Let’s keep world issues aside for a minute and talk about India. The number of people who have been killed in the name of religion will put anyone to shame. Unimaginable communal riots, genocide and mass exodus have occurred in our country where everyone was a victim and everyone was a perpetrator. From the Hindu-Muslim riots of 1947 to 1984’s anti-Sikh riots, the Gujarat riots to the Kashmiri-Pundit exodus, our country’s past has been extremely bloody.
However, anybody who is an avid reader of history and reads multiple perspectives would understand that such disasters don’t happen overnight. Instead, they are planned and take place in a very systematic manner. In that case, it no longer remains a ‘riot’. It becomes a ‘genocide’ – which is defined as the deliberate killing of one group of people by another with the aim of destroying them. Don’t you think?
In a recently held actors’ roundtable interview hosted by film critic Rajeev Masand, Diljit Dosanjh showed immense courage, something that is missing from most celebrities nowadays, in correcting Masand when he mentioned the 1984 anti-Sikh ‘riots’. Diljit was quick to rectify and called it a ‘genocide’. He further established the difference between a riot and a genocide.
“Sikh genocide, not riots,” he says.
Here’s a video:
Diljit Dosanjh rightly corrects Rajeev Masand. It's not riots it genocide. Be it 1984 or 2002 those were genocide. Call it what it is. pic.twitter.com/OsbG6Hkem9
— Drunk Journalist (@drunkJournalist) December 18, 2022
Several people lauded Diljit Dosanjh for showing some spine. Some also agreed that the popularization of certain terms such as ‘riots’ in a way trivializes what actually happened. Here’s a look at what some of them said:
More power to you bro @diljitdosanjh https://t.co/jrZpZnSAfI
— Jitender Singh (@j_dhillon8) December 19, 2022
Sometimes even courage is a luxury that not everyone can afford. Diljit's audience won't put him out of work for speaking the truth. https://t.co/sehPvsAuGJ
— A F K (@TawakkkalAllah) December 19, 2022
#1984SikhGenocide was a genocide, thank you for reminding those who don’t know what it is @diljitdosanjh https://t.co/q61mZZdRc8
— Rancho D.🇺🇦🇺🇸 (@RD_Rebellion) December 19, 2022
Use the right language always, language is power. Sikh GENOCIDE, not riots https://t.co/mpzsS15xga
— Idrisa Pandit (@takhtsulaiman) December 19, 2022
Thank you Daljit Dosanjh for standing up for your people and making correction👍🤗 https://t.co/Bq8aeHxxor
— vindRandhawa (@randhawa_vind) December 19, 2022
This is how casual normalisation works. @diljitdosanjh rightly interrupted. #genocide1984 https://t.co/Kp9OkjDxdV
— Abhimanyu Singh (@singha_1987) December 19, 2022
Diljit seems more gutsy than SRK. https://t.co/ojX3qdiaxF
— ShahidAhmed (@shahidkuddus) December 18, 2022
Do you agree with Diljit?