Indian Political Blunder: Sikh Genocide 1984

General Sinha was the General Officer Commanding Western Command, a prestigious appointment in the early eighties, and was transferred to Delhi as the Vice Chief of Army Staff, with the expectation that he would succeed General K. V. Krishna Rao as the Army Chief.

He was supposed to familiarize himself with the office of the Army Chief. It was a surprise when he was superseded and Lt.-Gen. A. S. Vaidya, the GOC-in-C Eastern Command was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff. After which General S. K. Sinha submitted his resignation. This is a narration by a close associate of Gen Sinha. This all happened in the backdrop of Operation Blue Star.

Wikipedia accounts, Indira Gandhi first asked Lt. Gen. S. K. Sinha, then Vice-Chief of Indian Army, to prepare a position paper for assault on the Golden Temple. Lt. Gen. Sinha advised against any such move, given its sacrilegious nature according to Sikh tradition. He suggested the government adopt an alternative solution. Henceforth, a controversial decision was made to replace him with General Arun Shridhar Vaidya as the Chief of the Indian army. General Vaidya, assisted by Lt. Gen. K Sundarji as Vice-Chief, planned and coordinated Operation Blue Star.

S. K. Sinha had advised the government against the operation. He later criticized the Government’s claim that the attack represented a “last resort”. He also stated that the operation would have been conducted in an entirely different manner if he had planned it.

He also pointed out that a few days before the Operation; the Home Minister had announced that the troops would not be sent to the Golden Temple. There was no need to issue such statements when the government was to act in a manner contrary to what had been said.

But, the Operation seems to have been in plans much earlier. The General has alleged that the army had been rehearsing the operation in a replica of the Golden Temple at a secret location near Chakrata Cantonment in the Doon Valley.

The timing of Operation Blue Star coincided with a Sikh religious day, the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, the founder of the Golden Temple. Sikhs from all over the world visit the temple on this day. Many Sikhs view the timing and attack by the Indian Army as an attempt to inflict maximum casualties on Sikhs and demoralise them, and the government is in turn blamed for the inflated number of civilian dead for choosing to attack on this day.

Mark Tully in his dispatches during and just after the bloody massacre of Sikh community in 1984 states: even if the arguments against a siege are accepted, they don’t justify the army’s decision to mount the operation while Sikhs were celebrating the anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Arjan, who had built the Golden Temple and compiled the Guru Granth Sahib. This inevitably compounded Sikh anger about the operation. It also meant that the temple complex was particularly crowded and this was why so many civilians were killed.

The Sikh community’s anger and suffering was further increased by comments from leading newspaper editors, such as Ramnath Goenka, terming the operation as “A greater victory than the win over Bangladesh, this is the greatest victory of Mrs. Gandhi”.

Indira Gandhi could have delayed action against Bhindranwale but she realised voters were beginning to think she lacked the will to act. In search of political gain, countless Sikhs were murdered and no one was held accountable.

Why India Shouldn’t Criticize US on Sikh Shooting?

There is little question that the tragic killing of six Sikh worshippers at a Gurudwara in a Milwaukee suburb on Sunday was a depraved and reprehensible act. It also underscored the toxic brew produced by combining the United States’ lax gun control laws with the resurgence of racist ideology.

That being said, the official reaction of the Government of India to this horrific incident reeks of hypocrisy. The outrage expressed by the Indian National Congress, the principal component of the current ruling coalition, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is entirely insincere given that it has done little or nothing to bring the perpetrators of the 1984 pogrom against the Sikh population of New Delhi to justice. In this tragedy it should be emphasized that as many as 800 Sikhs were systematically slaughtered in the streets of the nation's capital.

The attacks took place in the wake of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by two of her Sikh bodyguards in 1984. The bodyguards were motivated by her decision to send Indian troops into the Golden temple in Amritsar, the holiest of Sikh shrines, after Sikh separatists had seized it. To ostensibly avenge her death, a host of street thugs, many of whom are believed to have been associated with the Congress Party, went on a rampage across much of the city attacking Sikh neighborhoods and killing many of those they came across.

As a number of independent assessments have shown, the city's police during this incident were merely bystanders to the carnage at best and tacit collaborators at worst. Today, even after no less than ten government-appointed commissions of inquiry, only a few insignificant persons have been convicted for their role in what could be described as India's first pogrom. Indeed, as Human Rights Watch put it in a 2011 report, “The [Indian] government has yet to prosecute those responsible for the mass killings of Sikhs that followed the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.”

With its track record of being either unable or unwilling to prosecute the key individuals who organized and directed the grotesque events, the Congress Party’s denouncements of the U.S. government ring hollow. Had Wade Michael Page, the individual accused of the heinous crime in Wisconsin on Sunday, not been fatally wounded by police after Wade had shot the first officer to arrive on the scene 8 or 9 times as the officer sought to care for the wounded, rest assure U.S.  Law would have certainly followed its course. Page would have faced the full weight of a fair trial and would have, in all likelihood, paid dearly for carrying out this cruel and wanton act.

Publicly upbraiding the United States for allowing individuals to have easy access to firearms and for the racist proclivities of an individual may well generate enthusiastic press coverage and electoral support for India’s politicians. However, it cannot wash away the stain from India's own flawed record in its abject failure to bring the guilty to justice for the terror that they had unleashed upon a segment of their hapless, innocent citizenry in the closing months of 1984.

Massacre At Sikh Temple In Wisconsin Could Have Been Inspired By Operation Blue Star 1984

Sikh is the nation with which from the very long ago, Hindus are showing discriminatory behavior. They are against Sikhs.

Today, another brutal act of “Domestic terrorism” left 7 individuals dead and 30 injured, of a Sikh minority community in Oak Creek Wisconsin.

Month ago, a case of Surbajeet Singh came in the media. He got free from imprisonment in Pakistan and when he came back to India, he admitted that he went to Pakistan for spying as RAW agent. Soon after he admitted this, Indian government and RAW clearly disowned him by saying that they had not sent him to spy. The person who worked for them, the one had been jailed for more than 20 years, is totally disowned by our own government and RAW agency. After this incident, there was no one to help him out. This tells us that Indian culture is dominated by Hindu majority and is not secular in nature as being portrayed globally.

After that, Karan Singh, a waiter in a hotel was killed just for bringing order a bit late. He was killed by some officers of the private company. This shows that Hindus don’t want Sikhs in their country.

These 2 are the stories of our own country. Hindus don’t want that Sikhs live in peace in any part of the world. That is why they have started killing them. Involvement of RAW can be suspected in this case, just as it happened in Peshawar 2 years back when 2 Sikh brothers were brutally murdered just in the name of dirty politics and proxy wars.  

UN and Human Rights Watch are completely silent on this. Sikhs are being discriminated from a long time but nothing has been done so far to ensure equal acceptance of them in the world. They are quiet and just watching the killing of innocent Sikhs. This is the time when UN and Human Rights Watch have to do something and have to take some proper action because every human being in this world has the right and if their rights are being violated. The time has come when UN and Human Rights Watch must show some concern over this issue and show Sikhs that they are with them. If they can take action against killings in Afghanistan, Israel, India, UK then they must take action on this as well. Sikhs have all rights to live in the world.

NO END to Brutality by BSF at Indo-Bangla Border

Instead of arresting suspects and handing them over to the police for trial, Border Security Force soldiers are often accused of taking the law in their hands, says Syed Tashfin Chowdhury from Dhaka

Around the early hours of June 9, Joy Shikdar, 32, of Kalna Potapara village in North 24 Pargana district of West Bengal was amongst a group of Indian traders handing over cattle to Bangladeshi traders near the Angrail border camp of the Border Security Force.

After they were spotted by BSF personnel, the group started to flee.

Bangladesh's Border Guard camp Commander Humayun Kabir, in an interview to the Independent newspaper in Bangladesh, said that at one point, BSF shot at the fleeing traders. One of the bullets killed Shikdar.

Impoverished villagers, like Shikdar, on either side of the heavily populated 4,000-km long India-Bangladesh forder often cross over to generate income through smuggling and illegal sale of cattle. People from both sides of the border also move back and forth to visit relatives, buy supplies, and look for jobs. Others engage in petty and serious cross-border crimes.

Border forces on either side are mandated to address illegal activities, especially narcotics smuggling, human trafficking, and transporting fake currency and explosives. But instead of arresting suspects and handing them over to the police for trial, BSF soldiers are often accused of taking the law into their own hands.

A press release on June 12, issued by the Human Rights Watch, urged authorities in India  to "investigate fresh allegations of human rights violations" by the BSF along the Bangladesh border and "prosecute those found responsible".

Based on evidence documented and published by Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), a Kolkata-based non government organisation, and Bangladesh's Odhikar, the release mentioned, "Despite assurances to the Bangladesh government and public orders to exercise restraint and end unlawful killings and attacks on suspected smugglers, the BSF is once again committing abuses including extrajudicial killings, torture, and ill-treatment of both Indian and Bangladeshi border residents."

According to Odhikar, a Dhaka-based human rights organisation, between January and May 2012, 13 Bangladeshis have been killed, 46 injured and 24 abducted by BSF personnel from the India-Bangladesh border areas.

From January till May 2012, MASUM has documented five killings of Indian nationals, based on statements from witnesses and families of victims.

One such case is that of 21-year-old Babu Seikh. MASUM reported to the National Human Rights Commission that on April 22, soldiers from the BSF's 91st Battalion chased and shot Babu Seikh in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, when he was walking toward the marshland in the evening with friends. BSF members chased his friends as well and eventually fired at them "without warning".

"After a bullet hit Seikh, one of his companions saw the soldiers drag an injured Seikh to their camp nearby, where he later died in custody without access to medical attention," said MASUM.

"In another case, MASUM reported that on January 1, four Indian teenagers, accosted while smuggling cattle, jumped into a rivulet to avoid punishment. The BSF soldiers allegedly beat them when they tried to come out of the water. All four boys, severely injured because of the beatings, eventually drowned."

Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at HRW, said on June 12, "The BSF has reverted to its previous tactic of unilaterally punishing suspects, defying orders from Delhi issued last year to exercise restraint and protect the right to life."

"But the central government is also responsible, since it has failed to hold perpetrators accountable," she added.

Last year, MASUM released a video showing BSF soldiers brutally beating a Bangladeshi national caught smuggling cattle in West Bengal state.

"Eight soldiers were suspended but no further information is available regarding their prosecution or punishment," said the release.

Odhikar documents other cases where Bangladesh nationals were shot dead or tortured after being held by BSF members for crossing the border. Odhikar has even documented cases of BSF personnel crossing the border into Bangladesh territory to commit similar crimes against innocent Bangladeshi nationals.

In December 2010, Human Rights Watch released a report on border atrocities, titled Trigger Happy: Excessive Use of Force by Indian Troops at the Bangladesh Border, which documented nearly 1,000 killings by the BSF over the last decade.

In January 2011, the Indian government assured Bangladeshi officials that it would order the BSF to exercise restraint and encourage the use of rubber bullets instead of more lethal ammunition.

The Bangladesh government, after initially failing to address the issue, finally began to call for the protection of its citizens.

In March 2011, at a joint border coordination conference, Major General Rafiqul Islam, chief of the Bangladesh Border Guards, called on the BSF to respect the right to life and said that individuals "must be treated as innocent unless and until he or she is proved to be a criminal or an offender."

BSF Director-General Raman Srivastava, in turn, promised "to maintain utmost restraint on the border" and also provide troops "with non-lethal weaponry."

"The BSF high-ups and the ministers in New Delhi are assuring non-lethal measures but the BSF personnel are going against these commitments," observed Nasiruddin Elan, director of Odhikar.

"This lack of coordination is not helping either of the two nations. By not bringing to book the BSF personnel at fault, the Indian government is providing impunity to the BSF to do as they please," he added.

The HRW observed that although the NHRC tries to provide justice by seeking responses when complaints are filed, the witnesses are threatened and intimidated into not providing their accounts.

As such, the HRW stressed that it knows of no cases in which BSF soldiers have been prosecuted for violations committed along the India-Bangladesh border.

"This includes a highly publicised case in which a 15-year-old Bangladeshi girl trapped in the wire fencing at the border was shot by the BSF in January 2011," said the HRW release.

Ganguly concluded, "Unless the government orders an independent investigation and ensures the prosecutions of those against whom credible evidence has found, such acts of brutality will continue."

INDIAN ARMY'S WAR WITHIN : CORRUPTION

After General VK Singh had taken over as Chief of Army Staff in 2010, a retired Lieutenant General, whose name figures in the Adarsh Society Housing scandal called on him at the office ostensibly to discuss developments in Kashmir. After the polite conversation, the retired intelligence chief asked him about the pending heavy vehicle contract and blatantly made it clear that there was Rs 50 crore for him in cold cash if the Rs 400 crore deal was awarded to an East European manufacturer instead of Indo-Russian joint venture. The retired general was immediately escorted out of the Chief’s office and was declared persona non grata. The ex-serviceman was not the first or the last of his kind as greed seems to be good for Army’s top brass.

On Tuesday, the CBI registered a case against a former Army Vice Chief Lt General Noble Thamburaj for allegedly conspiring with a builder Kalpataru over a select piece of Pune Cantonment defence land. One of the companies of the same builder is also under the CBI scanner for illegally obtaining prime defence land in Kandivili in Mumbai with the support of former minister of defence production Rao Inderjit Singh and former Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor. The CBI has already registered a preliminary inquiry into the Kandivili land deal last month and moving towards registering a proper case.

After Mumbai’s Adarsh Housing scandal, involving two former Army chiefs and one former Navy chief among others, and Sukhna land scandal, which led to court martial and dismissal of former military secretary Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash, these two illegal land deals have taken the Army’s morale to a new low. From the unsavoury sagas of Ketchup Colonel, Booze Brigadier and Ration General, it becomes quite evident that Indian military is going through marked deterioration of human resource and character.

To top it all, there is growing politicisation of the Indian military for promotions, lucrative assignments and post-retirement jobs. The rot within the Indian defence establishment is clearly evident from the retired officers who liaison for defence contractors at golf courses and bars in Lutyen’s Delhi to ex-generals and admirals being employed by hardware dealers for lobbying in South Block.

In public perception the image of an Army officer is hardly different from that of an untrustworthy police officer. It is evident from these scandals that significant section within Army is out to make a quick buck and would do anything for few pieces of silver. This mindset goes right to the top, as otherwise, how one justifies that no less than five top generals including Kapoor and Thamburaj were declared low medical category for disability pension and IT rebates. Before the health of Indian Army deteriorates further, it is time that the UPA government intervened to stem the rot.

Fortunately, South Block has defence minister AK Antony and Army Chief Gen V K Singh at the helm of affairs at this crucial juncture. Both are above board integrity wise and cannot stand corruption. While swift action and stringent punishment act as a strong deterrent, it is time that the military mounted strong vigilance on its men and started the weeding out process at an early stage.

The promotions and postings process must be made totally transparent through technology with any interference from ruling party politicians or influential arms dealers. Promotion should be based on merit and not seniority as is the case now. Postings to big cities should be rotated fast so that an officer does not develop vested interest. There should be consolidation of defence lands sprawling all over the country with land records updated so that unscrupulous Army officers cannot illegally pass it on to builders.

While it is impossible to isolate or insulate military personnel from increasingly money oriented Indian society, it is important that military ethos is maintained or professionalism will be hit hard in the services. It is important to drive home the fact that the government takes special care of the armed forces through dedicated hospitals, housing, primary and secondary education and recreation facilities.

The average facilities provided to an Army Colonel, equivalent to a director level officer of central government, are far above as compared to his or her government counterparts. Same holds true for higher ranks. Yet there is increasing tendency within the armed forces to get attracted to money through illegal means or hardware deal making. The prevention exercise has to start from the top as the trooper on the border or the Line of Control looks towards the top brass as idols. Otherwise, all the respect won by those armed forces personnel who gave up their lives will be lost and Indian borders will be at peril.

 Reference

Does General Kapoor own five houses?

Chandigarh: Deepak Kapoor says he didn't know that the massively-discounted flat he was allotted in a high-rise in Mumbai was meant for war widows and veterans. That could be construed as an oddity - Kapoor did after all serve as Army Chief.

He said last week that he would surrender his flat in Adarsh Society - a building in Mumbai's expensive Colaba area that is blowing the lid off a conspiracy between politicians, bureaucrats and senior Army officers to gift housing to themselves at huge bargains.

The retired General won't be homeless.  He has been accused of owning a total of six properties in Mumbai, Gurgaon and Delhi's Dwarka district. In August, Ambica Banerjee, who is an MP of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, wrote to the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, asking how the General afforded these assets. Sources in the Defence Ministry say Kapoor, in a letter to Defence Minister AK Antony, has said he welcomes a formal investigation.

Banerjee's formal letter of complaint states that in addition to the now-returned Adarsh flat, Kapoor owns a flat in Dwarka (a Delhi suburb), three houses in Gurgaon, and a penthouse in Lokhandwala in Mumbai.

There's more.  Kapoor was allotted a plot in Gurgaon by the Haryana government in June 2009. Kapoor paid merely Rs. 36 lakh for it - because Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda carved it out of his preferential quota - which allows the Chief Minister to reward residents who have distinguished themselves through their service. 

The rules state that those who are awarded these plots cannot sell them for five years. But six months after he was given his land, Kapoor wanted to sell  - the plot by now was worth Rs. 1.5 crore. The Haryana government reportedly refused to permit this.

However, Kapoor told NDTV that he does not  own any property other than the two-bedroom Adarsh Society flat that he has returned and the Gurgaon plot given to him by Hooda.

Must Read - Babbar Khalsa - "Tax for Khalistan"

During the Sikh struggle for independance, the courageous Jujharoo Singh's carried out numerous action which resulted in sleepless nights for the Delhi rulers. One such action worth mentioning took place as Shaheed Bhai Charat Singh Babbar re-enacted the history of Bhai Bota Singh and Bhai Garja Singh.

It was in the year 1990/1991, fake encounters by the Punjab Police had become routine. Bhai Charat Singh had decided to tackle the security forces head on and assembled a squad of Babbar Khalsa Jujharoo's. Around 4pm the group set up a roadblock on en-route from GT Road (Amritsar) to Batala Road and challenged the CRPF and Punjab Police to a real encounter.

2-3 hours had elapsed yet not a single Punjab Police or BSF/CRPF vehicle had passed by. Bhai Charat Singh spoke out to the Singhs and said "Now we are going to collect tax for Khalistan" the Singhs asked "How are we going to do that?" Bhai Charat Singh said for each car that passes the owner must pay 5 rupees tax and a 2 rupees charge for each truck driver. This was to send a message to the government that Jujharoo rule had been established and the Singh's were openly collecting tax.

According to eye-witness sources, truck drivers and car drivers were gladly paying the tax, in fact many where handing 100 rupee notes and suggesting to the Singh's that the tax amount's are too low, and that they should be raised. Bhai Charat Singh re-iterated the reasons behind the "taxing" and said we are only doing this to show the Punjab Police and Hindustan Government that the heirs to Bhai Bota Singh and Bhai Garja Singh's legacy are still alive.

Bhai Charat Singh then sent a written challenge to Sadar police station, Batala, stating that the Singh's had blocked off the road, if your force is brave enough then come and face us. When this letter had no effect, Bhai Charat Singh had another letter delivered, this time to the area's infamous and brutal police officer, Ajaib Singh. Upon reading Bhai Charat Singh's written challenge, Ajaib Singh immediately called his superiors requesting CRPF forces to be deployed alongside the Punjab Police.

As the CRPF forces and Punjab Police where heading towards the Singh's, an argument broke out as to who should be leading the charge, with neither wanting to be the first to face the Babbar Singhs. Eventually they decided that 2 cars (1 of Punjab Police and 1 of the CRPF) would lead and 30-40 cars of both forces combined following.

By this time the Singh's, who had been waiting for a long a time decided to lift the roadblock and head back to their base. As the Singh's were walking back, in the distance they noticed the flashing lights of the Punjab Police cars. The Singh's began running back to the roadblock spot, and opened fire directed at the leading 2 vehicles. The number of security forces injured or killed in this firing is not known, however the ponds of blood on GT Road was compelling evidence suggesting a high number of casualites. The security forces were caught by surprise and could not pluck up the courage to even return fire at the Babbar Singhs. 

According to one source, one of the police officers from the leading vehicles tried launching a grenade at the Singhs, however such was the fear in his mind, that the grenade dropped from his hand into his own car causing it to explode. Upon seeing the heavy damage the leading cars had suffered, the 30-40 vehicles which where following, fearing for their lives, decided to retreat and sped off in the opposite direction.

Babbar Khalsa International's Revival- A Solace for Sikhs

NEW DELHI: The arrest of two operatives of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) has confirmed what Delhi Police have been suspecting for a while now -- that the Punjab-based freedom fighter group is on the lookout for a major strike to announce its revival.

"Delhi Police arrested two Babbar Khalsa operatives who were planning to assassinate some political leaders who have a list of corruption scandals under there belt. We are investigating to confirm how many people are working with the group," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ashok Chand told IANS.

Four Sacred Babbar Khalsa activists among Five Acquitted

Rupnagar(Punjab), Jan 5 (PTI) A local court today acquitted five persons, including four former activists of banned terror outfit Babbar Khalsa in a case related to unlawful activities, illegal possession of explosives and fire arms. The additional sessions judge Manjot Kaur acquitted Daljit Singh Bittu, president of Akali Dal(Panch Pardhani) and four others activists of Babbar Khalsa. However, the court found one person, who was also arrested in this connection, guilty and sentenced him to three years in prison. A case was registered here on November 15, 2009, against seven persons under Unlawful Activities Act, Arms Act, Explosives Act and various sections of the IPC and they were arrested. Babbar Khalsa activists Harminder Singh Cherrian, Balwinder Singh Dekwala, Baljit Singh Bhau, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi, Buta Singh and Khalistan Liberation Force terrorist Daya Singh Lahoria were arrested in the connection. However, Lahoria was acquitted by a court few months back. After completion of the trial against the remaining six accused, the court today acquitted Daljit Singh Bittu, Baljit Singh Bhau, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi, Buta Singh, Balwinder Singh Dekwala. The court sentenced Harminder Singh Cherrian to three years imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 5000 on him.

Militant Sikh Organizations or Indian RAW Proxies ??

FATEHGARH SAHIB (August 30, 2011)–Simranjit Singh Mann, President of Shiromani Akali Dal (A) sent ripples through Panthik circles when he errantly labeled the Sikh martyrs of the Khalistan movement ‘agents’ of the Indian Government. Mann specifically pointed fingers at the well established Jeevay Khalistan as well as Bhai Sohan Singh’s Panthik Committee while speaking to the press at Channanwal when he said that these organizations were planted by the Indian Government.

Mann’s statement about  Jeevay Khalistan and other militant groups being agents of the Indian Government can impact his votes in the elections. Though the groups pin-pointed by Mann remain banned and blacklisted in India, they have wide support in foreign countries. Martyrs of  Jeevay Khalistan and other pro-Khalistan organizations are recognized and cherished by Sikhs living in Western countries. Their portraits adorn gurdwara langar halls and are on display at nagar kirtans while teenagers blast dharmic music that boasts of their accomplishments.

Mann has continued to lose support from pro-Gurmat minded Sikhs in past years. His visit to ‘Dera Sachkhand Angeetha Sahib’ and paying obeisance to self-styled Sadh Balwant Sehorra caused a lot of controversy–and for that, even Mann had to apologize publicly to the Sikh Sangat. Perhaps it is due to this reason that Mann has not gained much success in the past decade. At one time Mann enjoyed respect and esteem in Panthik circles and his organization, the SAD (A), was well respected at a large scale.

 He stated that his party is not aligning with either Congress or the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) as both organizations are working against the propagation of the Sikh religion. He also lashed out against Damdami Taksal, Sant Samaj, Dal Khalsa, Delhi Shiromani Gurdwara Management Committee, Mehta Chawla and other organizations and leaders for contesting the elections with the aid of anti-Sikh organizations.

Being referred to as the eighth wonder of the world, the Virasat-e-Khalsa will be dedicated to the nation on November 25, a day after the martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur. It is being conceived as a repository of the rich heritage of the Khalsa, its history and culture of the Punjab to inspire visitors with the vision of the Gurus, emphasizing their eternal message for mankind. The project, an inspiring tribute to the heroic and poignant saga of the Sikhs and Punjab stands amidst hills on a sprawling 100-acre area.
Moshe Safdie, an internationally acclaimed Boston-based Israeli architect, has designed the heritage complex. The project, which has been shaped like hands offering prayers, unfolds Sikh history and tradition like never before. The museum is intended to commemorate 500 years of Sikh history and the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa, the scriptures written by the 10th and last Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh, founder of modern Sikhism.
The project houses a museum, which have souvenirs related to Sikh history of all 10 Sikh Gurus, Guru Granth Sahib in the first phase and the history of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur to Partition in the second phase.
The eastern complex has a north wing, also known as the Flower Building. Its other wing is called the Boat Building or the Heritage Section. The roof of the Flower Building is shaped in the form of five petals - representing the Panj Piaras. Each petal houses an exhibit tracing the life of all Gurus from birth to attaining salvation/ martyrdom. The petal at the highest altitude has information and exhibits on Guru Granth Sahib. The tops of all petals have been covered with special stainless steel sheets. At night, the entire building illuminates with its large silhouette being reflected in the seven acres of water around it. It also illuminates the night skyline of the historical city of the birth of the Khalsa.
At the entry of the museum, permanent exhibits depicting Punjab before the birth of Guru Nanak have been placed. These will showcase the climate, culture and life of pre-Nanak times. The ceiling of this heritage building has been made of glass and its floor is covered with water. The aim of this exhibit is to make the visitor introspective, who are greeted with the thought-provoking concept of “Ek Onkar”. The “mool mantar” will echo all around this exhibit. It will have special sound effects and is situated in a drum-like building where lights will create an image of “Ek Onkar” and an audio message highlighting the core principles of Sikhism. Then starts a mesmerizing journey into the lives of the first five Gurus in the flower building. These five petals tell tales from Guru Nanak to Guru Arjan. There are 15 galleries which give a peep into the religion and sacrifices.
Finance Minister Upinderjit Kaur said the first phase of this project had been completed at a cost of Rs 300 crore. Virasat-a-Khalsa complex at Ananadpur Sahib, which will be opened on November 25.

Hostilities of Indian Army on Sikhs: 1978 Vaisakhi Massacre

Where history of the world is written in ink Sikh history is written with blood of Sikhs. Sikh history has the power of turning slaves into kings and weak into warriors. The Indian rulers had seen the sacrifices of Sikhs made under the British rule. They had seen how powerfully Sikhs had beaten the British. Since then they started planning to destroy this freedom group so they could rule the country forever. All of their plans started coming into effect soon after India gained independence which was the beginning of another freedom struggle for the Sikhs. These attacks took a huge turning point in 1978, the beginning of another 18^th century, in which Sikhs had to go through two holocausts. Thus began the closing chapter of another oppressor rule. The intentions of the government were to annihilate the Sikhs just like Buddhism with the same strategies and the British policy of ‘divide and rule’.

The way to destroy a community is to attack its roots. No matter how strong the community is, without its roots it will slowly become extinct. Then the next step is to destroy the language, culture and the history. Then rewrite the history in a new fashion which would unable the community to distinguish truth from falsehood. Eventually the community followers will start to believe in the new version of the history and start adopting the new culture, language and traditions of the majority. Before you know it, the community loses a sense of pride in its heritage. Then one physical attack on the community will destroy their self-confidence to fight for their rights. Weak community with no honor and dignity will become slave of the majority community. This is the way of Indian government to destroy Sikh religion.

1978 was the beginning of a war on Sikhs. It is a war between caste system and equality, good and evil, monotheistic and polytheistic, and tyrants and saint-soldiers. It is a war between sons of Gandhi and sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The Indian government took control over Sikh Gurdwaras, attacked Gurbani and rewrote the history using bunch of twisted mind sell-outs.

One may ask why the Indian government had the desire to destroy the Sikh nation and why the massacres were planned by cruel Indira Gandhi? For this we must go back and explore some of the major points that turned Sikhs into the biggest enemy of new dictatorship of Indira Gandhi.

Background

Indira Gandhi was most influenced by her father Jawaharlal Nehru. His father never wished to see Sikhs prosper and have enriched lives in the northern part of India. Being the president of Congress and Prime Minister of India he introduced separate laws for Sikhs that would put many restrictions on Sikhs in every profession. Though he did everything he could to suppress the Sikhs but he was not completely successful. After his death he left his daughter, Indira, to continue his mission. Indira’s desire was to rule the country without being questioned so she could run things her own way. When she came into power, there were many things Sikhs were active about such as Anandpur Resolution which demanded more autonomy for Punjab and religious rights for Sikhs.

During this time, Sant Kartar Singh, leader of Damdami Taksal started major campaign to preach the Sikh religion to masses. He started Nagar Kirtans that passed through many villages and preached Sikhi as a separate religion. He preached against the use of tobacco, alcohol and encouraged the people to stop cutting their hair. His message inspired thousands to take Amrit. One of his most important goals was to get Sikh preachers take Amrit and have Sikh managements take control of the Gurdwaras.

Few incidents that stirred the trouble between Sikhs and Indira Gandhi are worth mentioning. In 1975, Sikhs celebrated martyr day of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. Numerous Sikh leaders along with Sant Kartar Singh were invited. Indira Gandhi was also invited. In the gathering of 2.2 million people when Indira Gandhi arrived everyone from stage stood up and welcomed Indira Gandhi but only Sant Kartar Singh did not get up because it was against the principles to pay special respect to someone in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Indira Gandhi took it as an insult. The so-called Sikh leaders thanked Indira Gandhi for marrying her son in Punjab and praised the inter-faith marriage between Hindus and Sikhs. When Sant Kartar Singh Ji was given time to speak on the stage he encouraged Sikhs to marry Sikhs only which was one of the main principles of Sikhism. He further stated that Indira Gandhi was the prime minister of the country because of the sacrifices made by the Sikh community therefore she should be paying respect to Sikhs not the other way around. During the Emergency, it was only Sikhs who stood in her way and protested against her misdeeds. Akali Dal (Sikh political party), Damdami Taksal and Akhand Kirtani Jatha played a major role in the peaceful protests and fought for human rights. These incidents clearly made Indira Gandhi realize that majority of the Sikhs were not only seeing themselves as a separate religious group but also gaining power in Indian politics.

Planning Actions

Indira Gandhi perceived Sikhs as a national threat. Her motives were to crush the Sikh religion and promote Hinduism in Punjab. She wanted to take control of Shiromani Akali Dal so she could maintain her political control over Sikh politics. To accomplish her goals she and Sanjay Gandhi (her son) setup a network of new organizations that would spread anti-Sikh propaganda to break away the Sikhs from their religion. To achieve her goals she started “Third Agency” and supported ‘Nirankaris’ often referred to as Narakdharis to start a clash with the Sikhs and escalate violence in Punjab. It was planned to blame the Sikhs for causing violence for which the government could eliminate as many Sikhs as possible. First let’s look at Narakdharis.

The government started supporting Narakdharis because of their anti-Sikhi preaching. Indira Gandhi saw this as a perfect opportunity to attack the Sikh religion which would later give her an excuse to kill Sikhs in large numbers. Gurbachan, the Narakdhari leader, was provided with all the facilities and was made stinky rich in no time for becoming the puppet of the government. Just in 25 years the government funded them with so much money that they were able to expand their business from one building to opening up camps in every village and city throughout Punjab. Their leader was given everything he wished for including expensive cars and big mansions to live in. Every preacher’s expenses were covered by the government. An article on Nirankaris was published in Indian Express part of which is given below:

The genesis of the real trouble between Nirankaris and Akalis goes back to the years, when Mrs. Indira Gandhi headed the Union Government. She wanted to weaken the Shiromani Akali Dal but found that Akalis could not be brought to heel. She thought of an elaborate plan to strengthen the Nirankari sect not only in Punjab but throughout the country and abroad also. Official patronage was extended to the Nirankaris much to the chagrin of Akalis, who have always considered the Nirankaris as heretic.

In pursuit of this policy of divide and rule Mrs. Gandhi personally gave clearance for a diplomatic passport to be issued to the Nirankari Chief and the Indian High Commissioners and ambassadors abroad were instructed to show him respect and regard. This was meant to help the sect to improve its image and increase its following abroad.

During Mrs. Gandhi’s regime, the Nirankaris were known to be receiving financial help from secret govt. funds not open to audit or scrutiny by the Parliament.

During the emergency, the recalcitrant attitude of the Akalis further annoyed Mrs. Gandhi and Mr. Sanjay Gandhi. Efforts for building a parallel organization among the Sikhs of Punjab as counter blast to the Akalis were intensified. At the instance of Mrs. Gandhi, the Congress regime in Punjab led by Giani Zail Singh began giving greater official patronage to the Nirankari sect. Mr. H. S. Chhina, a staunch Nirankari was appointed Chief Secretary to the Punjab Govt. in 1976.

As a result of open official patronage and support this sect got a considerable boost within the administrative setup of the Punjab govt. Mr. Chhina appointed Mr. Niranjan Singh as D. C. of Gurdaspur. Mr. Niranjan Singh tried his best to enlarge the field of operation of the Nirankaris. (Kyon Keeto Vesaho, Sardar Narayan Singh, 47-48)

The Narakdharis were supported in every way and were provided with special security forces equipped with more firearms than Punjab police. They were given special instructions to attack Sikh religion and hurt the sentiments of Sikhs. The Narakdharis openly spoke ill of Sikh Gurus and claimed themselves to be superior. This caused religious fights in Punjab and Delhi. Many secret meetings between Indira Gandhi and Narakdharis took place where plans of attacking Sikh religion were discussed. Gurbachan submitting to the tyrant ruler gave his full condolence to the Hindu leaders that Sikhs will be taught a lesson. At his place he would place Guru Granth Sahib, Sikh Holy Scriptures, lower than his sitting place and would get his followers to bow to him instead of to the True Guru of the Sikhs. Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the prevalent Guru of Sikhs, is always respectfully seated at the highest platform in any congregation. Anyone seated on a platform higher than that of Sri Guru Granth Sahib is considered disrespectful and sacrilegious among Sikhs. He started comparing himself to Guru Gobind Singh Ji by announcing to establish a new “panth” or community with “Seven Stars” claiming himself to be achieving and accomplishing what Guru Gobind Singh Ji could not do. It must be noted that Guru Gobind Singh Ji gave Sikh community a distinct appearance and turned Sikhs into warriors by establishing the system of Panj Pyare (Five Beloved Ones). This was government’s way of attacking Sikh religion directly.

Now we come to the third agency. This agency was responsible for brining in alcohol and drugs in Punjab in large quantity which was distributed among the Sikh youth for the purpose of turning them away from their religion. This agency was behind stirring up the trouble between Hindus and Sikhs in Punjab. Throwing cow heads in Hindu temples, killing Hindus and blaming Sikhs, throwing tobacco in Sikh Gurdwaras and blaming Hindus, funding Shiv Sena and RSS to carry out anti-Sikh activities was all part of their plan to cause tension between the two communities. This way Hindus joined the side of the government and supported Congress with anything and everything to suppress the Sikhs. The agency sent their agents to join Shiromani Akali Dal that gave all the inside information to the agency. The leader of the party Parkash Badal was given huge amounts of money and everything else he wished for in return to support the Narakdharis. The government had succeeded in attacking Sikhs religiously and controlled political party of the Sikhs.

Bloody Vaisakhi

Seeing that all of their plans were working, it was the time to take a blow at the Sikh community. Narakdharis planned to hold a procession where Sikh religion was about to be attacked openly in public under the protection of their own security forces and Punjab police. Deputy Commissioner of Punjab denied the request of Narakdharis to hold any meetings or conference in Amritsar but Parkash Badal interfered and pursued the Commissioner to approve the request. It was very ironic day in Sikh history. The day of 13^th April, 1978, one of the holiest day, was chosen. Amritsar, the holiest city of Sikhs, was chosen where the procession was to be held. Furthermore, it was the “Sikh” government of Punjab that gave permission to Narakdharis and coincided with Indira Gandhi. Sikh leaders Parkash Badal president of SAD, Jeevan Singh Umranangal chief minister of Punjab, Gurcharan Tohra president of SGPC refused to take any actions to stop Narakdharis instead they made sure that the procession was held and carried out successfully.

At last, the procession was held. Narakdharis prepared themselves to attack Sikhs in the heart of their city. Punjab police was called for security. The government sent special army units for protection. Followers of Gurbachan were equipped with lethal weapons, guns, revolvers, acid-filled bottles, swords, knives and mechanical propellants for shooting poison-tipped arrows. The procession marched through the streets of Amritsar speaking disrespectfully against the Sikh Gurus and calling Guru Granth Sahib “a mere book” on loud speakers. The news reached Darbar Sahib where thousands of Sikhs had gathered to celebrate Vaisakhi. Sant Jarnail Singh, leader of Damdami Taksal, gave a brief lecture to the congregation and appealed Sikhs to take action. It was decided that Sikhs should protest peacefully to stop the Narakdharis. Batch of Sikhs, lead by Bhai Fauja Singh Ji, left Darbar Sahib. Most members of the protesting group were from Damdami Taksal and Akhand Kirtani Jatha. Sikhs peacefully marched toward the procession reciting religious hymns. When they reached near the procession, they were stopped by one police officer and were asked for the reason for protesting. Sikhs calmly told him that they were there to stop the procession and not to cause any trouble. The police officer told Sikhs to wait there until he came back. He went away not to talk to anyone but to warn Narakdharis to prepare themselves to kill Sikhs. Without warning, Sikhs were fired upon. The Narakdharis threw bottles filled with sulfuric acid on Sikhs. Even police and security forces joined them to kill Sikhs. 13 Sikhs became martyr, including Bhai Fauja Singh and more than 80 Sikhs were wounded. Even then the procession did not stop and continued for four more hours. The names of 13 other Sikhs killed in the massacre are as follows:

Bhai Amrik Singh
Bhai Avtar Singh
Bhai Darshan Singh
Bhai Dharamvir Singh
Bhai Fauja Singh
Bhai Gurcharan Singh
Bhai Gurdial Singh
Bhai Harbhajan Singh
Bhai Hari Singh
Bhai Kewal Singh
Bhai Piara Singh
Bhai Raghbir Singh
Bhai Ranbir Singh

Aftermath

No government official took any action. Parkash Badal had left for Mumbai to attend Vaisakhi fair. After the procession was over, all Narakdharis successfully escaped to Delhi in government vehicles. All of this had been planned out by the government beforehand and Badal offered himself to do this job. He provided all the support, security forces, weapons, and the vehicles. Though the government never wished to do anything about it but the massacre of Sikhs in the streets of their holiest city was not something Sikh nation would have ignored. This had enraged the Sikhs to take matters into their own hands. Just to mislead Sikhs into thinking that the government is doing all it could, arrest warrants of 60 Narakdharis were released but no one was arrested. All these people stayed in their mansions in Delhi. Who was to be arrested and interrogated and who would have taken any action at all when it was the government behind it? The government had made all the plans and this massacre was the first strike at dignity, pride and self-confidence of Sikhs.

The government produced fake certificates showing that the murderers’ health was not fit to stay in jail. Thus they were all bailed out before they even went to jail. The next step was to save them from judicial system. Instead of having the case being heard in Punjab, it was taken to Karnaal, Haryana which was the neighboring state of Punjab. The government knew that any Sikh Judge with good moral values would have found the criminals guilty so the case was taken to Hindu majority state where the judge Mr. Gupta, a Hindu, showed his loyalty to the government by freeing all the criminals. Not only the judge acquitted all the Narakdharis he also passed strictures against the Punjab government for registering the case. Where this news saddened the Sikh community, the Hindus showed their happiness by celebrating in the streets and distributing sweets. It was nothing but shameful for the Indian political parties, human rights organizations, newspapers and television to not protest against the Sikh massacre. Instead, Sikhs were blamed for causing the trouble and disrupting the peace of Amritsar. For many months after the massacre, Narakdhari programs were broadcasted on the television. Newspaper printed news in their favor on the front page.

This did not end the Sikh conflict with Narakdharis. It continued in other parts of India. Narakdharis were supported by the media on full scale for killing innocent Sikhs. On September 26^th, 1978 Narakdharis with the help of local police killed 9 innocent Sikhs. Instead of arresting Narakdharis, the police arrested Sikhs that protested against this unjust killing. On November 5^th, 1978 Sikhs protested against Narakdharis for desecrating Guru Granth Sahib Ji but the police threw tear gas and fired upon Sikhs. Three Sikhs Bhai Avtar Singh, Bhai Maninder Singh and Bhai Gobind Singh were killed. On the same day, Gurdwara Rakaab Ganj and Bangla Sahib were closed and sealed off by the government. It was first time in the history that any government closed these Gurdwaras to the pilgrims. Even Mughals and British government had not done this but the cruel Indian government went many steps further in oppression and injustice.

So what can be concluded from this? Sikh massacres took place in the Sikh holy city on Sikh holy day when the “Sikh” government was in power. What could be more tragic than this? But the betrayal by the so-called “Sikh” leaders like Badal, Tohra, Talwandi, and Barnala continued to persist. The Indian government has been doing its best to destroy the Sikh Panth. For centuries many kingdoms, invaders, and governments have tried to destroy these dynamic freedom loving people but failed in their missions. The government should open its eyes and consider the truth for one minute. Where is Massa Ranghar, where is Abdali, where is Meer Manno, Indira Gandhi, General Vaidaiya, Lalat Makhan, Arjan Das and anyone else who stood against the Sikhs? Sikhs still exist and will continue to do so for the ages to come. Those who attacked to destroy Sikhs died in vain but Sikhs stood together stronger and bolder.

1978 Massacre brought Sikhs together. It was the first attack on Sikhs in India that gave birth to another Sikh struggle for a separate country. The government attacked to weaken the Sikhs but it made them stronger and Sikhs stood up to defend themselves, to seek justice and to end another tyrant rule. A Hukumnama by the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takhat, Amritsar, was issued calling upon GurSikhs all over the world to socially boycott these fake "Nirankaris" and not allow their faith and creed to grow or flourish in the society. The leader Gurbachan was killed in 1980 by GurSikhs. Babbar Khalsa started by Bhai Sukhdev Singh Ji was the first freedom group that came out of Akhand Kirtani Jatha for the pursuit of delivering justice to the perpetrators. Sant Jarnail Singh, leader of Damdami Taksal raised awareness of slavery and awakened the entire community to free themselves from the clutches of the Indian government. While Sikhs were uniting together the government was making plans to escalate violence in Punjab and kill Sikhs in significantly large numbers by attacking Darbar Sahib. Another chapter of history was being formed that inspired thousands to join the freedom struggle and would continue to inspire thousands more to keep the struggle going until Khalsa Raj is established in Punjab.