Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was "like a dagger pierced through India's chest".
"Our own people were murdered, the attack was not on a particular community but on the entire nation. It was like a dagger pierced through India's chest," Modi said while referring to the riots in his address on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel that is being observed as 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas'.
"It is unfortunate that on the birth anniversary of the man who dedicated his life in uniting the country, a tragic incident took place 30 years ago that shook the country and left it deeply scarred," Modi said.
Over 3,000 people, mostly Sikhs, were killed following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards. The killing occurred after the army stormed the Golden Temple to tackle Sikh militants.
