of them children.
- ^ "Sikhs attack India trains, killing 126". Chicago Sun-Times. 17 June 1991. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "110 in two trains gunned down by Punjab militants". The Indian Express. 16 June 1991. p. 1. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ a b Crossette, Barbara (16 June 1991). "Extremists in India Kill 80 on 2 Trains As Voting Nears End". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ Gargan, Edward A. (27 December 1991). "49 Slain by Gunmen on Train in India". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "The Khalistan Movement: History & Resurgence in the Western Diaspora". Hindu American Foundation. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
External links
- "74 were killed in Punjab train carnage". The Indian Express. 17 June 1991. p. 5. Retrieved 9 December 2019.