The current farmer protests and Khalistan movement in Indian Punjab

The current farmer protests and Khalistan movement in Indian Punjab

  Author: Ayesha Irshad Malik

For Urdu reader

The current farmer protests and Khalistan movement in Indian Punjab

In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the religious leader of the Sikhs, proposed the idea of ​​a separate state for the Sikhs called Khalsa. After the ideology of two-nation, when the slogan of a separate state of India for Hindus and Pakistan for Muslims was raised, the Sikh community also raised the slogan of a separate homeland for themselves and began the struggle for a separate homeland. The rulers of India suppressed the voice of the Sikhs for independence and a separate state by force. At the height of the Sikh liberation movement in 1940, the Hindu leader Johar Lal Nehru, realizing the danger, promised the Sikhs that other Muslim minorities in India would also be given a separate state and freedom. They should support India in the independence movement. After this promise, Hindu Muslims and Sikhs together fully supported India in the independence movement and liberated India from the British. After independence, Nehru refused to keep his promises. He treated the Sikhs and Muslims badly, which intensified the struggle of the Sikh community for independence. On August 14, 1947, a separate state of Pakistan came into being for the Muslims. The Hindu leaders were not in favor of the existence of Pakistan but after the constant efforts of the Muslim leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Muslim community Pakistan came into being۔  After the separation of  Pakistan Muslim, Sikhs and other minorities living in India after the have been mistreated. According to Hindus, India is for Hindus only and minorities have no rights.  Seeing all this, the separatist leader of the Sikhs Kapour Singh, started the Khalistan movement. Contrary to the promises of Indian leaders and injustice done with Sikh community, the Sikhs became angrier with Indian Government. For the first time in 1955, Sikhs came out of their homes they started protesting in favor of India and independence of Sikh community. The protesters were subjected to the worst kind of violence by the Indian government in response to the threat and to silence the Sikhs, tear gas was used on Sikh protesters. Sikhs did not agree to stay with India under any circumstances after this Indian government used force and violence to control the protesters but could not eradicate the quest for independence from the hearts of the Sikhs. Similarly, in 1979, Sikhs continued to raise their voices for independence. In 1980, protests broke out again and thousands of Sikhs took to the streets for freedom, Indian government used strong force to silence the Sikhs and in three months more than thirty thousand Sikhs were arrested , thousands were killed and disappeared which further created hatred among the Sikhs for India. Despite severe persecution and violence, Indian government has not been able to stifle the voice of the Sikhs. In 1982 during the Asian Games Sikhs staged demonstrations in Delhi and informed the world about the human rights violations in India. After this the Indian government carried out an operation and assassinated many Sikh leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Andhra Gandhi. The operation continued till 1984 in which about 500 Sikhs were killed.

In September 2020, Sikh farmers began protesting against the policies of the Indian government and thousands of Sikhs took to the streets and put their demands before the government but instead of meeting the demands of the Sikhs, Indian government is threatening to use force and kill them.

The Sikhs community talked to the government but the Indian government was not ready for negotiations, after which the Sikh peasants started a strike and government demonstrations. Thousands of people will be admitted in the capital Delhi and will hold peaceful demonstrations.

But the Indian government has always wanted to do injustice to the Sikhs and eliminate them by force.