Word: sikhs
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...crackle of gunfire around the Golden Temple sounded chillingly familiar. More than 600 people died in 1984 when Indian forces stormed the holy shrine and wiped out extremists demanding independence for Sikhs in Punjab. Last week paramilitary troops besieged an estimated 70 Sikh terrorists who were again turning the temple into a fortress. After a Sikh gunman shot at police, Indian security forces returned fire and surrounded the complex. Weeklong gun battles left more than 30 dead...
Named Prime Minister just hours after his mother Indira was assassinated, in October 1984, Gandhi at first impressed his countrymen with his handling of problems at home and abroad. But recently his efforts have turned sour. The peace pact he negotiated with Sikh separatists in Punjab has been shredded by terrorists. Government bureaucrats have defeated his efforts to untangle red tape. His standing as a vote getter has been damaged by defeats for his party in six of the past seven state elections...
Less than 24 hours later, in the neighboring state of Haryana, Sikh militants stopped a bus on a bridge near the town of Fatehabad, about 120 miles southwest of Chandigarh, and opened fire, killing 28 of the 45 people on board. Shortly afterward, the terrorists shot at another bus, killingfour more people...
...grisly attacks, which left a total of 72 dead, were India's worst acts of political violence since Sikh extremists launched a movement five years ago to gain an independent homeland in Punjab, which has a Sikh majority. The assaults are believed to have been carried out by the Khalistan Commando Force, a militant Sikh organization...
...charge has a particular sting for Gandhi, who took direct responsibility for Punjab on May 11, after dismissing the moderate Sikh government there because of its failure to maintain order. Despite last week's events, however, the Prime Minister says he is still reluctant to use military force to curb terrorism in Punjab...