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In a few days’ time, Sikhs will be commemorating the martyrdom of Guru Arjan; the founder of the Golden Temple and the compiler of the Sikh scriptures the Guru Granth Sahib. Today, with the active persecution of religious minorities in many parts of the world, we are constantly reminded about the need for greater religious tolerance. Living in early 17th century India, Guru Arjan felt passive tolerance was not enough and taught a positive engagement in which different religions shared and cherished common insights and recognised and respected differences.. To this end, he showed his respect for Islam by inviting a Muslim saint, Mia Mir, to lay the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar. He placed a door at each of the Temple’s four sides to signify a welcome to people from all geographic or spiritual directions, and included verses of Hindu and Muslim saints in the Holy Granth, where these paralleled Sikh teachings. But the Guru lived at a time of religious bigotry and he was tortured and cruelly martyred for his beliefs. This year’s commemorations have added significance. Thirty years ago today, the Indian army attacked the Golden Temple with ground forces, tanks and heavy weaponry to remove alleged separatists inside. There was a huge loss of life and the assault was recently described by Prime Minister David Cameron as ‘a stain on the history of post-independence India’. A worse fate was to befall Sikhs in November of that year following Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards. According to American Embassy documents, more Sikhs were killed in just three days than those killed in the whole of General Pinochet’s despotic 17 year rule in Chile. In a recent talk at the Indian High Commission, I recalled how close the Hindu and Sikh communities used to be before the traumatic events of 1984 and how this had been replaced with fear and suspicion. I spoke of the desire of Sikhs worldwide for an open independent inquiry to bring closure to still grieving families. To my surprise, the then Acting High Commissioner, responsible to a Congress government, said he agreed with every word. Today there is a new government in power in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a real opportunity to win the confidence of those who question his commitment to religious tolerance by making this Sikh yearning for justice a reality.