Sports
Harmanpreet Kaur Dons No. 84 On Her Jersey To Show Solidarity For Victims Of India’s 1984 Anti-Sikh Genocide
SPORTSWALLAH
Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s top cricketer, had an excellent ICC Women's World Cup 2017, where she finished as the country’s third highest run-getter behind skipper Mithali Raj and Punam Raut.
Harmanpreet scored a magnificent 171 ‘not-out’ in the semi-final against Australia, which took India to the final.
Harmanpreet dons the number ‘84’ on her jersey. Have you wondered why?
Many cricketers have a logic behind their jersey numbers. While some are handed out as default numbers, some get it altered based on some beliefs. For example, India limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma has 45 written on his back as it was his mother who suggested that number.
Harmanpreet displays ‘84’ on the back of her jersey during her games because she wants to show solidarity with the victims of India’s 1984 anti-Sikh genocide. And she is pretty vocal about this.
In the 1984 massacres, and in the decade that followed, tens of thousands of innocent Sikh men, women and children were murdered by Hindu mobs led by politicians and aided by police, para-military and other government institutions. Subsequently, the criminals were sheltered by the judiciary and successive central and state governments, including the ones in power today.
Harmanpreet, a proud Sikh, has strong sentiments over the genocide that took place 33 years ago. Perpetrators of the crimes (details of which are well documented and the criminals clearly identified), especially the leaders and instigators (many of whom now hold, or have held, high public office as reward for their crimes against the minority community) remain unpunished to date.
Harmanpreet also dedicates all her success to the victims of the 1984 Genocide.
[Courtesy: Sportswallah. Edited for sikhchic.com]
August 22, 2017
Conversation about this article
1: Bishen Kaur (Patiala, Punjab), August 22, 2017, 10:38 AM.
Now, THAT'S a S-A-R-D-A-R-N-I! Pray, where are the Sardars?
2: GC Singh (USA), August 22, 2017, 7:07 PM.
Well, there is a Sardar Singh, the star hockey player who is getting ready to receive Rajiv Gandhi Khel Rattan award, named after the mass murderer of tens of thousands of innocent Sikhs in 1984 and the years that followed ... and who also bore the infamy and legacy of being the son of another mass-murderer, Indira.
3: Arjan Singh (USA), August 24, 2017, 3:08 PM.
#1 Bishen ji, many of our sardars are busy looking like Bollywood heroes without turbans. Busy in drugs and alcohol, busy in losing the hard earned heritage of their ancestors.