Notable Leaders of Sikh Diaspora on the Hit List of Modi Regime

Indian State Punjab which has 58% Sikh and 39% Hindu population was rocked by a violent Khalistan separatist movement in the 1980s and early 1990s in which thousands of people, especially Sikh have been killed.

Although the Sikhs are fighting for a separate homeland since 1947, yet the movement attained impetus after the brutal Operation Blue Star.

In the wake of military operation (Operation Blue Star) in Golden temple, Sikhs’ most revered religious place, a large number of Sikhs were killed and many injured. To flush out the spiritual leader of the Sikh community Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale holed up in the temple was the apparent pretext to use disproportionate force to desecrate the sacred place of the Sikhs.

In their book, “The Sikh Struggle”, Ramnarain Kumar and George Sieberer write: “The army killed every Sikh who could be found inside the temple-complex. They were hauled out of rooms, brought to corridors on the circumference of the temple and with their hands tied behind their back, were shot in cold blood. Among the victims were many old men, women and children…However, all visitors were locked up in rooms for two days without any food, water, or electricity and were starved to death. Besides, the Harmandir Sahib remained under the army control for many months”.

Sequel to the Operation Blue Star, in June 1984, a Sikh guard had shot dead Indian Prime Minister Indra Gandhi. As a vindictive act Sikhs faced the backlash by the Hindu hardliners, as they were hounded and persecuted including social boycott everywhere in India.

A large number of Sikhs were killed and many were injured in different states including national capital New Delhi. An individual act of a guard was interpreted as a collective act of the Sikh community which was meted out collective punishment.

Feeling marginalized Sikh population in India is still at receiving end. Recent upsurge in the wake of Amritpal Singh Sandhu’s emergence as a voice of Sikhs’ victimhood Indian government started “covert” operations against Sikh population.

Indian state Punjab was placed under curfew and communication lines were cut prior to launch of security forces operation against the Sikhs despite the fact that Amritpal surrendered to authorities.

Ever since Amritpal Singh Sandhu had taken over as the head of ‘Waris Punjab De’, Indian Police arrested a large number of Sikhs as well as members of ‘Waris Punjab De’ and Amritpal Singh.

The Sikh diaspora has expressed serious concerns over this crackdown harassing Sikh population in the Indian Punjab and elsewhere in India, including those living abroad. Various Sikh entities living in India and abroad have strongly condemned Indian crackdown and emphasised to stop persecution of the Sikh community.

Particularly, WSO had condemned the security operations in Punjab, stating: “Indian authorities have announced the mass suspension of internet services across Punjab citing a threat to “public order by incitement to violence. State-wide cordon and search operations are currently underway across Punjab”.

In a press release, WSO also pointed out: “We are also deeply concerned that the Bhai Amritpal Singh’s arrest…may be used to orchestrate a false encounter and facilitate his extrajudicial murder…This tactic was commonly used by the Punjab police through the 80’s and 90’s to eliminate Sikh activists. We call on the Canadian Government to demand accountability from India and call for the immediate restoration of civil rights and internet services in Punjab.”

Tim S. Uppal Canadian Conservative Party deputy leader, Gurratan Singh, former Member of the Provincial Parliament, Author and poet Rupi Kaur as well as renowned Sikh persons living in Canada expressed serious concern over crackdown against Sikhs in India-gross human rights violations, remarking: “We are concerned about reports coming out of Punjab, India…We are closely following the situation…mass arrests of Sikh activists…shut down of internet and text… crackdown on public gatherings…mass censorship of media. Let the Indian Government know that we condemn this repression. The whole world is watching”.

It is mentionable that EU Sikhs held an anti-India protest demonstration in front of the Brussels Parliament in Brussels on March 27, 2023, calling on European Commission to challenge New Delhi’s massive security crackdown. The speakers on the occasion strongly denounced the Narendar Modi’s government for harassing the Sikh community in India.

Similarly, the California state assembly passed a resolution on April 10, this year, which said that the Sikh community in the US had not yet recovered from the physical and psychological trauma of the riots, urging the US Congress to formally recognize the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India as ‘genocide’, and to condemn the violence.

It is noteworthy that with the consent of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, Indian intelligence agency RAW started a “covert” operation against the Sikh diaspora in Canada, UK, Australia and elsewhere.

Diaspora has been raising its voice over the continuous security forces operation against Sikhs in India. Thus Modi regime has now started highhandedness against the Sikh diaspora.

In this respect, the leading Sikh leader of the Khalistan’s movement Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed on June 18, this year in the targeted shooting in Canada’s Surrey.

Reports revealed that Nijjar was found dead inside a car with bullet wounds in the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib (Temple) of which he was the head, at Surrey—the federal police stated that he was shot by two unidentified assailants and had died on the spot.

In a video statement, leading pro-Khalistan’s separatist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun condemned the killing of SFJ’s Canada leader and leading Sikh campaigner Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

He disclosed that the “Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), acting under the instructions of Narendra Modi—his close associates Amit Shah and Ajit Doval assassinated Hardeep Singh Nijjar—the incharge of Khalistan Referendum in Canada”.

Pannun further said: “While SFJ has been using ballots for the liberation of Punjab from Indian occupation, India has set the cycle of violence into motion by resorting to the use of bullets. While Indian bullets cannot stop the Khalistan Referendum which will balkanize India and liberate Punjab, Modi, Shah and Doval should be prepared for facing the justice under the international law for ordering the killing of pro-Khalistan Sikhs.”

The Khalistani leader “avowed to avenge Nijjar’s death by bringing down and dismantling Indian system.”

In this regard, officials also added that when his body was being moved from the scene by the Canadian police, a group of Sikhs raised pro-Khalistan and anti-India slogans.

According to the World Sikh Organization (WSO) of Canada, “Nijjar had been warned by Canada’s spy agency about threats against him.”

Notably, Nijjar death came few days after a close aide of Amritpal Singh Avtar Singh Khanda died in the UK. Khanda was the chief of the UK-based group—Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). He was suffering from blood cancer and took his last breath at the Sandwell Hospital in Birmingham. He played a major role in radicalizing Sikh youth towards the pro-independence movement.

Reports suggest that Avtar Singh was working in close association with UK based Sikhs, Paramjit Singh Pamma and Nijjar who were spearheading secessionist campaign ‘Referendum 2020’ of organization ‘Sikhs For Justice’.

In this connection, India Today revealed on June 15, 2023: “Avtar Singh Khanda, UK-based chief of the Khalistan Liberation Force and the main handler of Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh, has died, sources said—Khanda, who helped Amritpal Singh evade the police for 37 days in between March and April, was suspected of being poisoned—Medical records, though, say that he was suffering from blood cancer.”

It is worth-mentioning that after the barbaric Operation Blue Star, Sikhs organized themselves into an armed power in order to fight the Indian state terrorism. Many Sikhs left India to escape further genocide. Sikhs have spread out all over the world to keep the movement of Khalistan alive. In this connection, their struggle is still going on.

Participation of almost 208,000 Sikhs in the Khalistan Referendums held in the recent years in four western countries—UK, Geneva, Italy and Canada to demand the liberation of Indian Punjab show that Sikhs have intensified their movement.

Besides, in Sydney, over 31,000 Sikhs voted for Khalistan Referendum on June 4, 2023 amid stiff resistance from the Indian government and Indian Premier Modi’s personal campaign to stop Sikhs from holding the third phase of referendum in Australia.

In this context, SFJ’s General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun stated that the Sydney turnout was a reflection of an extraordinary growing global support for liberation of Punjab from Indian occupation.

It is pertinent to mention that Khalistan Referendum’s voting in Sydney was the third phase of the Australian campaign. The first phase was held in Melbourne in January, this year when over 50,000 Sikhs turned out to cast their votes. The second phase was held in Brisbane in March 2023 where more than 11,000 Sikhs had voted.

Meanwhile, Sikh activists shouted slogans in support of Khalistan during a protest rally outside the Indian High Commission in London on July 8, 2023. They also held RAW for the death of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Such demonstrations were also conducted in some Western countries.

As Sikh community has accelerated their struggle for Khalistan, therefore notable leaders of Sikh diaspora are on the hit list of Modi regime.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

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