ABSTRACT
Just as the Punjab autonomy campaign launched by the Akali Dal had received considerable support from North American Sikhs, the Indian government's army action in the Golden Temple drew a vigorous reaction, leading to a cry for a Sikh homeland. As news spread on the evening of 3 June 1984, many Sikhs converged on their neighbourhood gurdwaras and extraordinary gatherings took place. The army had taken control of the Golden Temple; as news bulletins flashed pictures of the devastated Akal Takhat building, many Sikhs were angry, some cried openly, others had difficulty in believing the reality of the news? The assault was interpreted as an act of sacrilege, a premeditated brutality, a gesture of contempt, the beginning of a process to destroy Sikh traditions; indeed, many considered it genocide.
