Historical Context: The Origins of the Khalistan Movement? (Part 2)

The first time police raid at Golden Temple.

 

In 1955, the police entered the Golden Temple for the first time. This event would be repeated in 1984, which we will discuss later. Between 1960 and 1965, there were several movements, including Master Tara Singh's Amaran Anshan and the "now or never" moment, which resulted in the arrest of many Akalis.

During the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the Sikh community put their differences with the Indian government aside and supported them. They halted their movements and Sikh soldiers played a crucial role in the war effort, leading to a newfound appreciation of Sikhs in the public consciousness.

In 1966, an agreement was reached with the Sikh community, resulting in the division of Punjab into three states: Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. However, the issue of Chandigarh, which had a large Hindi-speaking population and had been made a union territory by the central government, remained contentious.

The Sikh community was dissatisfied because there had been a discussion of Chandigarh in the Anandpur Sahib Resolution, and they believed it should belong to them. Despite this, Punjab became a separate state, and the first election was held. The Akali Dal won, but their governments failed to complete their full term. The Congress party was blamed for this, with accusations of changing the ministry or influencing ministers to bring the government down.

 

The growth of Anandpur Sahib Resolution.

 

Examples of this included Laxman Singh Gill, who won from Akali Dal but joined Congress and brought down the government with 13 other MLAs. The Akali Dal struggled to address issues such as Chandigarh, river water, and quotas in the army while facing pressure from the people of Punjab. They were seen as weak rulers in the eyes of the country.

In 1972, Akali Dal faced a major setback when they lost the election to Congress, and the new Chief Minister of Punjab became Gyani Jail Singh, who later became the President.

This prompted Akali Dal to reassess their strategy in 1973 and hold several meetings to discuss issues such as bringing Chandigarh back to Punjab, giving control of Punjab's water to Punjab, and limiting the central government's influence. The result of these meetings was the Anandpur Sahib Resolution, which was first drafted in English by Sardar Kapur Singh and later approved verbally by Sant Fateh Singh, who did not speak English fluently.

Initially, in 1973, the resolution did not gain much public attention. However, in August 1977, Gyani Ajmer Singh, the secretary of Akali Dal, created an updated version of the resolution, which became popular. The updated version caused controversy both within and outside Akali Dal, with different groups interpreting it in their own way. Some even saw it as a demand for a separate nation, rather than a separate state. However, the resolution became a popular tool for those seeking attention and influence within Akali Dal.

Eventually, the controversy surrounding the Anandpur Sahib Resolution grew too much, and Sant Harchand Singh Longowal took steps to address it.

In 1977, the President of Akali Dal distributed copies of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution to both houses of the Indian Parliament. He stated that this was the authentic version of the resolution and warned against misinterpretation. He clarified that there was no demand for a separate nation within the resolution and anyone suggesting otherwise was mistaken. While the Akali Dal had never requested a separate nation, the Sikh community was sensitive to their religion.

Even the Britishers had to concede to the Sikh community's right to wear turbans while imposing many restrictions on Hindus and Muslims. Thus, every political party in Punjab had religious politics on its agenda. When the Congress Party started losing popularity after the Anandpur Sahib Resolution, Gyani Jail Singh, who had been Chief Minister of Punjab from 1972 to 1977, also tried to appear more dedicated to the Sikh religion than even the Akalis. Congress needed a face that appeared more religious than the Akalis, and this is where Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale came in.

 

The rise of new leader Bhindranwala.

Bhindranwale was the leader of Damdami Taksal, an organization that focused on religion and education. He became immensely popular for his efforts to rehabilitate addicts, encourage people to follow the Sikh religion, and solve disputes between people. People began flocking to him from all over to seek his guidance.

Gyani Jail Singh and Darbara Singh informed Sanjay Gandhi that Bhindranwale was a popular figure in Punjab and if he became the face of a political party, it would negatively impact Akali dal's votes. Congress later supported Bhindranwale in the SGPC election against Akali Dal, and his popularity continued to grow due to his religious affiliation.

With government support, Bhindranwale became more active and evaded arrest until an incident on April 1978, where a conflict between Sikh and Nirankari Sikh over the status of a guru resulted in 17 deaths.

Bhindranwale was involved but not arrested, which emboldened him. In 1980, Baba Gurbachan Singh, the head of the Nirankari Sikhs, and his bodyguards were killed in Delhi, with Bhindranwale's name being associated with the incident but no arrest was made. In 1981, a census was conducted throughout the country.

During a census, individuals are asked about their mother tongue. The issue arises when the language preferences of the population shift, as the importance of a language is determined by the number of people claiming it as their mother tongue. Bhindranwale encouraged people to claim Punjabi as their mother tongue, which made some Hindus anxious.

However, the editor of Punjab Kesari, Lala Jagat Narain, reassured the Hindu community that they had nothing to fear and should claim Hindi as their mother tongue.

Despite this, Lala Jagat Narain was assassinated, which increased pressure on the government to arrest Bhindranwale. The government delayed his arrest until outside pressure mounted, which ultimately led to conflict between Bhindranwale and Congress. When Bhindranwale was finally arrested, violence erupted throughout Punjab, resulting in the deaths of 17 people. The situation became so uncontrollable that Bhindranwale was eventually released to restore peace. Bhindranwale enjoyed significant public support, and even the Akalis felt compelled to stand by him.

The Akali Dal initially intended to focus on the Sikh religion, but as Bhindranwale gained popularity, they aligned themselves with him. This move was detrimental to Congress, and in 1982, the Akali Dal and Congress came together to form the Dharm Yudh Morcha with the primary goal of implementing the Anandpur Sahib resolution. The rallies held by the Morcha sometimes turned violent, and Congress ordered firing in some instances.

In 1982, Delhi was scheduled to host the Asian Games, and the Morcha wanted to leverage this event to draw global attention to their cause. However, the government was determined to prevent any disruption to the games and began checking all Sikhs passing through the Punjab-Haryana border. Many Sikh army personnel were also disrespected during these checks, causing widespread anger in the community. While the Akalis did not react to this, Bhindranwale capitalized on the situation and claimed to seek vengeance. This move further increased his popularity and made him more prominent than the Akalis. However, some groups within the Akalis did not approve of Bhindranwale's tactics.

In July 1982, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Darbara Singh, was attacked. In August, an Indian plane was hijacked, and in October, a bus traveling from Amritsar to Delhi was hijacked and all Hindu passengers were shot. These incidents worsened the situation in Punjab, and the President's rule was imposed.

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