The issue of Khalistan is a heated topic nowadays because symbols of Sikh separatism that have appeared at a congregational site in Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala suggest that the forces promoting it are active and potentially harmful. This topic is based on India’s internal security and the government is trying to take precautionary measures in this regard. This is very important for upcoming exams like SSC, UPSC, Railways, and many others. Students need to read this article in full detail and make a note of it.
What is Khalistan Issue :
- The Khalistan Movement is a separatist armed Sikh movement that seeks to make a home for the Sikhs by establishing an independent state of Khalistan in the Punjab region.
- By the early 1980s, the movement had morphed into a major separatist movement, fueled by Pakistan’s revenge-seeking weapon for the founding of Bangladesh under his ISI auspices.
Events that led to Khalistan Issue:
- 1947 Partition of India – India’s independence was not a happy event for Sikhs, and the partition left them with great resentment for losing their traditional lands to Pakistan.
- The struggle for an independent Sikh state owes its origins to the Suva movement in Punjab. Akali Dal, a Sikh-dominated political party, sought to establish a separate Sikh Suva or state.
- When the State Restructuring Commission, set up to evaluate separate state requests for each language group, made its recommendations, it rejected Akali Dal’s request. However, after a series of violent protests, Indira Gandhi’s government yielded it in1966.
- The state was divided into Punjabi – majority Punjabi, Hindi-majority Haryana, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Some hilLY regions of the state were merged into Himachal Pradesh. Sikhs now had a majority in the cut-off of the state of Punjab.
- But Anandpur Sahib’s resolution rekindled Sikh passions and sowed the seeds of the Christian movement. The gates of the complex were hoisted with flags attributed to the fictitious Khalistan, and slogans were scrawled on the walls. In Christian he announced June 6th as “referendum day”, prompting state police to close the border.
- A US-based Khalistani separatist has been indicted under the Himachal Pradesh Anti-Unlawful Practices Act (UAPA). On the same day, Punjab police said they had averted a terrorist attack after using explosives to arrest two men accused of being Khalistan supporters.
Anandpur Sahib Resolution :
- After reorganization, Akali came to power in 1967 and 1977. Both were coalition governments.
- The Akali found their political status to remain precarious despite the redrawing of borders. First, their government was removed from the center in the middle of her term. Second, they did not have a strong following among Hindus. Third, like all other religious communities, the Sikh community was internally differentiated by caste and class. The parliament received more support from Dalits than Akalis, whether Hindus or Sikhs.
- Within this political context, in the 1970s some parts of the Akalis began to demand political autonomy for the region. This was reflected in a resolution passed at a conference held in Anandpur Sahib in 1973.
- The Anandpur Sahib resolution sought to affirm regional autonomy and redefine central-state relations within the country. The resolution also spoke of the aspirations of the Sikh kaum (community or nation) and stated their purpose of achieving Sikh bolbala (rule or hegemony).
- Anandpur Sahib’s resolution was a plea to strengthen federalism, but it can also be interpreted as a plea for another Sikh state. The resolution had limited appeal among the Sikh public. A few years later, after the dismissal of the Akali government in 1980, Akali Dal launched a campaign on the issue of water distribution between Punjab and neighboring states. Some religious leaders have raised the question of autonomous Sikh identity. More extreme elements began advocating secession from India and the creation of ‘Khalistan’.
- Anandpur Sahib’s resolution found a worshiper named Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. He is a religious scholar who has traveled to Punjab to advocate a return to Khalsa or a return to more orthodox Sikhism.
- Where the Akalis were a moderate faction that championed Sikh pride and politics, Bhindranwale took a radical view and called for an independent state above all. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was inspired by Khalistan’s ideology to lead Khalistan as an extremist movement against the Indian government.
- Punjab’s demand for its own country was forced through violent protests and the killing of a senior Indian government official.
Present Scenario :
- The Khalistan movement in India is currently on hiatus.
- It does not have much traction in urban areas of Punjab or among locals.
- However, the movement has ideological support from Sikhs living in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
- These groups are now held in little esteem by mainstream Sikhism. Campaigns among the Sikh diaspora allege the Indian government’s mistreatment of the community. Investing money and ideological support into the struggle, Pakistan’s ISI continues to invest money and efforts to revive the movement.
- Alone and weak, Sikh separatism continues to falter. It should be a constant reminder of social cohesion and fair government policies.
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