Jump to content

Khalistan movement

Extended-protected article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Khalistani)

The proposed flag of Khalistan is often used as a symbol of the Khalistan movement.[1]

The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno‐religious sovereign state called Khalistan (lit. 'land of the Khalsa') in the Punjab region.[2] The proposed boundaries of Khalistan vary between different groups; some suggest the entirety of the Sikh-majority Indian state of Punjab, while larger claims include Pakistani Punjab and other parts of North India such as Chandigarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.[3] Shimla and Lahore have been proposed as the capital of Khalistan.[4][5]

The call for a separate Sikh state began during the 1930s, when British rule in India was nearing its end.[6] In 1940, the first explicit call for Khalistan was made in a pamphlet titled "Khalistan".[7][8] With financial and political support from the Sikh diaspora, the movement flourished in the Indian state of Punjab – which has a Sikh-majority population – continuing through the 1970s and 1980s, and reaching its zenith in the late 1980s. The Sikh separatist leader Jagjit Singh Chohan said that during his talks with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the latter affirmed his support for the Khalistan movement in retaliation for the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, which resulted in the secession of Bangladesh from Pakistan.[9]

The separatist insurgency in Punjab started in the early 1980s.[10][11] Several Khalistani groups were involved in the armed insurgency, including Babbar Khalsa and Khalistan Commando Force, among others.[12] In 1986, Khalistan Commando Force took responsibility for the assassination of General Arun Vaidya, in retaliation for 1984's Operation Blue Star.[13][14] By the mid-1990s, the insurgency petered out, with the last major incident being the assassination of Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was killed in a bomb blast by a member of Babbar Khalsa.[15] The movement failed to reach its objective for multiple reasons, including violent police crackdowns on separatists, factional infighting, and disillusionment from the Sikh population.[10][16]

There is some support within India and the Sikh diaspora, with yearly demonstrations in protest of those killed during Operation Blue Star.[17][18][19] In early 2018, some militant groups were arrested by police in Punjab, India.[10] Former Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh claimed that the recent extremism is backed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and "Khalistani sympathisers" in Canada, Italy, and the UK.[20] Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) is currently the only pro-Khalistan party recognised by the Election Commission of India. As of 2024, two seats in the Indian Parliament are held by Amritpal Singh, an incarcerated pro-Khalistan activist, and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, who is the son of the assassin of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.[21][22]

Pre-1950s

Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Sikh Empire at its peak in c. 1839; most of its territory in the Punjab plain is currently under Pakistan

Sikhs have been concentrated in the Punjab region of South Asia.[23] Before its conquest by the British, the region around Punjab had been ruled by the confederacy of Sikh Misls. The Misls ruled over the eastern Punjab from 1733 to 1799,[24] until their confederacy was unified into the Sikh Empire by Maharajah Ranjit Singh from 1799 to 1849.[25]

At the end of the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849, the Sikh Empire was dissolved into separate princely states and the British province of Punjab.[26] In newly conquered regions, "religio-nationalist movements emerged in response to British 'divide and rule' administrative policies, the perceived success of Christian missionaries converting Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, and a general belief that the solution to the downfall among India's religious communities was a grassroots religious revival."[27]

As the British Empire began to dissolve in the 1930s, Sikhs made their first call for a Sikh homeland.[6] When the Lahore Resolution of the Muslim League demanded Punjab be made into a Muslim state, the Akalis viewed it as an attempt to usurp a historically Sikh territory.[28][29] In response, the Sikh party Shiromani Akali Dal argued for a community that was separate from Hindus and Muslims.[30] The Akali Dal imagined Khalistan as a theocratic state led by the Maharaja of Patiala with the aid of a cabinet consisting of the representatives of other units.[31] The country would include parts of present-day Punjab, India, present-day Punjab, Pakistan (including Lahore), and the Simla Hill States.[32]

Partition of India, 1947

British Punjab Province, in 1909

Before the 1947 partition of India, Sikhs were not in majority in any of the districts of pre-partition British Punjab Province other than Ludhiana (where Sikhs formed 41.6% of the population).[33] Rather, districts in the region had a majority of either the Hindus or Muslims depending on its location in the province.

British India was partitioned on a religious basis in 1947, where the Punjab province was divided between India and the newly created Pakistan. As result, a majority of Sikhs, along with the Hindus, migrated from the Pakistani region to India's Punjab, which included present-day Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The Sikh population, which had gone as high as 19.8% in some Pakistani districts in 1941, dropped to 0.1% in Pakistan, and rose sharply in the districts assigned to India. However, they would still be a minority in the Punjab province of India, which remained a Hindu-majority province.[34][page needed]

Sikh relationship with Punjab (via Oberoi)

A map of the present-day Indian state of Punjab. Following the partition, East Punjab (including PEPSU) was divided in 1966 with the formation of the new states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh as well as the current state of Punjab. Punjab is the only state in India with a majority Sikh population.

Sikh historian Harjot Singh Oberoi argues that, despite the historical linkages between Sikhs and Punjab, territory has never been a major element of Sikh self-definition. He makes the case that the attachment of Punjab with Sikhism is a recent phenomenon, stemming from the 1940s.[35] Historically, Sikhism has been pan-Indian, with the Guru Granth Sahib (the main scripture of Sikhism) drawing from works of saints in both North and South India, while several major seats in Sikhism (e.g. Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, Takht Sri Patna Sahib in Bihar, and Hazur Sahib in Maharashtra) are located outside of Punjab.[36]

Oberoi makes the case that Sikh leaders in the late 1930s and 1940s realized that the dominance of Muslims in Pakistan and of Hindus in India was imminent. To justify a separate Sikh state within the Punjab, Sikh leaders started to mobilize meta-commentaries and signs to argue that Punjab belonged to Sikhs and Sikhs belong to Punjab. This began the territorialization of the Sikh community.[35]

This territorialization of the Sikh community would be formalized in March 1946, when the Sikh political party of Akali Dal passed a resolution proclaiming the natural association of Punjab and the Sikh religious community.[37] Oberoi argues that despite having its beginnings in the early 20th century, Khalistan as a separatist movement was never a major issue until the late 1970s and 1980s when it began to militarize.[38]

1950s to 1970s

There are two distinct narratives about the origins of the calls for a sovereign Khalistan. One refers to the events within India itself, while the other privileges the role of the Sikh diaspora. Both of these narratives vary in the form of governance proposed for this state (e.g. theocracy vs democracy) as well as the proposed name (i.e. Sikhistan vs Khalistan). Even the precise geographical borders of the proposed state differs among them although it was generally imagined to be carved out from one of various historical constructions of the Punjab.[39]

Emergence in India

See also: Punjabi Suba movement

Established on 14 December 1920, Akali Dal was a Sikh political party that sought to form a government in Punjab.[40]

Following the 1947 independence of India, the Punjabi Suba movement, led by the Akali Dal, sought the creation of a province (suba) for Punjabi people. The Akali Dal's maximal position of demands was a sovereign state (i.e. Khalistan), while its minimal position was to have an autonomous state within India.[39] The issues raised during the Punjabi Suba movement were later used as a premise for the creation of a separate Sikh country by proponents of Khalistan.

As the religious-based partition of India led to much bloodshed, the Indian government initially rejected the demand, concerned that creating a Punjabi-majority state would effectively mean yet again creating a state based on religious grounds.[41][42]

On 7 September 1966, the Punjab Reorganisation Act was passed in Parliament, implemented with effect beginning 1 November 1966. Accordingly, Punjab was divided into the state of Punjab and Haryana, with certain areas to Himachal Pradesh. Chandigarh was made a centrally administered Union territory.[43] While the Union Government led by Indira Gandhi agreed with the creation of Punjab state but refused to make Chandigarh as its capital and also refused to make it autonomous. The outcome of the Punjabi Suba movement failed to meet demands of its leaders.[44]

Anandpur Resolution

See also: Anandpur Sahib Resolution

As Punjab and Haryana now shared the capital of Chandigarh, resentment was felt among Sikhs in Punjab.[40] Adding further grievance, a canal system was put in place over the rivers of Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej, which flowed through Punjab, in order for water to also reach Haryana and Rajasthan. As result, Punjab would only receive 23% of the water while the rest would go to the two other states. The fact that the issue would not be revisited brought on additional turmoil to Sikh resentment against Congress.[40]

The Akali Dal was defeated in the 1972 Punjab elections.[45] To regain public appeal, the party put forward the Anandpur Sahib Resolution in 1973 to demand radical devolution of power and further autonomy to Punjab.[46] The resolution document included both religious and political issues, asking for the recognition of Sikhism as a religion separate from Hinduism, as well as the transfer of Chandigarh and certain other areas to Punjab. It also demanded that power be radically devolved from the central to state governments.[47]

The document was largely forgotten for some time after its adoption until gaining attention in the following decade. In 1982, the Akali Dal and Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale joined hands to launch the Dharam Yudh Morcha in order to implement the resolution. Thousands of people joined the movement, feeling that it represented a real solution to such demands as larger shares of water for irrigation and the return of Chandigarh to Punjab.[48]

Emergence in the diaspora

According to the 'events outside India' narrative, particularly after 1971, the notion of a sovereign and independent state of Khalistan began to get popularized among Sikhs in North America and Europe. One such account is provided by the Khalistan Council which had moorings in West London, where the Khalistan movement is said to have been launched in 1970.[39]

Davinder Singh Parmar migrated to London in 1954. According to Parmar, his first pro-Khalistan meeting was attended by less than 20 people and he was labelled as a madman, receiving only one person's support. Parmar continued his efforts despite the lack of following, eventually raising the Khalistani flag in Birmingham in the 1970s.[49] In 1969, two years after losing the Punjab Assembly elections, Indian politician Jagjit Singh Chohan moved to the United Kingdom to start his campaign for the creation of Khalistan.[50] Chohan's proposal included Punjab, Himachal, Haryana, as well as some parts of Rajasthan.[51]

Parmar and Chohan met in 1970 and formally announced the Khalistan movement at a London press conference, though being largely dismissed by the community as fanatical fringe without any support.[49]

Chohan in Pakistan and US

Location of Nankana Sahib in Punjab, Pakistan, that was proposed as the capital of Khalistan by ZA Bhutto.

Following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Chohan visited Pakistan as a guest of such leaders as Chaudhuri Zahoor Elahi. Visiting Nankana Sahib and several historical gurdwaras in Pakistan, Chohan utilized the opportunity to spread the notion of an independent Sikh state. Widely publicized by Pakistani press, the extensive coverage of his remarks introduced the international community, including those in India, to the demand of Khalistan for the first time. Though lacking public support, the term Khalistan became more and more recognizable.[49] According to Chohan, during a talk with Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan, Bhutto had proposed to make Nankana Sahib the capital of Khalistan.[52]

On 13 October 1971, visiting the United States at the invitation of his supporters in the Sikh diaspora, Chohan placed an advertisement in the New York Times proclaiming an independent Sikh state. Such promotion enabled him to collect millions of dollars from the diaspora,[50] eventually leading to charges in India relating to sedition and other crimes in connection with his separatist activities.

Council of Khalistan

After returning to India in 1977, Chohan travelled to Britain in 1979. There, he would establish the Council of Khalistan,[53] declaring its formation at Anandpur Sahib on 12 April 1980. Chohan designated himself as President of the Council and Balbir Singh Sandhu as its Secretary General.

In May 1980, Chohan travelled to London to announce the formation of Khalistan. A similar announcement was made in Amritsar by Sandhu, who released stamps and currency of Khalistan. Operating from a building termed "Khalistan House", Chohan named a Cabinet and declared himself president of the "Republic of Khalistan," issuing symbolic Khalistan 'passports,' 'postage stamps,' and 'Khalistan dollars.' Moreover, embassies in Britain and other European countries were opened by Chohan.[50] It is reported that, with the support of a wealthy Californian peach magnate, Chohan opened an Ecuadorian bank account to further support his operation.[51] As well as maintaining contacts among various groups in Canada, the US, and Germany, Chohan kept in contact with the Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who was campaigning for a theocratic Sikh homeland.[50]

The globalized Sikh diaspora invested efforts and resources for Khalistan, but the Khalistan movement remained nearly invisible on the global political scene until the Operation Blue Star of June 1984.[49]

Operation Blue Star and impact

In later disclosures from former special secretary G.B.S. Sidhu of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), the foreign-intelligence agency of India, R&AW itself helped "build the Khalistan legend," actively participating in the planning of Operation Blue Star. While posted in Ottawa, Canada in 1976 to look into the "Khalistan problem" among the Sikh diaspora, Sidhu found "nothing amiss" during the three years he was there,[54] stating that "Delhi was unnecessarily making a mountain of a molehill where none existed," that the agency created seven posts in West Europe and North America in 1981 to counter non-existent Khalistan activities, and that the deployed officers were "not always familiar with the Sikhs or the Punjab issue."[54] He described the secessionist movement as a "chimera" until the army operation, after which the insurgency would start.[54]

According to a New York Times article written just a few weeks after the operation, "Before the raid on the Golden Temple, neither the Government nor anyone else appeared to put much credence in the Khalistan movement. Mr. Bhindranwale himself said many times that he was not seeking an independent country for Sikhs, merely greater autonomy for Punjab within the Indian Union.... One possible explanation advanced for the Government's raising of the Khalistan question is that it needs to take every opportunity to justify the killing in Amritsar and the invasion of the Sikhs' holiest shrine."[55]

Khushwant Singh had written that "considerable Khalistan sentiment seems to have arisen since the raid on the temple, which many Sikhs, if not most, have taken as a deep offense to their religion and their sensibilities," referring to the drastic change in community sentiments after the army attack.[55]

Late 1970s to 1983

Main article: Dharam Yudh Morcha

Delhi Asian Games (1982)

The Akali leaders, having planned to announce a victory for Dharam Yudh Morcha, were outraged by the changes to the agreed-upon settlement. In November 1982, Akali leader Harchand Singh Longowal announced that the party would disrupt the 9th annual Asian Games by sending groups of Akali workers to Delhi to intentionally get arrested. Following negotiations between the Akali Dal and the government failed at the last moment due to disagreements regarding the transfer of areas between Punjab and Haryana.[56]

Knowing that the Games would receive extensive coverage, Akali leaders vowed to overwhelm Delhi with a flood of protestors, aiming to heighten the perception of Sikh "plight" among the international audience.[56] A week before the Games, Bhajan Lal, Chief Minister of Haryana and member of the INC party, responded by sealing the Delhi-Punjab border,[56] and ordering all Sikh visitors travelling from to Delhi from Punjab to be frisked.[57] While such measures were seen as discriminatory and humiliating by Sikhs, they proved effective as Akali Dal could only organize small and scattered protests in Delhi. Consequently, many Sikhs who did not initially support Akalis and Bhindranwale began sympathizing with the Akali Morcha.[56]

Following the conclusion of the Games, Longowal organised a convention of Sikh veterans at the Darbar Sahib. It was attended by a large number of Sikh ex-servicemen, including retd. Major General Shabeg Singh who subsequently became Bhindranwale's military advisor.[56]

1984

Increasing militant activity

Widespread murders by followers of Bhindranwale occurred in 1980s' Punjab. Armed Khalistani militants of this period described themselves as kharku.[58]

On its own, the year 1984 (from 1 January to 3 June) saw 775 violent incidents, resulting in 298 people killed and 525 injured.[59]

Though it was common knowledge that those responsible for such bombings and murders were taking shelter in gurdwaras, the INC Government of India declared that it could not enter these places of worship, for the fear of hurting Sikh sentiments.[48] Even as detailed reports on the open shipping of arms-laden trucks were sent to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Government choose not to take action.[48] Finally, following the murder of six Hindu bus passengers in October 1983, emergency rule was imposed in Punjab, which would continue for more than a decade.[60]

Constitutional issues

The Akali Dal began more agitation in February 1984, protesting against Article 25, clause (2)(b), of the Indian Constitution, which ambiguously explains that "the reference to Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Jaina, or Buddhist religion," while also implicitly recognizing Sikhism as a separate religion: "the wearing and carrying of kripans [sic] shall be deemed to be included in the profession of the Sikh religion."[61]: 109  Even today, this clause is deemed offensive by many religious minorities in India due to its failure to recognise such religions separately under the constitution.[61]

Members of the Akali Dal demanded that the removal of any ambiguity in the Constitution that refers to Sikhs as Hindu, as such prompts various concerns for the Sikh population, both in principle and in practice. For instance, a Sikh couple who would marry in accordance to the rites of their religion would have to register their union either under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 or the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The Akalis demanded replacement of such rules with laws specific to Sikhism.

Operation Blue Star

Operation Blue Star was an Indian military operation ordered by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, between 1 and 8 June 1984, to remove militant religious leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers from the buildings of the Harmandir Sahib complex (aka the Golden Temple) in Amritsar, Punjab – the most sacred site in Sikhism.[62]

In July 1983, Akali Dal President Harchand Singh Longowal had invited Bhindranwale to take up residence at the sacred temple complex,[63] which the government would allege that Bhindranwale would later make into an armoury and headquarters for his armed uprising.[64][65]

Since the inception of the Dharam Yudh Morcha to the violent events leading up to Operation Blue Star, Khalistani militants had directly killed 165 Hindus and Nirankaris, as well as 39 Sikhs opposed to Bhindranwale, while a total of 410 were killed and 1,180 injured as a result of Khalistani violence and riots.[66]

As negotiations held with Bhindranwale and his supporters proved unsuccessful, Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian Army to launch Operation Blue Star.[67] Along with the Army, the operation would involve Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, and Punjab Police. Army units led by Lt. Gen. Kuldip Singh Brar (a Sikh), surrounded the temple complex on 3 June 1984. Just before the commencement of the operation, Lt. Gen. Brar addressed the soldiers:[68]

The action is not against the Sikhs or the Sikh religion; it is against terrorism. If there is anyone amongst them, who have strong religious sentiments or other reservations, and do not wish to take part in the operation he can opt out, and it will not be held against him.

— Lieutenant General Kuldip Singh Brar

However, none of the soldiers opted out, including many "Sikh officers, junior commissioned officers and other ranks."[68] Using a public address system, the Army repeatedly demanded the militants to surrender, asking them to at least allow pilgrims to leave the temple premises before commencing battle.

Nothing happened until 7:00 pm (IST).[69] The Army, equipped with tanks and heavy artillery, had grossly underestimated the firepower possessed by the militants, who attacked with anti-tank and machine-gun fire from the heavily fortified Akal Takht, and who possessed Chinese-made, rocket-propelled grenade launchers with armour-piercing capabilities. After a 24-hour shootout, the army finally wrested control of the temple complex.

Bhindranwale was killed in the operation, while many of his followers managed to escape. Army casualty figures counted 83 dead and 249 injured,[70] although Rajiv Gandhi would later admit that over 700 Indian soldiers died.[71] According to the official estimate presented by the Indian Government, the event resulted in a combined total of 493 militant and civilian casualties, as well as the apprehension of 1592 individuals.[72] Independent estimates say over 5,000 civilians and only 200 militants.[73]

U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague attributed high civilian casualties to the Indian Government's attempt at a full frontal assault on the militants, diverging from the recommendations provided by the U.K. Military.[i][ii] Opponents of Gandhi also criticised the operation for its excessive use of force. Lieutenant General Brar later stated that the Government had "no other recourse" due to a "complete breakdown" of the situation: state machinery was under the militants' control, declaration of Khalistan was imminent, and Pakistan would have come into the picture declaring its support for Khalistan.[74]

Nonetheless, the operation did not crush Khalistani militancy, as it continued.[38]

According to the Mitrokhin Archive, in 1982 the Soviets used a recruit in the New Delhi residency named "Agent S" who was close to Indira Gandhi as a major channel for providing her disinformation regarding Khalistan. Agent S provided Indira Gandhi with false documents purporting to show Pakistani involvement to create religious disturbances and allegedly initiate a Khalistan conspiracy. After Rajiv Gandhi's visit to Moscow in 1983, the Soviets persuaded him that the US was engaged in secret support for the Sikhs. By 1984, according to Mitrokhin, the disinformation the Soviets provided had influenced Indira Gandhi to pursue Operation Blue Star.[75][76][77]

Assassination of Indira Gandhi and anti-Sikh riots

Main article: Indira Gandhi assassination
Indira Gandhi

On the morning of 31 October 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi by her two personal security guards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, both Sikhs, in retaliation for Operation Blue Star.[38] The assassination triggered the 1984 anti-Sikh riots across North India. While the ruling party, Indian National Congress (INC), maintained that the violence was due to spontaneous riots, its critics have alleged that INC members themselves had planned a pogrom against the Sikhs.[78]

The Nanavati Commission, a special commission created to investigate the riots, concluded that INC leaders (including Jagdish Tytler, H. K. L. Bhagat, and Sajjan Kumar) had directly or indirectly taken a role in the rioting incidents.[79][80] Union Minister Kamal Nath was accused of leading riots near Rakab Ganj, but was cleared due to lack of evidence.[80] Other political parties strongly condemned the riots.[81] Two major civil-liberties organisations issued a joint report on the anti-Sikh riots, naming 16 significant politicians, 13 police officers, and 198 others, accused by survivors and eyewitnesses.[82]

1985 to present day

1985

Rajiv-Longowal Accord

Main article: Punjab accord

Many Sikh and Hindu groups, as well as organisations not affiliated to any religion, have attempted to establish peace between the Khalistan proponents and the Government of India.[citation needed] Akalis continued to witness radicalization of Sikh politics, fearing disastrous consequences.[40] In response, President Harchand Singh Longowal reinstated the head of the Akali Dal and pushed for a peace initiative that reiterated the importance of Hindu-Sikh amity, condemning Sikh extremist violence, therefore declaring that the Akali Dal was not in favor of Khalistan.

In 1985, the Government of India attempted to seek a political solution to the grievances of the Sikhs through the Rajiv-Longowal Accord, which took place between Longowal and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The Accord – recognizing the religious, territorial, and economic demands of the Sikhs that were thought to be non-negotiable under Indira Gandhi's tenure – agreed to establish commissions and independent tribunals in order to resolve the Chandigarh issue and the river dispute, laying the basis for Akali Dal's victory in the coming elections.[40]

Though providing a basis for a return to normality, Chandigarh evidently remained an issue and the agreement was denounced by Sikh militants who refused to give up the demand for an independent Khalistan. These extremists, who were left unappeased, reacted by assassinating Longowal.[65] Such behavior lead to the dismissal of negotiations, whereby both Congress and the Akali parties accused each other of aiding terrorism.[40]

The Indian Government pointed to the involvement of a "foreign hand," referring to Pakistan's abetting of the movement. Punjab noted to the Indian Government that militants were able to obtain sophisticated arms through sources outside the country and by developing links with sources within the country.[40] As such, the Government believed that large illegal flows of arms were flowing through the borders of India, with Pakistan being responsible for trafficking arms. India claimed that Pakistan provided sanctuary, arms, money, and moral support to the militants, though most of the accusations were based on circumstantial evidence.[40]

Air India Flight 182

Irish Naval Service recovering bodies from the Air India Flight 182 bombing
The aircraft involved, VT-EFO, seen on 10 June 1985, less than two weeks before the bombing of Air India Flight 182

Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Montréal-London-Delhi-Bombay route. On 23 June 1985, a Boeing 747 operating on the route was blown up by a bomb mid-air off the coast of Ireland. A total of 329 people aboard were killed,[83] 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens and 24 Indian citizens, including the flight crew. On the same day, an explosion due to a luggage bomb was linked to the terrorist operation and occurred at the Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan, intended for Air India Flight 301, killing two baggage handlers. The entire event was inter-continental in scope, killing 331 people in total and affected five countries on different continents: Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Japan, and Ireland.

The main suspects in the bombing were members of a Sikh separatist group called the Babbar Khalsa, and other related groups who were at the time agitating for a separate Sikh state of Khalistan in Punjab, India. In September 2007, the Canadian Commission of Inquiry investigated reports, initially disclosed in the Indian investigative news magazine Tehelka,[84] that a hitherto unnamed person, Lakhbir Singh Rode, had masterminded the explosions. However, in conclusion two separate Canadian inquiries officially determined that the mastermind behind the terrorist operation was in fact the Canadian, Talwinder Singh Parmar.[85]

Several men were arrested and tried for the Air India bombing. Inderjit Singh Reyat, a Canadian national and member of the International Sikh Youth Federation who pleaded guilty in 2003 to manslaughter, would be the only person convicted in the case.[86][87] He was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for assembling the bombs that exploded on board Air India Flight 182 and at Narita Airport.[88]

Late 1980s

Main article: Punjab insurgency

In 1986, when the insurgency was at its peak, the Golden Temple was again occupied by militants belonging to the All India Sikh Students Federation and Damdami Taksal. The militants called an assembly (Sarbat Khalsa) and, on 26 January, they passed a resolution (gurmattā) in favour of the creation of Khalistan.[89] However, only the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had the authority to appoint the jathedar, the supreme religio-temporal seat of the Sikhs. The militants thus dissolved the SGPC and appointed their own jathedar, who turned out to refuse their bidding as well. Militant leader Gurbachan Singh Manochahal thereby appointed himself by force.[16]

On 29 April 1986, an assembly of separatist Sikhs at the Akal Takht made a declaration of an independent state of Khalistan,[90] and a number of rebel militant groups in favour of Khalistan subsequently waged a major insurgency against the Government of India. A decade of violence and conflict in Punjab would follow before a return to normality in the region. This period of insurgency saw clashes of Sikh militants with the police, as well as with the Nirankaris, a mystical Sikh sect who are less conservative in their aims to reform Sikhism.[91]

The Khalistani militant activities manifested in the form of several attacks, such as the 1987 massacre of 32 Hindu bus passengers near Lalru, and the 1991 killing of 80 train passengers in Ludhiana.[92] Such activities continued on into the 1990s as the perpetrators of the 1984 riots remained unpunished, while many Sikhs also felt that they were being discriminated against and that their religious rights were being suppressed.[93]

In the parliamentary elections of 1989, Sikh separatist representatives were victorious in 10 of Punjab's 13 national seats and had the most popular support.[94][need quotation to verify] The Congress cancelled those elections and instead hosted a Khaki election. The separatists boycotted the poll. The voter turnout was 24%. The Congress won this election and used it to further its anti-separatist campaign. Most of the separatist leadership was wiped out and the moderates were suppressed by end of 1993.[95][need quotation to verify]

1990s

Indian security forces suppressed the insurgency in the early 1990s, while Sikh political groups such as the Khalsa Raj Party and SAD (A) continued to pursue an independent Khalistan through non-violent means.[96][97][98] Whereas to take iron from the terrorists in the village Bhikhiwind, district Tarn Taran 'Sandhu' family fought everyday like the last day and defeated terrorists several times. One such incident was on 30 September 1990, when about 200 terrorists attacked Balwinder Singh's house. In retaliation, the Sandhu family using weapons provided by state police killed several and compiled the rest of the terrorists to run away. The Family awarded the Shaurya Chakra to show most conspicuous bravery, indomitable courage.[99]

In August 1991, Julio Ribeiro, then-Indian Ambassador to Romania, was attacked and wounded at Bucharest in an assassination attempt by gunmen identified as Punjabi Sikhs.[100][93] Sikh groups also claimed responsibility for the 1991 kidnapping of Liviu Radu, the Romanian chargé d'affaires in New Delhi. This appeared to be in retaliation for Romanian arrests of Khalistan Liberation Force members suspected of the attempted assassination of Ribeiro.[93][101] Radu was released unharmed after Sikh politicians criticised the action.[102]

In October 1991, the New York Times reported that violence had increased sharply in the months leading up to the kidnapping, with Indian security forces or Sikh militants killing 20 or more people per day, and that the militants had been "gunning down" family members of police officers.[93] Scholar Ian Talbot states that all sides, including the Indian Army, police and the militants, committed crimes like murder, rape and torture.[103]

From 24 January 1993 to 4 August 1993, Khalistan was a member of the NGO Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization. The membership was permanently suspended on 22 January 1995.[104]

On 31 August 1995, Chief Minister Beant Singh was killed in a suicide bombing, for which the pro-Khalistan group Babbar Khalsa claimed responsibility. Security authorities, however, reported the group's involvement to be doubtful.[105] A 2006 press release by the Embassy of the United States in New Delhi indicated that the responsible organisation was the Khalistan Commando Force.[106]

While the militants enjoyed some support among Sikh separatists in the earlier period, this support gradually disappeared.[107] The insurgency weakened the Punjab economy and led to an increase in violence in the state. With dwindling support and increasingly-effective Indian security troops eliminating anti-state combatants, Sikh militancy effectively ended by the early 1990s.[108]

2000s

Retribution

There have been serious charges levelled by human rights activists against Indian Security forces (headed by Sikh police officer, K. P. S. Gill), claiming that thousands of suspects were killed in staged shootouts and thousands of bodies were cremated/disposed of without proper identification or post-mortems.[109][110][111][112] Human Rights Watch reported that, since 1984, government forces had resorted to widespread human rights violations to fight the militants, including: arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention without trial, torture, and summary executions of civilians and suspected militants. Family members were frequently detained and tortured to reveal the whereabouts of relatives sought by the police.[113][114] Amnesty International has alleged several cases of disappearances, torture, rape, and unlawful detentions by the police during the Punjab insurgency, for which 75–100 police officers had been convicted by December 2002.[115]

2010s

Activities in the 2010s by Khalistani militants include the Tarn Taran blast, in which a police crackdown arrested 4 terrorists, one of whom revealed they were ordered by Sikhs for Justice to kill multiple Dera leaders in India.[116][117] Pro-Khalistan organisations such as Dal Khalsa are also active outside India, supported by a section of the Sikh diaspora.[118] As of 25 December, there also have been inputs by multiple agencies about a possible attack in Punjab by Babbar Khalsa and Khalistan Zindabad Force, according to Indian Media sources, are allegedly in contact with their Pakistani handlers and are trying to smuggle arms across the border.[119][120]

In November 2015, a congregation of the Sikh community (i.e. a Sarbat Khalsa) was called in response to recent unrest in the Punjab region. The Sarbat Khalsa adopted 13 resolutions to strengthen Sikh institutions and traditions. The 12th resolution reaffirmed the resolutions adopted by the Sarbat Khalsa in 1986, including the declaration of the sovereign state of Khalistan.[121]

Moreover, signs in favour of Khalistan were raised when SAD (Amritsar) President Simranjeet Singh Mann met with Surat Singh Khalsa, who was admitted to Dayanand Medical College & Hospital (DMCH). While Mann was arguing with ACP Satish Malhotra, supporters standing at the main gate of DMCH raised Khalistan signs in the presence of heavy police force. After a confrontation with the police authorities that lasted about 15–20 minutes, Mann was allowed to meet Khalsa along with ADCP Paramjeet Singh Pannu.[122]

Maintaining persistent connection their culture and religion, the Sikh diaspora outside India is seen increasingly supporting the movement by means of financial support, propaganda and political lobbying in the countries they reside and taking a prominent role in driving the movement. Emboldened by expansive political and financial ties, the Diaspora has used gurudwaras, among other available establishments as such, to disperse financial and diplomatic aid to the movement in Punjab and modern communication modes such as the internet and social media to rally support for it.[123]

Recently, many signs have been raised in several places in support of the Khalistan movement, although the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) reports that Sikhs who support Khalistan may themselves be detained and tortured.[124] Notably, on the 31st anniversary of Operation Bluestar, pro-Khalistan signs were raised in Punjab, resulting in 25 Sikh youths being detained by police.[125] Pro-Khalistan signs were also raised during a function of Punjabi Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Two members of SAD-A, identified as Sarup Singh Sandha and Rajindr Singh Channa, raised pro-Khalistan and anti-Badal signs during the chief minister's speech.[126]

In retrospect, the Khalistan movement has failed to reach its objectives in India due to several reasons:

  • Heavy Police crackdown on the separatists under the leadership of Punjab Police chief KPS Gill.[10] Several militant leaders were killed and others surrendered and rehabilitated.[16]
  • Gill credits the decline to change in the policies by adding provision for an adequate number of police and security forces to deal with the militancy. The clear political will from the government without any interference.[16]
  • Lack of a clear political concept of 'Khalistan' even to the extremist supporters. As per Kumar (1997), the name which was wishful thinking only represented their revulsion against the Indian establishment and did not find any alternative to it.[127]
  • In the later stages of the movement, militants lacked an ideological motivation.[16]
  • The entry of criminals and government loyalists into its ranks further divided the groups.[16]
  • Loss of sympathy and support from the Sikh population of Punjab.[16]
  • The divisions among the Sikhs also undermined this movement. According to Pettigrew non-Jat urban Sikhs did not want to live in a country of "Jatistan."[128][129] Further division was caused as the people in the region traditionally preferred police and military service as career options. The Punjab Police had a majority of Jat Sikhs and the conflict was referred as "Jat against Jat" by Police Chief Gill.[16]
  • Moderate factions of Akali Dal led by Prakash Singh Badal reclaimed the political positions in the state through all three assembly (namely parliamentary) and SGPC elections. The dominance of traditional political parties was reasserted over the militant-associated factions.[130]
  • The increased vigilance by security forces in the region against rise of separatist elements.[131]
  • The confidence building measures adopted by the Sikh community helped in rooting out the Khalistan movement.[131]

Simrat Dhillon (2007), writing for the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, noted that while a few groups continued to fight, "the movement has lost its popular support both in India and within the Diaspora community."[132]

2020s

See also: Khalistan Referendum

In 2021, the secessionist group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), began an unofficial, non binding, ongoing "referendum" regarding the potential creation of a Khalistan state which would include the entire states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, and several districts of other Indian states. Numerous referendum votes have been held in various locations including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Italy, England, and the United States. Hundreds of thousands of Sikhs have partaken in these votes according to various news reports.

During a Khalistan referendum vote held in Melbourne, Australia in January 2023 , two separate brawls broke out between Khalistan supporters and pro-India demonstrators, leading to two people being injured and two Sikh men being arrested. The Victoria Police Department issued statements afterwards:“During the fight, flag poles were used by several men as weapons which caused physical injuries to multiple victims in which two victims were treated at the scene by paramedics” and “As a result of each incident a 34-year-old man and a 39-year-old man were arrested, and each issued with a penalty notice for riotous behaviour.” Australia's High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell condemned the incident.[133][134][135]

In February 2022, Deepak Punj, a Brampton radio host and a vocal critic of the Khalistan movement, was assaulted by three belligerent men who warned him "against speaking about Deep Sidhu and Khalistan". In a statement to The Globe and Mail, Punj claimed "one of them pulled a gun on me, and the other hit me on the head with a beer bottle". Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown condemned the attack, stating "no one in the media should face violence or intimidation." Peel Police subsequently launched an investigation.[136]

In August 2022, Amritpal Singh, a self styled radical[140] Indian preacher, came to prominence after being appointed as the head of Waris Punjab De (a Sikh political organization which lent support to pro-Khalistan figures and groups) immediately after Deep Sidhu's death (a succession described as illegitimate by the relatives and some associates of Sidhu).[141][142][143][144] He subsequently embarked on a campaign and numerous preaching tours advocating for the creation of Khalistan and for Sikhs to receive baptism, imbibe religious austerities, and to shun drugs and other vices.[145][146] He glorified the use of violence and weapons during public events.[147] On 18 March 2023, Indian authorities initiated a crackdown on Waris Punjab De, alleging the organization's involvement in attempted murder, attacks on police personnel, and spreading disharmony in Punjab.[148] An extensive manhunt for Singh ensued, who absconded and managed to evade police capture for 35 days. He was arrested on 23 April 2023.[149]

Numerous protests, particularly among diaspora Sikhs, occurred in the aftermath of the Indian police's manhunt for Singh. While many transpired without incident, numerous violent attacks were reported in various locations. A mob of protesters attacked the Indian consulate in San Francisco, another mob attacked the Indian High Commission office in London and attempted to pull down the Indian flag off a pole, broke windows, and inflicted minor injuries on security staff.[150][151][152] The NIA claimed that a group of protesters in San Francisco were exhorted to kill all representatives of the Indian government.[153] On 21 March 2023, two men poured flammable material in the entrance of the consulate and attempted to set the San Francisco consulate on fire.[154] In Washington, Khalistan supporters verbally intimidated and physically assaulted an Indian journalist covering the protests.[155] In a Surrey protest, Sameer Kaushal, a journalist, was allegedly assaulted and harassed by Khalistan supporters.[156] In the aftermath of the Surrey protest, Surrey RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Vanessa Munn confirmed police were investigating alleged assault involving a different victim and that the RCMP was seeking witnesses and video evidence. She stated “There is an assault investigation into the assault of one person who was in the crowd and did appear to be swarmed and assaulted by multiple people”.[157] The Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu was threatened with assassination by Khalistanis.[158]

On 18 June 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. Nijjar was allegedly the head of two pro-Khalistan organisations in Canada, and had been accused by the Indian Government of orchestrating targeted killings in India, for which it unsuccessfully sought his extradition.[159]

On 2 July 2023, Khalistani supporters set the Indian consulate in San Francisco on fire.[160] The arson attempt was promptly suppressed by the San Francisco Fire Department, resulting in limited damage to the building and no injuries to the staffers present.[161] The incident was condemned by the State Department's spokesman Matthew Miller.[162] A video of the incident was released on Twitter by Khalistani supporters, suggesting the attack was retaliation for the recent death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.[161] Nijjar's death sparked protests among sections of the Sikh diaspora; posters promoting these events alleged that Indian diplomats played a role in the death. The posters were condemned by Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly who assured the safety of Indian diplomats and buildings.[163]

According to a Globe and Mail report published one year after Nijjar's death, some Canadian security officials did not believe there was sufficient evidence to arrest Nijjar, and accused Indian intelligence officials of "having a reputation for torqueing evidence to fit with political objectives". However, the report also stated that interviews with Nijjar's associates and his own disclosures, revealed that "he was steeped in Sikh extremism", made speeches calling for violence against Indian adversaries, had relations with the architects of the 1995 assassination of Punjab's chief minister Beant Singh, was photographed in Pakistan with an AK-47 and had a close relationship with Jagtar Singh Tara — head of the Babbar Khalsa International and other militant outfits, had "underworld associates" and relations with members of the Khalistan Tiger Force, and led several men in weapons, GPS, and target practice in Lower Mainland BC.[164]

On 1 September 2024, the organization, Sikhs for Justice, held a rally in Toronto. Floats within the parade glorified Dilawar Singh Babbar, a suicide bomber affiliated with Babbar Khalsa International (a banned organization in Canada), who killed former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh and numerous other bystanders. A sign at the rally read "Beanta Bombed to Death". SFJ described Babbar as a "human bomb". SFJ's general counsel in a statement said:"We are all offspring of Dilawar. At that time in 1995, the choice of weapon was a bomb, but we have choice of ballot today.” Some attendees chanted "Kill India" at the rally.[165][166]

In October 2024, Rishi Nagar, a Canadian radio host of Calgary Red FM, reported on an incident at Gurdwara Dashmesh Culture Centre, a Sikh temple in Calgary, in which two men were arrested on various firearms related charges, including unauthorized possession of a firearm and pointing a firearm; multiple guns were seized by the police at the site. Following the report, Nagar was assaulted by two men. The attack left Nagar with severe injuries to his eye. Nagar attributed the assault to Khalistani elements stating “The pro-Khalistan people attacked me”. Calgary Police's Staff Sergeant John Guigon described the assault as “particularly troubling to us when a member of the media gets attacked in a democracy”.[173][174][175] Calgary Red FM stated that Nagar "faced some blowback for his opposition to the Khalistan movement".[176] Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and Alberta premier Danielle Smith condemned the attack.[177]

Chandra Arya, a Canadian Liberal MP, denounced attacks on journalists perpetrated by Khalistan supporters. In the House of Commons, he criticized the attacks on Nagar, Punj, and Kaushal. Arya further stated “I call on law enforcement agencies to take notice of Khalistani extremism with all seriousness it deserves.” Mocha Bezirgan, a journalist, has also received death threats for his coverage on Khalistani extremism.[178]

In November 2024, Khalistani demonstrators attacked people outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton with flag poles and sticks. In a video circulated in social media, individuals holding pro-Khalistan flags were seen running into the temple property and striking people within their vicinity.[179] Justin Trudeau, Pierre Poilievre, and Jagmeet Singh, along with other Canadian politicians, condemned the incident.[180] As a result of the violence, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown announced he that he intended to introduce a motion at city council to prohibit protests outside places of worship in Brampton.[181] An off duty Peel Police sergeant Harinder Sohi was suspended from duty for participating in the protest. Sohi was filmed holding a Khalistan flag outside the temple.[182][183][184] In another social media post, a police officer was seen charging at a temple-goer and punching him, seemingly without provocation. The Toronto Star reached out to Peel Police who claimed they were aware of the video and "looking into it".[185][186] Prior to the melee at the temple, the Indian consulate announced a visit to the temple to assist elderly members of the Indian diaspora with their pensions and to them issue life certificates.[187][188] Most beneficiaries of the consular service were Sikh diaspora members.[189] Sikhs for Justice subsequently began a protest, alleging the Indian consulate intended to spy on Sikhs and collect intelligence on the separatist movement.[190] Inderjeet Singh Gosal, Sikhs for Justice Khalistan Referendum co-ordinator for Canada, who organized the protest stated: "This is not a Hindu and Sikh battle. This is strictly Sikhs versus the Indian government [...] Any place they (consular officials) go, we’ve been protesting there."[191] Gosal was arrested on 8 November 2024 and charged with assault with a weapon.[192]

Electoral performance of pro-Khalistan parties and candidates
See also: 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, and 2024 Indian general election in Punjab

In the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), a splinter group of the Shiromani Akali Dal, and the only pro Khalistan party in India,[193] contested 81 out of the 117 seats in the Punjab Legislative Assembly and received 386,176 votes or 2.48% of the vote share. SAD(A) received 49,260 votes (0.3% of the vote share) in the 2017 Legislative Assembly election.

Simranjit Singh Mann, head of the SAD(A), won the Sangrur Lok Sabha by-election held in June 2022, receiving 253,154 votes in the constituency or 35.61% of the vote share. However, Mann went on to lose the 2024 Sangrur Lok Sabha election, receiving 187,246 votes or 18.55% of the vote share.

In the 2024 Indian general election in Punjab, thirteen parliamentary constituencies were contested. Two MP candidates associated with the Khalistan movement, Amritpal Singh and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa,[194] won in their respective constituencies and were subsequently elected as Indian Members of Parliament.[195] SAD(A) ran candidates in 12 out of 13 constituencies, but did not win any race. They received over 500,000 votes in the election.

Electoral performance of pro Khalistan candidates/parties in the 2024 Indian general election in Punjab
Candidate/Party Affiliation Constituency Won/Lost Votes % Notes
Amritpal Singh Independent Khadoor Sahib Won 404,430[196] 38.62 Incarcerated pro-Khalistan activist.[194]
Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa Independent Faridkot Won 298,062[196] 29.38 Son of the assassin of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.[197]
Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) Contested 12 out of the 13 parliamentary constituencies Lost in all 12 constituencies 517,024[196] ~3.82% of total vote share Only pro-Khalistan party in India.[193]
Total vote count of pro-Khalistan candidates 1,219,516
Total votes in general election ~13,530,000
% of vote ~9%

Militancy

During the late 1980s and the early 1990s, there was a dramatic rise in radical State militancy in Punjab. The 1984 military Operation Blue Star in the Golden Temple in Amritsar offended many Sikhs.[198] The separatists used this event, as well as the following 1984 anti-Sikh riots, to claim that the interest of Sikhs was not safe in India and to foster the spread of militancy among Sikhs in Punjab. Some sections of the Sikh diaspora also began join the separatists with financial and diplomatic support.[38]

A section of Sikhs turned to militancy in Punjab and several Sikh militant outfits proliferated in the 1980s and 1990s.[35] Some militant groups aimed to create an independent state through acts of violence directed at members of the Indian government, army, or forces. A large numbers of Sikhs condemned the actions of the militants.[199] According to anthropological analysis, one reason young men had for joining militant and other religious nationalist groups was for fun, excitement, and expressions of masculinity. Puri, Judge, and Sekhon (1999) suggest that illiterate/under-educated young men, lacking enough job prospects, had joined pro-Khalistan militant groups for the primary purpose of "fun."[200] They mention that the pursuit of Khalistan itself was the motivation for only 5% of "militants."[130][200]

Militant groups

See also: Khalistani groups

There are several militant Sikh groups, such as the Khalistan Council, that are currently functional and provides organization and guidance to the Sikh community. Multiple groups are organized across the world, coordinating their military efforts for Khalistan. Such groups were most active in 1980s and early 1990s, and have since receded in activity. These groups are largely defunct in India but they still have a political presence among the Sikh diaspora, especially in countries such as Pakistan where they are not proscribed by law.[201]

Most of these outfits were crushed by 1993 during the counter-insurgency operations. In recent years, active groups have included Babbar Khalsa, International Sikh Youth Federation, Dal Khalsa, and Bhindranwale Tiger Force. An unknown group before then, the Shaheed Khalsa Force claimed credit for the marketplace bombings in New Delhi in 1997. The group has never been heard of since.

Major pro-Khalistan militant outfits include:

Abatement

The U.S. Department of State found that Sikh extremism had decreased significantly from 1992 to 1997, although a 1997 report noted that "Sikh militant cells are active internationally and extremists gather funds from overseas Sikh communities."[217]

In 1999, Kuldip Nayar, writing for Rediff.com, stated in an article, titled "It is fundamentalism again", that the Sikh "masses" had rejected terrorists.[218] By 2001, Sikh extremism and the demand for Khalistan had all but abated.[iii]

Reported in his paper, titled "From Bhindranwale to Bin Laden: Understanding Religious Violence", Director Mark Juergensmeyer of the Orfalea Centre for Global & International Studies, UCSB, interviewed a militant who said that "the movement is over," as many of his colleagues had been killed, imprisoned, or driven into hiding, and because public support was gone.[219]

Outside of India

Operation Blue Star and its violent aftermaths popularized the demand for Khalistan among many Sikhs dispersed globally.[220] Involvement of sections of Sikh diaspora turned out to be important for the movement as it provided the diplomatic and financial support. It also enabled Pakistan to become involved in the fueling of the movement. Sikhs in UK, Canada and USA arranged for cadres to travel to Pakistan for military and financial assistance. Some Sikh groups abroad even declared themselves as the Khalistani government in exile.[38]

Sikh places of worship, gurdwaras, provided the geographic and institutional coordination for the Sikh community. Sikh political factions have used the gurdwaras as a forum for political organization. The gurdwaras sometimes served as the site for mobilization of diaspora for Khalistan movement directly by raising funds. Indirect mobilization was sometimes provided by promoting a stylized version of conflict and Sikh history. The rooms in some gurdwara exhibit pictures of Khalistani leaders along with paintings of martyrs from Sikh history.[221]

Gurdwaras also host speakers and musical groups that promote and encourage the movement. Among the diasporas, Khalistan issue has been a divisive issue within gurdwaras. These factions have fought over the control of gurdwaras and their political and financial resources. The fights between pro and anti-Khalistan factions over gurdwaras often included violent acts and bloodshed as reported from UK and North America. The gurdwaras with Khalistani leadership allegedly funnel the collected funds into activities supporting the movement.[221]

Different groups of Sikhs in the diaspora organize the convention of international meetings to facilitate communication and establish organizational order. In April 1981 the first "International Convention of Sikhs," was held in New York and was attended by some 200 delegates. In April 1987 the third convention was held in Slough, Berkshire where the Khalistan issue was addressed. This meeting's objective was to "build unity in the Khalistan movement."[221]

All these factors further strengthened the emerging nationalism among Sikhs. Sikh organizations launched many fund-raising efforts that were used for several purposes. After 1984 one of the objectives was the promotion of the Sikh version of "ethnonational history" and the relationship with the Indian state. The Sikh diaspora also increased their efforts to build institutions to maintain and propagate their ethnonational heritage. A major objective of these educational efforts was to publicize a different face to the non-Sikh international community who regarded the Sikhs as "terrorists".[222]

In 1993, Khalistan was briefly admitted in the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, but was suspended in a few months. The membership suspension was made permanent on 22 January 1995.[223][224]

Edward T.G. Anderson, an associate professor in history, describes the Khalistan movement outside India as follows:[225]

One example is the Khalistan movement, a separatist struggle for Sikh self-determination in Punjab, which in the diaspora has manifested in highly conspicuous and provocative protests, pugnacious rhetoric, violent tensions between different South Asian communities, and 'long-distance' support for militant secessionists.

— Edward T.G. Anderson, Hindu Nationalism in the Indian Diaspora, Oxford University Press (2024)

Pakistan

Pakistan has long aspired to dismember India through its Bleed India strategy. Even before the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, then a member of the military regime of General Yahya Khan, stated, "Once the back of Indian forces is broken in the east, Pakistan should occupy the whole of Eastern India and make it a permanent part of East Pakistan.... Kashmir should be taken at any price, even the Sikh Punjab and turned into Khalistan."[226]

The Sikh separatist leader Jagjit Singh Chohan said that during his talks with Pakistani prime minister that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto affirmed "we'll help you and make it the capital of Khalistan"; Bhutto wanted revenge over Bangladesh.[52]

General Zia-ul Haq, who succeeded Bhutto as the Head of State, attempted to reverse the traditional antipathy between Sikhs and Muslims arising from the partition violence by restoring Sikh shrines in Pakistan and opening them for Sikh pilgrimage. The expatriate Sikhs from England and North America that visited these shrines were at the forefront of the calls for Khalistan. During the pilgrims' stay in Pakistan, the Sikhs were exposed to Khalistani propaganda, which would not be openly possible in India.[227][228][201]

The ISI chief, General Abdul Rahman, opened a cell within ISI with the objective of supporting the "[Sikhs']...freedom struggle against India". Rahman's colleagues in ISI took pride in the fact that "the Sikhs were able to set the whole province on fire. They knew who to kill, where to plant a bomb and which office to target." General Hamid Gul argued that keeping Punjab destabilized was equivalent to the Pakistan Army having an extra division at no cost. Zia-ul Haq, on the other hand, consistently practised the art of plausible denial.[227][228] The Khalistan movement was brought to a decline only after India fenced off a part of the Punjab border with Pakistan and the Benazir Bhutto government agreed to joint patrols of the border by Indian and Pakistani troops.[229]

In 2006, an American court convicted Khalid Awan, a Muslim and Canadian of Pakistani descent, of "supporting terrorism" by providing money and financial services to the Khalistan Commando Force chief Paramjit Singh Panjwar in Pakistan.[106] KCF members had carried out deadly attacks against Indian civilians causing thousands of deaths. Awan frequently travelled to Pakistan and was alleged by the U.S. officials to have links to Sikh and Muslim extremists, as well as Pakistani intelligence.[230]

In 2008, India's Intelligence Bureau indicated that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence organisation was trying to revive Sikh militancy.[231]

United States

The New York Times reported in June 1984 that Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi conveyed to Helmut Schmidt and Willy Brandt, both of them being former Chancellors of West Germany, that United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was involved in causing unrest in Punjab. It also reported that The Indian Express quoted anonymous officials from India's intelligence establishment as saying that the CIA "masterminded" a plan to support the acolytes of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who died during Operation Blue Star, by smuggling weapons for them through Pakistan.[232] The United States embassy denied this report's findings.[232]

According to B. Raman, former Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat of India and a senior official of the Research and Analysis Wing, the United States initiated a plan in complicity with Pakistan's General Yahya Khan in 1971 to support an insurgency for Khalistan in Punjab.[233][234]

In 2023, the United States alleged a plot by the Indian government to assassinate the New York–based Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a spokesperson for the pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice. On November 29, 2023, an Indian government employee was the target of an indictment in New York for their alleged role in the assassination plot.[235]

Canada

Immediately after Operation Blue Star, authorities were unprepared for how quickly extremism spread and gained support in Canada, with extremists "...threatening to kill thousands of Hindus by a number of means, including blowing up Air India flights."[236][237] Canadian Member of Parliament Ujjal Dosanjh, a moderate Sikh, stated that he and others who spoke out against Sikh extremism in the 1980s faced a "reign of terror".[238]

On 18 November 1998, the Canada-based Sikh journalist Tara Singh Hayer was gunned down by suspected Khalistani militants. The publisher of the Indo-Canadian Times, a Canadian Sikh and once-vocal advocate of the armed struggle for Khalistan, he had criticised the bombing of Air India Flight 182, and was to testify about a conversation he overheard concerning the bombing.[239][240] On 24 January 1995,[241] Tarsem Singh Purewal, editor of Britain's Punjabi-language weekly Des Pardes, was killed as he was closing his office in Southall. There is speculation that the murder was related to Sikh extremism, which Purewal may have been investigating. Another theory is that he was killed in retaliation for revealing the identity of a young rape victim.[242][243]

Terry Milewski reported in a 2007 documentary for the CBC that a minority within Canada's Sikh community was gaining political influence even while publicly supporting terrorist acts in the struggle for an independent Sikh state.[204] In response, the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO), a Canadian Sikh human rights group that opposes violence and extremism,[244] sued the CBC for "defamation, slander, and libel", alleging that Milewski linked it to terrorism and damaged the reputation of the WSO within the Sikh community.[245] In 2015, however, the WSO unconditionally abandoned "any and all claims" made in its lawsuit.

Canadian journalist Kim Bolan has written extensively on Sikh extremism. Speaking at the Fraser Institute in 2007, she reported that she still received death threats over her coverage of the 1985 Air India bombing.[246]

In 2008, a CBC report stated that "a disturbing brand of extremist politics has surfaced" at some of the Vaisakhi and the Buddhist Vesak parades in Canada,[204] and The Trumpet agreed with the CBC assessment.[247] Two leading Canadian Sikh politicians refused to attend the parade in Surrey, saying it was a glorification of terrorism.[204] In 2008, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, expressed his concern that there might be a resurgence of Sikh extremism.[248][249]

There has been some controversy over Canada's response to the Khalistan movement. After Amarinder Singh's refusal to meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2017, calling him a "Khalistani sympathizer", Singh ultimately met with Trudeau on 22 February 2018 over the issue.[250] Trudeau assured Singh that his country would not support the revival of the separatist movement.[251][11][252] Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal was quoted saying Khalistan is "no issue, either in Canada or in Punjab".[253]

A 2020 report by Canadian ex-journalist Terry Milewski criticized the Khalistan movement as driven by the Pakistani government, and as a threat to Canadian interests.[254]

In September 2023, while speaking to the Canadian parliament, Justin Trudeau accused India of being involved in the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent advocate of the Khalistan separatist movement who had been killed by masked gunmen in Surrey, British Columbia.[255] Although Nijjar had been accused by India of having links to terrorism, India denied any involvement in his death and expelled a Canadian diplomat from India following the allegations by Justin Trudeau.[255] Canada has not shared evidence of Indian involvement in the killing of Nijar, citing the need to protect sensitive intelligence sources and methods.[256][255]

United Kingdom

In February 2008, BBC Radio 4 reported that the Chief of the Punjab Police, NPS Aulakh, alleged that militant groups were receiving money from the British Sikh community.[257] The same report included statements that although the Sikh militant groups were poorly equipped and staffed, intelligence reports and interrogations indicated that Babbar Khalsa was sending its recruits to the same terrorist training camps in Pakistan used by Al Qaeda.[258]

Lord Bassam of Brighton, then Home Office minister, stated that International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) members working from the UK had committed "assassinations, bombings, and kidnappings" and were a "threat to national security."[86] The ISYF is listed in the UK as a "Proscribed Terrorist Group"[205] but it has not been included in the list of terrorist organisations by the United States Department of State.[259] It was also added to the US Treasury Department terrorism list on 27 June 2002.[260]

Andrew Gilligan, reporting for the London Evening Standard, stated that the Sikh Federation (UK) is the "successor" of the ISYF, and that its executive committee, objectives, and senior members ... are largely the same.[86][261] The Vancouver Sun reported in February 2008 that Dabinderjit Singh was campaigning to have both the Babbar Khalsa and International Sikh Youth Federation de-listed as terrorist organisations.[262] It also stated of Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day that "he has not been approached by anyone lobbying to delist the banned groups". Day is also quoted as saying "The decision to list organizations such as Babbar Khalsa, Babbar Khalsa International, and the International Sikh Youth Federation as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code is intended to protect Canada and Canadians from terrorism."[262] There are claims of funding from Sikhs outside India to attract young people into these pro-Khalistan militant groups.[263]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Hague, William. 2014. "Allegations of UK Involvement in the Indian Operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar 1984 Archived 16 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine." (Policy paper). Available as a PDF Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 May 2020. "The FCO files (Annex E) record the Indian Intelligence Co-ordinator telling a UK interlocutor, in the same time-frame as this public Indian report, that some time after the UK military adviser's visit the Indian Army took over lead responsibility for the operation, the main concept behind the operation changed, and a frontal assault was attempted, which contributed to the large number of casualties on both sides."
  2. ^ "Golden Temple attack: UK advised India but impact 'limited' Archived 3 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine." BBC News. 7 June 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2020. "The adviser suggested using an element of surprise, as well as helicopters, to try to keep casualty numbers low – features which were not part of the final operation, Mr Hague said."
  3. ^ Jodhka (2001): "Not only has the once powerful Khalistan movement virtually disappeared, even the appeal of identity seems to have considerably declined during the last couple of years."

References

Citations

  1. ^ Shah, Murtaza Ali (27 January 2022). "Khalistan flag installed on Gandhi Statue in Washington". Geo News. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  2. ^ Kinnvall, Catarina (24 January 2007). "Situating Sikh and Hindu Nationalism in India". Globalization and Religious Nationalism in India: The Search for Ontological Security. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-13-413570-7. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  3. ^ Crenshaw, Martha, 1995, Terrorism in Context, Pennsylvania State University, ISBN 978-0-271-01015-1 p. 364
  4. ^ Canton, Naomi (10 June 2022). "Banned SFJ leader unveils 'Khalistan map', with Shimla as 'capital', before Pak press in Lahore". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  5. ^ Mehtab Ali Shah, The Foreign Policy of Pakistan 1997, pp. 24–25.
  6. ^ a b Axel, Brian Keith (2001). The Nation's Tortured Body: Violence, Representation, and the Formation of a Sikh "Diaspora". Duke University Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-8223-2615-1. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023. The call for a Sikh homeland was first made in the 1930s, addressed to the quickly dissolving empire.
  7. ^ Shani, Giorgio (2007). Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age. Routledge. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-134-10189-4. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023. However, the term Khalistan was first coined by Dr V.S. Bhatti to denote an independent Sikh state in March 1940. Dr Bhatti made the case for a separate Sikh state in a pamphlet entitled 'Khalistan' in response to the Muslim League's Lahore Resolution.
  8. ^ Bianchini, Stefano; Chaturvedi, Sanjay; Ivekovic, Rada; Samaddar, Ranabir (2004). Partitions: Reshaping States and Minds. Routledge. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-134-27654-7. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023. Around the same time, a pamphlet of about forty pages, entitled 'Khalistan', and authored by medical doctor, V.S. Bhatti, also appeared.
  9. ^ Gupta, Shekhar; Subramanian, Nirupaman (15 December 1993). "You can't get Khalistan through military movement: Jagat Singh Chouhan". India Today. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d "New brand of Sikh militancy: Suave, tech-savvy pro-Khalistan youth radicalised on social media". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  11. ^ a b "India gives Trudeau list of suspected Sikh separatists in Canada". Reuters. 22 February 2018. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2018. The Sikh insurgency petered out in the 1990s. He told state leaders his country would not support anyone trying to reignite the movement for an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan.
  12. ^ Fair, C. Christine (2005). "Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies: Insights from the Khalistan and Tamil Eelam Movements". Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. 11: 125–156. doi:10.1080/13537110590927845. ISSN 1353-7113. S2CID 145552863.
  13. ^ Weisman, Steven R. "A Top Indian General is Assassinated", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 11 August 1986.
  14. ^ "The Vaidya Murder Case: Confirming Death Sentences", India Abroad. (New York edition). New York, N.Y.: 24 July 1992. Vol.XXII, Issue. 43; pg.20.
  15. ^ "Punjab on edge over hanging of Beant Singh's killer Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana". India Today. 28 March 2012. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h Van Dyke, The Khalistan Movement (2009), p. 990.
  17. ^ Ali, Haider (6 June 2018). "Mass protests erupt around Golden Temple complex as pro-Khalistan sikhs mark Blue Star anniversary". Daily Pakistan. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  18. ^ "UK: Pakistani-origin lawmaker leads protests in London to call for Kashmir, Khalistan freedom". Scroll. 27 January 2018. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  19. ^ Bhattacharyya, Anirudh (5 June 2017). "Pro-Khalistan groups plan event in Canada to mark Operation Bluestar anniversary". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  20. ^ Majumdar, Ushinor. "Sikh Extremists in Canada, The UK And Italy Are Working With ISI Or Independently". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2018. Q. Is it clear which "foreign hand" is driving this entire nexus? A. Evidence gathered by the police and other agencies points to the ISI as the key perpetrator of extremism in Punjab. (Amarinder Singh Indian Punjab Chief Minister)
  21. ^ "Simranjit Singh Mann stokes row, dedicates Sangrur win to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale: Know about pro-Khalistan leader", Firstpost, 27 June 2022, archived from the original on 27 June 2022, retrieved 27 June 2022
  22. ^ "Sangrur Bypoll Results Live: AAP loses Bhagwant Mann's seat, SAD-A wins by 6,800 votes", Hindustan Times, 26 June 2022, archived from the original on 26 June 2022, retrieved 26 June 2022
  23. ^ Wallace, Paul (1986). "The Sikhs as a "Minority" in a Sikh Majority State in India". Asian Survey. 26 (3): 363–377. doi:10.2307/2644197. ISSN 0004-4687. JSTOR 2644197. Over 8,000,000 of India's 10,378,979 Sikhs were concentrated in Punjab
  24. ^ Jolly, Sikh Revivalist Movements (1988), p. 6.
  25. ^ Purewal, Navtej K. (2017). Living on the Margins: Social Access to Shelter in Urban South Asia. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-74899-5. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023. The wrangling between various Sikh groupings were resolved by the nineteenth century when Maharajah Ranjit Singh unified the Punjab from Peshawar t the Sutluj River.
  26. ^ Panton, Kenneth J. (2015). Historical Dictionary of the British Empire. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 470. ISBN 978-0-8108-7524-1. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023. A second conflict, just two years later, led to complete subjugation of the Sikhs and the incorporation of the remainder of their lands
  27. ^ Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies (2005), p. 127.
  28. ^ Axel, Brian Keith (2001). The Nation's Tortured Body: Violence, Representation, and the Formation of a Sikh "Diaspora". Duke University Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-8223-2615-1. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023. The Akalis viewed the Lahore Resolution and the Cripps Mission as a betrayal of the Sikhs and an attempt to usurp what, since the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was historically a Sikh territory.
  29. ^ Tan, Tai Yong; Kudaisya, Gyanesh (2005) [First published 2000], The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia, Routledge, p. 100, ISBN 978-0-415-28908-5, The professed intention of the Muslim League to impose a Muslim state on the Punjab (a Muslim majority province) was anathema to the Sikhs ... the Sikhs launched a virulent campaign against the Lahore Resolution ... Sikh leaders of all political persuasions made it clear that Pakistan would be 'wholeheartedly resisted'.
  30. ^ Axel, Brian Keith (2001). The Nation's Tortured Body: Violence, Representation, and the Formation of a Sikh "Diaspora". Duke University Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-8223-2615-1. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023. Against the nationalist ideology of a united India, which called for all groups to set aside "communal" differences, the Shiromani Akali Dal Party of the 1930s rallied around the proposition of a Sikh panth (community) that was separate from Hindus and Muslims.
  31. ^ Shani, Giorgio (2007). Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age. Routledge. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-134-10189-4. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023. Khalistan was imagined as a theocratic state, a mirror-image of 'Muslim' Pakistan, led by the Maharaja of Patiala with the aid of a cabinet consisting of representing federating units.
  32. ^ Shah, Mehtab Ali (1997), The Foreign Policy of Pakistan: Ethnic Impacts on Diplomacy 1971–1994, I.B.Tauris, ISBN 978-1-86064-169-5, archived from the original on 30 March 2023, retrieved 5 October 2020
  33. ^ Hill, K.; Seltzer, W.; Leaning, J.; Malik, S.J.; Russell, S. S.; Makinson, C. (2003), A Demographic Case Study of Forced Migration: The 1947 Partition of India, Harvard University Asia Center, archived from the original on 6 December 2008
  34. ^ McLeod, W. H. (1989), The Sikhs: History, Religion, and Society, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0-231-06815-4
  35. ^ a b c d e f Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies (2005), p. 129.
  36. ^ "Gurudwaras Outside of Punjab State". Gateway To Sikhism. 30 November 1999. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  37. ^ Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies (2005), p. 130.
  38. ^ a b c d e Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies (2005), p. 128.
  39. ^ a b c Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies (2005), p. 134.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g h Jetly, Rajshree. 2006. "The Khalistan Movement in India: The Interplay of Politics and State Power." International Review of Modern Sociology 34(1):61–62. JSTOR 41421658.
  41. ^ "Hindu-Sikh relations – I". The Tribune. Chandigarh, India: Tribuneindia.com. 3 November 2003. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011.
  42. ^ Chawla, Muhammad Iqbal. 2017. The Khalistan Movement of 1984: A Critical Appreciation.
  43. ^ "The Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966" (PDF). Government of India. 18 September 1966. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 January 2012.
  44. ^ Stanley Wolpert (2005). India. University of California Press. p. 216. ISBN 9780520246966. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  45. ^ Mitra, Subrata K. (2007), The Puzzle of India's Governance: Culture, Context and Comparative Theory, Advances in South Asian Studies: Routledge, p. 94, ISBN 978-1-134-27493-2, archived from the original on 30 March 2023, retrieved 6 March 2018
  46. ^ Singh, Khushwant (2004), "The Anandpur Sahib Resolution and Other Akali Demands", A History of the Sikhs: Volume 2: 1839–2004, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195673098.001.0001, ISBN 978-0-19-567309-8
  47. ^ Ray, Jayanta Kumar (2007), Aspects of India's International Relations, 1700 to 2000: South Asia and the World, Pearson Education India, p. 484, ISBN 978-81-317-0834-7, archived from the original on 30 March 2023, retrieved 16 August 2019
  48. ^ a b c Akshayakumar Ramanlal Desai (1991). Expanding Governmental Lawlessness and Organized Struggles. Popular Prakashan. pp. 64–66. ISBN 978-81-7154-529-2.
  49. ^ a b c d Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies (2005), p. 135.
  50. ^ a b c d Pandya, Haresh (11 April 2007). "Jagjit Singh Chauhan, Sikh Militant Leader in India, Dies at 80". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  51. ^ a b Axel, The Nation's Tortured Body (2011), pp. 101–
  52. ^ a b Gupta, Shekhar; Subramanian, Nirupaman (15 December 1993). "You can't get Khalistan through military movement: Jagat Singh Chouhan". India Today. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  53. ^ Thomas, Jo (14 June 1984). "London Sikh Assumes Role of Exile Chief". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  54. ^ a b c Dulat, A. S. (13 December 2020). "Genesis of tumultuous period in Punjab". The Tribune. Chandigarh, India. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021. Bhindranwale never raised the demand for Khalistan or went beyond the Akali Anandpur Sahib Resolution, while he himself was prepared for negotiations to the very end.
  55. ^ a b Stevens, William K. (19 June 1984). "Punjab Raid: Unanswered Questions". The News York Times. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  56. ^ a b c d e Chima, Jugdep S (2008), The Sikh Separatist Insurgency in India: Political Leadership and Ethnonationalist Movements, India: Sage Publications, pp. 71–75, ISBN 978-81-321-0538-1, archived from the original on 30 March 2023, retrieved 5 October 2020
  57. ^ Sharma, Sanjay (5 June 2011). "Bhajan Lal lived with 'anti-Sikh, anti-Punjab' image". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011.
  58. ^ Stepan, Alfred; Linz, Juan J.; Yadav, Yogendra (2011), Crafting State-Nations: India and Other Multinational Democracies (Illustrated ed.), JHU Press, p. 97, ISBN 978-0-8018-9723-8, archived from the original on 30 March 2023, retrieved 5 October 2020
  59. ^ Ghosh, Srikanta. 1997. Indian Democracy Derailed – Politics and Politicians. APH Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7024-866-8. p. 95.
  60. ^ Sisson, Mary. 2011. "Sikh Terrorism." pp. 544–545 in The Sage Encyclopedia of Terrorism (2nd ed.), edited by G. Martin. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1-4129-8016-6. doi:10.4135/9781412980173.n368.
  61. ^ a b Sharma, Mool Chand, and A.K. Sharma, eds. 2004. "Discrimination Based on Religion Archived 24 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine." pp. 108–110 in Discrimination Based on Sex, Caste, Religion, and Disability. New Delhi: National Council for Teacher Education. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  62. ^ Swami, Praveen (16 January 2014). "RAW chief consulted MI6 in build-up to Operation Bluestar". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  63. ^ Singh, Khushwant. 2004. A History of the Sikhs, Volume II: 1839–2004. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 337.
  64. ^ Subramanian, L. N. (12 October 2006). "Operation Bluestar, 05 June 1984". Bharat Rakshak Monitor. 3 (2). Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  65. ^ a b "Sikh Leader in Punjab Accord Assassinated". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. 21 August 1985. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  66. ^ Tully, Mark; Jacob, Satish (1985). Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi's Last Battle (5 ed.). J. Cape. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-22-402328-3. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  67. ^ Wolpert, Stanley A., ed. (2009). "India". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  68. ^ a b Gates, Scott; Roy, Kaushik (4 February 2014). "Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Punjab". Unconventional Warfare in South Asia: Shadow Warriors and Counterinsurgency. Ashgate Publishing. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-40-943706-2. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  69. ^ Diwanji, Amberish K. (4 June 2004). "There is a limit to how much a country can take". The Rediff Interview/Lieutenant General Kuldip Singh Brar (retired). Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  70. ^ Walia, Varinder (20 March 2007). "Army reveals startling facts on Bluestar, says Longowal surrendered". The Tribune. Amristar. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  71. ^ Jugdep S Chima (2008). The Sikh Separatist Insurgency in India: Political Leadership and Ethnonationalist Movements. Sage Publishing India. pp. 114–. ISBN 978-9351509530. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  72. ^ White Paper on the Punjab Agitation. New Delhi: Government of India Press. 1984. p. 40. OL 1839009M. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  73. ^ Karim, Afsir (1991). Counter Terrorism, the Pakistan Factor. Lancer Publishers. pp. 33–36. ISBN 978-8170621270. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  74. ^ "Pakistan would have recognised Khalistan". Rediff.com. 3 June 2004. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2006.
  75. ^ Andrew, Christopher M.; Mitrokhin, Vasili (2005). The Mitrokhin Archive II: The KGB and the World. Allen Lane. p. 336. ISBN 978-0-7139-9359-2. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  76. ^ Andrew, Christopher (2008). The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World. DIANE Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-4223-9312-3. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  77. ^ Subramanian Swamy (1992). Building a New India: An Agenda for National Renaissance. UBS Publishers' Distributors. p. 18. ISBN 978-81-85674-21-6. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2022. The 1984 Operation Bluestar became necessary because of the vast disinformation against Sant Bhindranwale by the KGB, and repeated inside Parliament by the Congress Party of India.
  78. ^ Guidry, John A., Michael D. Kennedy, and Mayer N. Zald, eds. 2000. Globalizations and Social Movements: Culture, Power, and the Transnational Public Sphere. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-06721-3. p. 319.
  79. ^ Nanavati, G. T. 9 February 2005. "Report of the Justice Nanavati Commission of Inquiry (1984 Anti-Sikh Riots) Archived 3 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine" 1. New Delhi: Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original 27 November 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2020. Also available via People's Archive of Rural India Archived 7 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
  80. ^ a b "What about the big fish?". Tehelka. Anant Media. 25 August 2005. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012.
  81. ^ Singh, Swadesh Bahadur. 31 May 1996. "Cabinet berth for a Sikh." Indian Express.
  82. ^ Kumar, Ram Narayan, et al. 2003. Reduced to Ashes: The Insurgency and Human Rights in Punjab. South Asia Forum for Human Rights. p. 43. Available via Committee for Information and Initiative on Punjab.
  83. ^ In Depth: Air India Archived 18 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine – The Victims, CBC News Online, 16 March 2005
  84. ^ "Free. Fair. Fearless". Tehelka. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012.
  85. ^ "Jagmeet Singh now rejects glorification of Air India bombing mastermind". CBC News. 15 March 2018. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  86. ^ Bolan, Kim (9 February 2008). "Air India bombmaker sent to holding centre". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
  87. ^ "Convicted Air India bomb-builder Inderjit Singh Reyat gets bail". CBC News. 9 July 2008. Archived from the original on 10 July 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
  88. ^ "Sikh Temple Sit-In Is a Challenge for Punjab." The New York Times. 2 February 1986.
  89. ^ Singh, I. (10 July 2012). "Sarbat Khalsa and Gurmata". SikhNet. Archived from the original on 12 June 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  90. ^ "Sant Nirankari Mission". nirankari.org. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  91. ^ "Gunmen Slaughter 32 on Bus in India in Bloodiest Attack of Sikh Campaign". The Philadelphia Inquirer, 7 July 1987. Page A03.
  92. ^ a b c d Gargan, Edward (10 October 1991). "Envoy of Romania Abducted in India". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  93. ^ Gurharpal Singh, Ethnic Conflict in India (2000), Chapters 8 & 9.
  94. ^ Gurharpal Singh, Ethnic Conflict in India (2000), Chapter 10.
  95. ^ "Amnesty International report on Punjab". Amnesty International. 20 January 2003. Archived from the original on 3 December 2006.
  96. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Punjab". Tribuneindia.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  97. ^ "SAD (A) to contest the coming SGPC elections on Khalistan issue: Mann". PunjabNewsline.com. 14 January 2010. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011.
  98. ^ "Balwinder Singh Sandu". Gallantry Awards. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  99. ^ "Gunmen Wound India Ambassador". Los Angeles Times. 21 August 1991. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  100. ^ "World Notes India". Time. 21 October 1991. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  101. ^ "Secret Injustice: The Harpal Singh Case | Part 1: Flashback". The Sikh Sentinel. 17 September 2003. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012.
  102. ^ Talbot, India and Pakistan (2000), p. 272.
  103. ^ Simmons, Mary Kate (1998). Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization: yearbook. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 187. ISBN 978-90-411-0223-2. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  104. ^ "Issue Paper INDIA: Sikhs in Punjab 1994–95". Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. February 1996. Retrieved 31 May 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  105. ^ a b c d "U.S. Court Convicts Khalid Awan for Supporting Khalistan Commando Force". The United States Attorney's Office. 20 December 2006. Archived from the original on 15 January 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  106. ^ Mahmood, Cynthia. 5 May 1997. "Fax to Ted Albers." Orono, Maine: Resource Information Center.
  107. ^ Documentation, Information and Research Branch. 17 February 1997. "India: Information from four specialists on the Punjab, Response to Information Request #IND26376.EX." Ottawa: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
  108. ^ "Protecting the Killers: A Policy of Impunity in Punjab, India: I. Summary". Human Rights Watch. 9 October 2006. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  109. ^ Special Broadcasting Service:: Dateline – presented by George Negus Archived 28 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  110. ^ "The Hindu: Opinion / News Analysis: Is justice possible without looking for the truth?". The Hindu. 9 September 2005. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008.
  111. ^ "India: A vital opportunity to end impunity in Punjab". Amnesty International USA. Archived from the original on 25 June 2009.
  112. ^ "ASW". Human Rights Watch. 1992. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  113. ^ "India: Time to Deliver Justice for Atrocities in Punjab". Human Rights Watch. 18 October 2007. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  114. ^ "Document – India: Break the cycle of impunity and torture in Punjab | Amnesty International". Amnesty International. 2003. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  115. ^ Sehgal, Manjeet (23 September 2019). "Punjab: Four Khalistan Zindabad Force terrorists arrested in Taran Taran". India Today. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  116. ^ Service, Tribune News. "NIA demands custody of 4 in Tarn Taran blast case". Tribuneindia News Service. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  117. ^ Punj, Balbair (16 June 2005). "The Ghost of Khalistan". The Sikh Times. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2007.
  118. ^ "Terror attacks in Punjab being planned by pro-Khalistan outfits with Pak's support: Intelligence sources". DNA India. 26 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  119. ^ Nanjappa, Vicky (26 December 2019). "High alert declared after IB picks up intercepts on possible terror attack in Punjab". Oneindia. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  120. ^ "Official Resolutions From Sarbat Khalsa 2015". Sikh24.com. 11 November 2015. Archived from the original on 12 November 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  121. ^ "Khalistan slogans raised as Mann comes to meet Khalsa". The Indian Express. 25 July 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  122. ^ "Probable Resurgence of the Khalistan Movement: Role of the Sikh Diaspora – Science, Technology and Security forum". stsfor.org. Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  123. ^ "Responses to Information Requests". irb-cisr.gc.ca. 5 June 2018. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  124. ^ "Pro-Khalistan slogans raised on Bluestar anniversary in Punjab". Deccan Herald. 6 June 2015. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  125. ^ "Pro-Khalistan slogans raised during Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal's function". The Indian Express. 26 July 2015. Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  126. ^ Kumar, Ram Narayan (1997), The Sikh unrest and the Indian state: politics, personalities, and historical retrospective, Ajanta, ISBN 978-81-202-0453-9 quoted in Rediff On the Net Archived 15 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  127. ^ Pettigrew, The Sikhs of the Punjab (1995), pp. 188–197.
  128. ^ Van Dyke, The Khalistan Movement (2009), p. 992.
  129. ^ a b Van Dyke, The Khalistan Movement (2009), p. 991.
  130. ^ a b "No chance of another Khalistan movement in Punjab: Defence experts". Hindustan Times. ANI. 19 March 2016. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  131. ^ Dhillon, Simrat (December 2007). "The Sikh Diaspora and the Quest for Khalistan: A Search for Statehood or for Self-preservation?" (PDF). Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  132. ^ Anand, Nisha. "Australian police releases pics of 6 men involved in Khalistan referendum brawl". Hindustan Times.
  133. ^ "Brawl breaks out over Khalistan referendum in Australia; India raises concerns with authorities". The Indian Express. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  134. ^ "'Appalled': Australian envoy on attack by Khalistan elements on pro-India groups". Hindustan Times.
  135. ^ "Police investigating attack on Brampton radio host after remarks on Punjabi actor". The Globe and Mail. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2024. He told police he was approached near his Brampton studio Wednesday afternoon by three men who were shouting support for Mr. Sidhu, who was also a Sikh activist. "One of them pulled a gun on me, and the other hit me on the head with a beer bottle," he told The Globe and Mail.
  136. ^ "'Bhindranwale 2.0': Radical Khalistan Sympathiser Amritpal Singh Active in Punjab". NDTV News. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023. Often escorted by armed supporters and donning a flowing white 'chola' and a navy-blue turban, radical preacher and Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh has been very active for some time in Punjab.
  137. ^ Sethi, Chitleen K. (23 February 2023). "Radical activist Amritpal storms Ajnala police station with supporters, secures aide's release". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  138. ^ "Radical preacher Amritpal Singh issue: Habeas corpus petition moved in HC seeking his 'release'". The Financial Express. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  139. ^ [137][138][139]
  140. ^ "Deep Sidhu disliked Amritpal Singh, blocked his phone". Tribune India. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  141. ^ Matharu, Sonal (25 October 2022). "Fiery orator, 'Bhindranwale 2.0' – who's Amritpal Singh, new 'head' of Deep Sidhu's Waris Punjab De". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  142. ^ "The rise and fall of Amritpal Singh". Tribune India. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  143. ^ "Unaware how Amritpal Singh declared himself head of 'Waris Punjab De', says Deep Sidhu's kin". Financialexpress. 24 February 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  144. ^ "Amritpal Singh: Amrit Sanchar to focus on 'de-addiction' of youth". Tribune India. Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  145. ^ "'Khalistan shouldn't be seen as…': Amritpal Singh as Toofan to be freed today". Hindustan Times. 24 February 2023. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  146. ^ "Amritpal Singh | A radical preacher". The Hindu. 25 February 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  147. ^ Mogul, Rhea (22 March 2023). "Khalistan: The outlawed Sikh separatist movement that has Indian authorities on edge". CNN. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  148. ^ "'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh arrested from Punjab's Moga under NSA; shifted to Assam's Dibrugarh jail". The Hindu. 23 April 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  149. ^ "Watch: Sikhs attack Indian consulate in San Francisco, raise Khalistani flag to protest against crackdown on Amritpal Singh". Free Press Journal. 20 March 2023. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  150. ^ Simon Little; Julie Nolin. "Journalist allegedly assaulted as Punjab tensions spill over into B.C." Global News. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  151. ^ "Indian High Commission: Diplomat summoned after London protest". BBC News. 20 March 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  152. ^ "Amritpal Singh's brother-in-law key accused in attack on Indian high commission in Canada". Hindustan Times. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  153. ^ "Pro-Khalistan protesters tried to set on fire India's consulate in San Francisco". The Tribune India. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  154. ^ "Senior Indian journalist attacked by pro-Khalistanis outside Indian Embassy in Washington". Deccan Herald. 26 March 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  155. ^ "Journalist allegedly assaulted as Punjab tensions spill over into B.C." Global News. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  156. ^ "Journalist allegedly assaulted as Punjab tensions spill over into B.C." Global News. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  157. ^ "'Mr Taranjit Singh Sandhu…': Khalistan supporter threatens Indian envoy to US | Watch". Hindustan Times. 26 March 2023. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  158. ^ Anirudh Bhattacharyya (27 April 2018). "Canadian police frees Khalistani 'separatist' Hardeep Nijjar after 24 hours in custody". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  159. ^ "2nd attack since March: Indian consulate set on fire in San Francisco; US condemns violence". The Times of India. 4 July 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  160. ^ a b "US condemns vandalism, attempted arson against Indian Consulate in San Francisco". Tribune India. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  161. ^ "US condemns vandalism at Indian consulate in San Francisco". Reuters. 4 July 2023. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  162. ^ "'Heated' demonstration at Indian consulate in Toronto sees one arrested". The Globe and Mail. 9 July 2023. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023. Some online posters ahead of the event said "Kill India" and suggested, without evidence, that Indian diplomats played a role in Mr. Nijjar's death.
  163. ^ "A year after Hardeep Singh Nijjar's death, mysteries remain about how he really lived". The Globe and Mail. 22 June 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  164. ^ "Pro-Khalistani Group in Toronto Glorifies Beant Singh's Killer, Indian Authorities to Raise Issue With Canada | EXCLUSIVE". News18. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  165. ^ "Canada: Pro-Khalistan rallies feature floats celebrating 1995 Beant Singh bombing". Business Today. 1 September 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  166. ^ "'I will not be silenced': Calgary radio host attack caught on CCTV". Global News. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  167. ^ "Calgary radio host speaks out after being attacked outside banquet hall". Global News. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  168. ^ "Indo-Canadian mediaperson, attacked by two persons, blames 'pro-Khalistan' elements". Hindustan Times.
  169. ^ "Calgary police investigating weekend assault of radio host". CTV News Calgary. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  170. ^ "Radio journalist says he was assaulted in attack over news coverage". Calgary Herald. City police are seeking two suspects in an assault on a well-known radio journalist in Calgary's northeast that apparently targeted his reporting on crime issues within the Sikh community.
  171. ^ "Calgary police probe assault of RED FM news director". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Staff Sgt. John Guigon said Nagar was struck in the head but was not seriously hurt, and that the incident was captured on video. "It was not a pleasant situation," he said."[It is] particularly troubling to us when a member of the media gets attacked in a democracy.... We're throwing resources at it."
  172. ^ [167][168][169][170][171][172]
  173. ^ Sharma, Abhinav (3 October 2024). "Canadian radio journalist Rishi Nagar attacked by Khalistani groups in Canada". Diya TV. Retrieved 4 October 2024. A group of men supportive of the Khalistan separatist movement violently assaulted Canada-based RED FM News Director Rishi Nagar allegedly for refusing to align with their agenda.
  174. ^ Moharib, Nadia (30 September 2024). "Man threatened outside NE temple, two arrested: Calgary police". CityNews Calgary. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  175. ^ Bradley, Jonathan (1 October 2024). "RED FM Calgary host says attack will not stop his journalism". Western Standard. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  176. ^ Bradley, Jonathan (2 October 2024). "UPDATED: Poilievre, Smith say they are disturbed by attack on RED FM Calgary host". Western Standard. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  177. ^ "Journalists reporting against Khalistan groups under attack in Canada, says Indian-origin MP". The Tribune. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  178. ^ O’Brien, Raju Mudhar, Abby (9 November 2024). "'This is not a Hindu and Sikh battle': The complex history behind protests that erupted at Brampton temples this week over Indian consular visits". Toronto Star. Retrieved 10 November 2024. In another video, individuals holding pro-Khalistan flagpoles can be seen running onto the property, striking those inside the perimeter with them. A chaotic scene ensues.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  179. ^ Aguilar, Bryann (3 November 2024). "Police increase their presence at Hindu temple in Brampton after protest". CP24. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  180. ^ ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Justice et faits divers- (4 November 2024). "3 arrested and charged after protest at Brampton Hindu temple, police say". Radio-Canada.ca (in Canadian French). Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  181. ^ O’Brien, Raju Mudhar, Abby (9 November 2024). "'This is not a Hindu and Sikh battle': The complex history behind protests that erupted at Brampton temples this week over Indian consular visits". Toronto Star. Retrieved 10 November 2024. The clash saw three people arrested and an off-duty police officer who participated in the protest, Sergeant Harinder Sohi, suspended.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  182. ^ "Peel cop suspended after participating in protest outside Hindu temple". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  183. ^ "Who Is The Suspended Cop Harinder Sohi And What Happened At The Pro-Khalistan Protest?". TheDailyGuardian. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  184. ^ O’Brien, Raju Mudhar, Abby (9 November 2024). "'This is not a Hindu and Sikh battle': The complex history behind protests that erupted at Brampton temples this week over Indian consular visits". Toronto Star. Retrieved 10 November 2024. The video then appears to show one of the officers breaking away from his colleagues, running onto temple property, and repeatedly striking an individual. When reached for comment, Peel police said it was aware of the video and was looking into it.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  185. ^ "Video: Canadian cop punches Hindu man protesting against pro-Khalistan mob attack". India Today. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  186. ^ "Fears of more clashes between Sikhs and Hindus in Brampton, Ont., as Canada-India rift spills over into suburbs". The Globe and Mail. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024. The Khalistani protesters claimed the event at the Hindu temple Sunday – where Indian consular staff were helping Indian immigrants apply for government pensions – was part of surveillance efforts to keep tabs on pro-Khalistan Sikhs.
  187. ^ O’Brien, Raju Mudhar, Abby (9 November 2024). "'This is not a Hindu and Sikh battle': The complex history behind protests that erupted at Brampton temples this week over Indian consular visits". Toronto Star. Retrieved 10 November 2024. It was the presence of Indian Consular officials, who have been visiting communities to help older people in the diaspora who may be entitled to pensions, that prompted SFJ to plan Sunday's demonstration.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  188. ^ "Violent clashes erupt outside consular camp at Hindu temple in Canada's Brampton". The Hindu. 4 November 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 November 2024. Most beneficiaries of the consular service organised by the Indian High Commission in Brampton were Sikh members of the Indian diaspora.
  189. ^ "Fears of more clashes between Sikhs and Hindus in Brampton, Ont., as Canada-India rift spills over into suburbs". The Globe and Mail. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  190. ^ O’Brien, Raju Mudhar, Abby (9 November 2024). "'This is not a Hindu and Sikh battle': The complex history behind protests that erupted at Brampton temples this week over Indian consular visits". Toronto Star. Retrieved 10 November 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  191. ^ Lavoie, Joanna (9 November 2024). "Another person charged following violent demonstrations in Peel Region". CP24. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  192. ^ a b "Not one of its leaders elected since 1999, SAD (Amritsar) still contests polls demanding Khalistan". The Indian Express. 22 January 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2024. Headed by former MP Simranjit Singh Mann, a retired IPS officer, SAD (Amritsar) is the only party which still contests the elections in Punjab with demand for a separate Khalistan.
  193. ^ a b Takkar, Jatin (4 June 2024). "Pro-Khalistan separatists Amritpal and Sarabjeet lead over rivals". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  194. ^ Sethi, Chitleen K. (5 June 2024). "Amritpal, Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa — Sikh radicals' poll victories pose challenge for Mann govt". ThePrint. Retrieved 12 October 2024. Amritpal Singh won from Khadoor Sahib by biggest margin this election in Punjab & Beant Singh's son Khalsa won in Faridkot. But, Simranjit Singh Mann lost his Sangrur seat.
  195. ^ a b c "General Election to Parliamentary Constituencies: Trends & Results June-2024". Election Commission of India.
  196. ^ "Father didn't care and laid down his life, Sikh community pulled family through troubled times: Sarabjit Singh Khalsa". The Economic Times. 6 June 2024. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 12 October 2024. Six-year-old Sarabjit when his father Beant Singh, a Delhi police SI who was part of the PM's security detail, along with another of her bodyguards, Satwant Singh, assassinated Indira Gandhi in October 1984.
  197. ^ Pettigrew, The Sikhs of the Punjab (1995), p. 24.
  198. ^ Aggarwal, J. C.; Agrawal, S. P. (1992), Modern History of Punjab, Concept Publishing Company, p. 117, ISBN 978-81-7022-431-0
  199. ^ a b Puri, Harish K., Paramjit Singh Judge, and Jagrup Singh Sekhon. 1999. Terrorism in Punjab: Understanding Grassroots Reality. New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications. pp. 68–71.
  200. ^ a b Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies (2005), p. 133.
  201. ^ a b "Council Common Position 2005/427/CFSP of 6 June 2005 updating Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism and repealing Common Position 2005/220/CFSP" (PDF). European Union. 6 June 2005. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
  202. ^ "Currently listed entities (terrorist organizations-ed)". Public Safety Canada. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
  203. ^ a b c d e f Milewski, Terry (28 June 2007). "Sikh politics in Canada. Symbols and suits. Sikh extremism enters mainstream Canadian politics". CBC. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  204. ^ a b "Proscribed terrorist groups". UK Office for Security and Counter Terrorism. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  205. ^ "Terrorist Exclusion List". U. S. Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism. 29 December 2004. Archived from the original on 13 May 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  206. ^ "Appendix F: Countering Terrorism on the Economic Front" (PDF). US Department of State. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
  207. ^ Mahmood (1996), p. 328
  208. ^ Martha Crenshaw, ed. (1995), Terrorism in Context, Pennsylvania State University Press, p. 656, ISBN 978-0-271-01015-1, archived from the original on 30 March 2023, retrieved 29 August 2020
  209. ^ Atkins, Stephen E. (2004), Encyclopedia of modern worldwide extremists and extremist groups (illustrated ed.), Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 404, ISBN 978-0-313-32485-7, archived from the original on 30 March 2023, retrieved 26 June 2009
  210. ^ "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". U. S. Department of State. 8 April 2008. Archived from the original on 13 May 2009.
  211. ^ "Law Enforcement Cases: International Narcotics Control Strategy Report: Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs". US Department of State. March 2008. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  212. ^ Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism (April 1996). "1995 Patterns of Global Terrorism". Federation of American Scientists. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  213. ^ Pratap, Anita (22 May 1996). "Bus explosion in India kills at least 14: It's the second bombing in two days". New Delhi: CNN. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  214. ^ "CNN – Fatal bomb meant to disrupt – April 21, 1996". cnn.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  215. ^ "KZF behind Jalandhar blasts". The Indian Express. 19 June 2006. Archived from the original on 5 June 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  216. ^ "Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1997 – appendix B". U. S. Department of State. 1997. Archived from the original on 23 November 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
  217. ^ Nayar, Kuldip (22 February 1999). "It is fundamentalism again". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  218. ^ Juergensmeyer, Mark (14 October 2004). "From Bhindranwale to Bin Laden: Understanding Religious Violence" (PDF). Self. p. 30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  219. ^ Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies (2005), p. 136.
  220. ^ a b c Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies (2005), p. 132.
  221. ^ Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies (2005), p. 137.
  222. ^ Downing, John D. H. (2011). Encyclopedia of Social Movement Media. Sage. p. 290. ISBN 978-0-7619-2688-7. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  223. ^ Simmons, Mary Kate (1998). Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization: yearbook. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 187. ISBN 978-90-411-0223-2. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  224. ^ Anderson, Edward T. G. (1 January 2024). Hindu Nationalism in the Indian Diaspora: Transnational Politics and British Multiculturalism. Oxford University Press. p. 333. ISBN 978-0-19-778328-3.
  225. ^ Behera, Demystifying Kashmir (2007), pp. 87–88.
  226. ^ a b Haqqani, Pakistan Between the Mosque and Military (2010), pp. 270–271.
  227. ^ a b Sirrs, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (2016), p. 167.
  228. ^ Haqqani, Pakistan Between the Mosque and Military (2010), p. 272.
  229. ^ "Canadian gets 14 years for funding terrorists". The Globe and Mail. 13 September 2007. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  230. ^ Nanjappa, Vicky (10 June 2008). "200 Pak organisations raise funds for terror: IB". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  231. ^ a b Markham, James M. (16 June 1984). "India Talks of C.I.A. Role in Unrest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  232. ^ "CIA, ISI encouraged Sikh terrorism". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 26 July 2007. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  233. ^ "US, Pak ISI had a hand in Punjab militancy: Book". Hindustan Times. 26 July 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  234. ^ Nakashima, Ellen; Shih, Gerry; Amanda, Coletta (29 November 2023). "U.S. prosecutors allege assassination plot of Sikh separatist directed by Indian government employee". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  235. ^ "Sikh extremism spread fast in Canada". expressindia.com. 23 May 2007. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  236. ^ "Sikh extremism in Canada mushroomed very quickly". rediff.com. 23 May 2007. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  237. ^ Brown, Jim (22 November 2007). "The reign of terror is still there". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  238. ^ Kay, Jonathan (17 November 2008). "A true Sikh martyr: Jonathan Kay on the 10th anniversary of the assassination of Tara Singh Hayer". The National Post. Retrieved 7 June 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  239. ^ Bolan, Kim (2006). Loss of Faith: How the Air-India Bombers Got Away With Murder (Paperback ed.). McClelland & Stewart. p. 388 (Chapters 6 and 7). ISBN 978-0-7710-1131-3.
  240. ^ "Testimony: Babbar Khalsa Ordered Tara Singh Hayer Slaying". CanWest News Service. 14 December 2003. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  241. ^ Summers, Chris (2 June 2000). "Call for end to Sikh murder mystery". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  242. ^ Summers, Chris (17 March 2005). "Call for police to solve Sikh murder". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 May 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  243. ^ "Netfirms | This site is temporarily unavailable". Worldsikh.ca. Archived from the original on 1 January 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  244. ^ Grewal, San (11 July 2007). "Sikh organization sues CBC". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  245. ^ "Canadian journalist hits out at Sikh extremism". The Times of India. 1 July 2007.[dead link‍]
  246. ^ Morley, Robert. "Sikh Terrorism Enters Politics in Canada". The Trumpet. Archived from the original on 2 June 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
  247. ^ Thorne, Barry (6 March 2008). "India PM warns against renewed Sikh extremism". Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Archived from the original on 10 March 2008.
  248. ^ Bolan, Kim (11 March 2008). "Sikh separatist threat on rise in Canada: Indian PM warns of resurgent threat in Canada". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013.
  249. ^ "Amarinder Singh meets Justin Trudeau and Canada's 'Khalistani sympathiser' minister". The Times of India. 21 February 2018. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  250. ^ Singh, Surjit; Sharma, Anil (21 February 2018). "Khalistan figures in Trudeau-Amarinder talks, Punjab CM hands over list of 9 Canada-based radicals". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  251. ^ Connolly, Amanda. "Jagmeet Singh defends speaking at Sikh separatist rally in 2015". Global News. Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  252. ^ "Khalistan no issue either in Canada or Punjab, says Sukhbir Badal". Hindustan Times. 23 February 2018. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  253. ^ Milewski, Terry (September 2020). "Khalistan: A project of Pakistan" (PDF). Macdonald-Laurier Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  254. ^ a b c Pathi, Krutika (19 September 2023). "India expels Canadian diplomat, escalating tensions after Trudeau accuses India in Sikh's killing". AP News. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  255. ^ "Trudeau accuses India in killing of Sikh leader on Canadian soil". The Globe and Mail. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  256. ^ "Sikh separatists 'funded from UK'". BBC News. 4 March 2008. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  257. ^ Bassey, Amardeep (26 February 2008). "TRANSCRIPT OF "FILE ON 4"- 'SIKH GROUPS'" (PDF). BBC News. p. 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  258. ^ "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". U. S. Department of State. 8 April 2008. Archived from the original on 13 May 2009.
  259. ^ "Terrorism: What You Need To Know About U.S. Sanctions". U.S. Department of Treasury. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  260. ^ Gilligan, Andrew (21 April 2008). "Sikh civil servant who backs 'martyr' is now on TfL board" (PDF). Evening Standard. London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2009.
  261. ^ a b Bolan, Kim (18 February 2008). "Sikh leader solicits support". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009.
  262. ^ "Sikh separatists 'funded from UK'". BBC. 4 March 2008. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2008.

Bibliography

Further reading

Primary sources

Secondary sources

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khalistan_movement&oldid=1257896831"