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

Who is Guilty of operation blue star, the destruction of the Golden temple, and the genocide of the Sikhs?

 

The People's Union of Civil Liberties released a report in November 1984 titled "Who are the Guilty?" which identified those responsible for the genocide. The report listed several individuals, including HKL Bhagat, a minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government, three members of parliament (Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, and Dharam Kumar Shastri), and officers from the Delhi municipal corporations, as well as 13 police officers and 198 policemen. Despite the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) identifying Sajjan Kumar as a culprit, he was given a party ticket and won by a large margin in 1991.

Similarly, Jagdish Tytler, accused of involvement in the riots, was also given a party ticket and appointed as the Union Minister of Civil Aviation.

After the 1984 riots, elections were held, and Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister. He prioritized the issue of Punjab and released all Akali leaders. On July 24, 1985, he signed the Rajiv-Longowal Accord with the Akali Dal, which included the transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab on January 26, 1986, as a key point.

Although Bhindranwale had passed away, his ideology continued to live on among certain individuals. His supporters in Punjab were against the Rajiv Gandhi Accord, and they went on to assassinate Sant Longowal.

In an attempt to resolve the situation, Rajiv Gandhi signed the Accord, which promised Chandigarh to the Akalis. However, the Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhajan Lal, warned Rajiv Gandhi that if Chandigarh was given to Punjab, the Hindu population in Haryana would not vote for him, and he would lose their support. In light of this, Rajiv Gandhi backed away from the Accord, which he was heavily criticized for.

Despite the government's efforts to eliminate Bhindranwale's supporters, they continued to talk about Khalistan. The Golden Temple was attacked twice in Operation Black Thunder, but politicians ensured that the police handled everything, and the temple was left unharmed. Over time, Bhindranwale's supporters were gradually eliminated, and the Sikh community began to feel more content.

The appointment of Chandrasekhar as Prime Minister was welcomed by the Sikh community, as he would often begin public meetings with the phrase "Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki fateh". Similarly, the appointment of Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister was seen as an attempt to please the Sikh community.

After the 1984 riots, elections were held, and Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister. He prioritized the issue of Punjab and released all Akali leaders. On July 24, 1985, he signed the Rajiv-Longowal Accord with the Akali Dal, which included the transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab on January 26, 1986, as a key point.

With time, the situation began to improve as the Akalis and Congress worked together to eradicate the extremist elements. Some individuals were killed, while others fled abroad and continued to advocate for Khalistan from there.

 

Amritpal Singh the new bold politician and a new Bhindranwale.

 

Nevertheless, the situation in Punjab was largely under control, and although there were occasional voices calling for Khalistan, they were few in number and lacked significant influence. Overall, the situation remained stable until 2015.

Subsequently, a single incident caused a resurgence of inflamed passions and renewed demands for Khalistan. On June 1st, 2015, the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from a gurudwara in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village in the Faridkot district. A few days later, posters targeting Sikhs were found in the same vicinity, along with instances of contempt and disrespect towards the Guru Granth Sahib.

These events sparked a new wave of concern over the protection of the Sikh religion in Punjab's politics, and a narrative emerged that the Sikh faith was once again under attack. With the Akalis losing support, religious groups began to search for alternative political options. A Khalistan referendum was even held outside of India. Additionally, some voices claimed that the newly-elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not allow Punjab to exercise its rightful state powers or resolve issues such as river sharing.

These views were echoed by Deep Sandhu, an actor who formed an organization called Waris Punjab De and spoke out against Narendra Modi during the farmer protests.

Amritpal Singh, who had been in contact with Deep Sandhu, suddenly emerged on the scene after Sandhu's untimely death in a road accident just five days before the February 15, 2022, Punjab elections. Amritpal Singh, who had returned from Dubai, was announced as the new head of Waris Punjab De in September 2022. However, the family of Deep Sandhu denied any association between Sandhu and Amritpal Singh, claiming that he had forcefully taken over the organization.

On the other hand, Amritpal Singh's supporters asserted that it was Sandhu's own supporters who had appointed him as the head of Waris Punjab De. In a surprising turn of events, Amritpal Singh organized the Dastar Bandi ceremony in Monga District's ancestral village of Bhindranwale, which was attended by thousands of people, shocking many observers. Such widespread support is usually garnered only after a significant amount of groundwork by leaders.

It was shocking to everyone that someone from Dubai could receive such support within a few months. During a ceremony, pro-Khalistan slogans were repeatedly raised and Amritpal Singh declared that Bhindranwale was his ideal. Similar to Bhindranwale, he spoke out against drugs and urged Sikhs to maintain their religious identity. He also threatened to punish anyone who showed contempt toward their religion, stating that neither the police nor the courts would intervene. Amritpal Singh has gained a lot of popularity on social media, particularly among the younger generation.

On February 24th, Toofan Singh, one of Amritpal's associates, was kidnapped and arrested by the police. In response, Amritpal and thousands of his supporters, armed with swords and guns, rallied to demand his release. Amritpal carried Guru Granth Sahib on his head, preventing the police from taking action without risking blasphemy. Eventually, the police had to release Toofan Singh and many officers were injured in the altercation. This incident has made Amritpal a hero in Punjab, with many people seeing him as a bold politician and a new Bhindranwale.

Amritpal has become a popular figure in the media and the issue of Khalistan is gaining momentum. He claims to be pursuing Khalistan through democratic and peaceful means, but he has not ruled out the possibility of violence. It remains to be seen how this situation will evolve in the future, but the media has already labeled Amritpal as the new Bhindranwale.

Click here to read from the start (Part 1)