In pictures: Forty years of Delhi's anti-Sikh riots

Delhi's anti-Sikh riots, a dark chapter in India's post-independence history, marked its 40th anniversary with the scars of those tumultuous days still evident. The violence that erupted following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984, led to a horrifying spree of killings, lootings, and arsons against Sikhs in the national capital of Delhi and other parts of the country. Official figures cite about 3,000 Sikhs were killed, although human rights organizations claim the toll to be much higher. Forty years on, the victims and their families still seek justice and closure, a testament to the lingering effects of the violence on the community's psyche. The assassination of Indira Gandhi was seen as a retaliatory act by her Sikh bodyguards for Operation Blue Star, the Indian military's June 1984 action to remove Sikh militants holed up in the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The operation had caused significant damage to the temple complex, the holiest site in Sikhism, and resulted in the deaths of many civilians, deeply hurting Sikh sentiments and angering Sikhs globally. The days following Gandhi's assassination witnessed unparalleled violence against Sikhs in Delhi. Mobs, incited by rage and reportedly orchestrated by individuals and politicians with ties to the ruling Congress party at the time, targeted Sikh homes, businesses, and Gurdwaras (Sikh temples). Sikhs were dragged out of their homes