When we talk about the attack on Hindus in the state of Punjab, the majority of the documented and reported incidents happened during the peak of insurgency. However, the dark days of Punjab found their roots long before Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale came to the fore.
The background of Sikh radicalization and the deepening of friction between Hindus and Sikhs
Subrata K Mitra in his book ‘The Puzzle of India’s Governance Culture, context and comparative theory’ [Link] suggested that following the defeat in the 1972 elections, Akali Dal shifted its course to a Sikh-based orientation. In 1973, the Anandpur Sahib Resolution was drafted that called for a ‘radical devolution of power from the centre to the states’. There were several aspects of the resolution but the most prominent was a demand for more powers for the state and the classification of Sikhism as a separate religion. Sikhs are counted as part of the Hindu religion along with Buddhists, Jain and others.
In 1975, when then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency, the Akali Dal started ‘Save Democracy Morcha’. The direct conflict with the centre resulted in the arrest of around 40,000 Sikhs. Later, in the 1977 elections, Anandpur Sahib Resolution did not find its ground and Akali Dal kept on emphasizing the secular regional issues.
Meanwhile, there were sections of Sikhs moving forward towards the demand for a separate nation, Khalistan. However, the word Khalistan was still away from becoming “normal” in Punjab. In August 1977, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale became head or Jathedar of Damdami Taksal following the death of Jathedar Kartar Singh Khalsa. Notably, Kartar Singh had already appointed Bhindranwale the successor of Damdami Taksal before his death.
Between 1977 and 1980, Bhindranwale continued to propagate his vision and encouraged youth to join him in the Khalsa movement that called for a return to the lifestyle Sikhs followed before Green Revolution in the state. He denounced social evils including drugs, dowry and more.
Harnik Deol, in his book Religion and Nationalism in India: The Case of Punjab [Link], described how Bhindranwale’s charisma started to influence the youth in Punjab. Soon, people started to seek his intervention to address social grievances. There was a time when Bhindranwale used to hold personal courts to settle disputes.
His popularity was a sign of disenchantment of the people in the region with the expensive and time-consuming bureaucratic procedures. Furthermore, there was no surety that justice would be served through bureaucratic procedures. His verdict in the social disputes was respected by the masses.
Then came the 1980 elections where Akali Dal faced a serious challenge from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s popularity. The middle-class Jat Sikhs had started to stand behind Bhindramwale in large numbers. By that time, he had joined hands with the All-India Sikh Students’ Federation (AISSF).
It is noteworthy that the violent clash between Bhindranwale’s fraction and Nirankaris in 1978 sowed the seed of political radicalization of Sikhs in the state. After Akali Dal lost the elections in 1980, they shifted their concentration towards extra-parliamentary agitation against the Government of India.
In September 1981, Anandpur Sahib Resolution was revived. It became the basis of 45 demands put in front of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi under Dharm Yudh Morcha (Holy War) of the Akali Dal.
Khushwant Singh in his book titled ‘A History of the Sikhs: Volume 2: 1839-2004’ [Link] wrote that in March 1981, Ganga Singh Dhillon, a US-based pro-Khalistan movement and chairman of the Sri Nankana Sahib Foundation, was invited by the Chief Khalsa Diwan to speak at the Sikh Educational Conference. Dhillon described Sikhs as a “nation apart from other Indians”. He pursued the attendees to pass a resolution seeking Associated Status from the United Nations.
A month later in April 1981, Chief Khalsa Diwan asserted Sikhs would remain an inseparable part of India. However, by then the damage was done and Singh said the Sikhs had unwittingly allowed themselves to become a forum to propagate the theory of a Separate Nation for Sikhs.
Criticism of the Khalistan movement and murder of Lala Jagat Narain
With the rise of demand for a separate nation for Sikhs, it was obvious the movement would attract criticism. Arya Samajis were among the top critics of Sikhism and the Khalistani movement at that time. An Arya Samaji and a staunch critic of the Khalistan movement used his publication, Hind Samachar group of papers to express his views against the movement. 83-year-old Narain was an ex-minister of Punjab and a Member of Parliament.
His fearless and open opposition to the Khalistani movement was enough to put a target on his head. Lala Jagat Narain had survived an assassination attempt in January 1981. However, he was not lucky enough to escape in September 1981.
According to a report in India Today, Lala Jagat Narain was travelling in his grey Fiat from Patiala towards Jallandhar. An unmarked Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle tailed him but went unnoticed by both driver Som Nath and Narain who was sitting in the back seat.
Four kilometres outside Ludhiana, the motorcycle came alongside the car and the pillion riders fired shots at the vehicle. The driver slammed the brakes and attempted to turn the vehicle but a bus blocked the path. The pillion riders jumped off the bike. One of them had a 0.45 calibre revolver and the other had a 0.32 calibre weapon. They both fired point-blank at Narain and the driver. Som Nath sustained a bullet injury but survived.
Lala Jagat Narain, however, was not lucky enough. He was shot thrice by the attacker. He fell on the seat immediately and soon after died. Narain’s death was among the first prominent murders that sparked uproar among Hindus across Punjab.
Assassins were not lucky enough themselves. Their bike broke down after the attack. One of the attackers identified as Nachhatar Singh, a self-proclaimed Naxalite, was arrested by the bystanders while the other two Dalbir Singh and Swaran Singh were listed as accused. Dalbir Singh was involved in the murder of Baba Gurbachan Singh murder case. Swaran Singh was relative of Bhindranwale. Notably, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was also listed as one of the ‘conspirators’ in the murder case.
Arrest of Bhindranwale
In his book titled ‘Amritsar – Mrs Gandhi’s Last Battle’ Mark Tully and Satish Jacob [Link] mentioned that four days after the murder of Bhindranwale, an announcement was made on All India Radio that an arrest warrant against Bhindranwale was issued. At that time, he was lodged at a Gurudwara in Chando Kalan, Haryana.
During that time, former Janata Dal leader Bhajan Lal was the chief minister of the state. It is believed that he received a call from the central government not to arrest Bhindranwale. So much so, he had sent his vehicle to let Bhindranwale escape. When Punjab Police reached Chando Kalan to arrest Bhindranwale, he was long gone. A clash took place between already furious Punjab Police and Bhindranwale supporters.
Later Bhindranwale was traced at a Gurudwara at Village Chowk Mehta, around 40 KM from Amritsar. Heavy police and paramilitary force surrounded the Gurudwara. Though then-Chief Minister of Punjab Darbara Singh wanted to arrest Bhindranwale, the central government was adamant as his arrest might have resulted in violence.
Three senior police officers negotiated with Bhindranwale who then agreed to surrender to the police on September 20, 1981, at 1 PM. However, he added a condition that he, along with other religious leaders, would address his followers before the arrest. The police hesitated but agreed to the demand. Before the arrest, Bhindranwale gave a fierce speech attacking the Punjab Police, and the state and central government. He “urged” his followers to remain calm.
The murder of four Hindus on the day Bhindranwale was arrested
As soon as Bhindranwale was taken away, his followers opened fire at the police. During the clash, at least eleven people died. But this was not the end, but only the beginning. On that very day, three motorcycle-borne Sikhs opened fire at Hindus in a market in Jalandhar. Four Hindus were murdered and twelve others were injured. [5]
One Hindu murdered in Taran Tarn
On September 21, 1981, a similar incident occurred in Taran Tarn, a town close to Amritsar. In that incident, one Hindu was killed and thirteen others were injured. [5]
The release of Bhindranwale
On September 30, 1981, only ten days after the arrest of Bhindranwale, a plane was hijacked by five Khalistani terrorists of Dal Khalsa and taken to Lahore, Pakistan. The leader of the hijackers Gajendra Singh demanded the release of Bhindranwale and others. He also demanded $5,00,000 in cash. The passengers were rescued by Pakistan though ISI had opposed it. All 111 passengers were rescued without any casualties.
In October 1981, only a month after the arrest of Bhindranwale, then-Home Minister Zail Singh told the parliament that there was “no link of Bhindranwale to the killing of Lala Jagat Narain”. Bhindranwale was eventually released. Zail Singh allegedly hoped the violence would tone down after his release. Furthermore, it is believed that Zail Singh wanted to take political advantage of the release but instead, it dramatically hurt the morale of the Punjab Police. The state agency became an easy target of the Khalistani terrorists. [5]
Following the release of Bhindranwale, a series of attacks on the Hindu faith started. There were reports that severed heads and other parts of cows were deliberately placed in the temples very often. [5] It was believed that such acts were done not only to incite tension between Hindus and Sikhs but to impose fear in Hindus to the level they leave the state. However, the attacks took a further violent turn in September 1983.
Hindus attacked Jagraon
On September 28, 1983, Khalistani terrorists open fire at Hindus out of their homes for a morning walk. It is unclear if there was any casualty on that day. [5]
Six Hindus were killed in the Kapurthala district
On October 5, 1983, a bus was travelling from Dhilwan in Kapurthala district to Jalandhar. It was attacked by unidentified Khalistani terrorists. They separated the Hindu passengers from the Sikhs and shot them. Six Hindus were killed while one was seriously injured. [5]
President’s rule in Punjab
Following the attack on Hindus, Indira Gandhi-led government at the centre suspended the government and President’s rule was imposed in the state. Though Indira Gandhi wanted to show she did not lose the will to act [5], President’s rule and almost-open hand to security agencies did not stop violence in the state.
Three Hindus were killed in Chandigarh
In his ‘What’s happening to India? Punjab, ethnic conflict, Mrs Gandhi’s death and the test for federalism’ [Link], Robin Jeffery wrote that on October 14, 1983, at Ramlila, Khalistani terrorists detonated a bomb in Chandigarh. At least three people were killed and 25 were injured in the incident. [4]
Hindu migrant workers killed in Patiala
On October 21, 1983, a crowded train was derailed by Khalistani terrorists by unscrewing the rails. At least nineteen people were killed in the crash, most of them were agriculture labourers travelling to Punjab from eastern Uttar Pradesh. [4]
Four Hindu passengers killed on way to Moga
On November 18, 1983, Khalistani terrorists hijacked a Punjab Roadways bus that was travelling to Moga from Amritsar. Four Hindus were separated and killed in cold blood. India Today report suggested that seven non-Sikhs were there in the bus. One cobbler and a goldsmith were spared by the terrorists. One of the survivors was saved by a Nihang Sikh who told the terrorists that the Hindu was his son and got his hair cut a few days back. The terrorists hit the Hindu with the gun as a punishment for cutting hair and left him alive. [4]
The bloodied February of 1984
At the beginning of February, clashes between Sikhs and Hindus broke out in the state. Six people (mostly Hindus) were injured in a bomb blast at a wedding procession on February 9, 1984. On February 23, 1984, New York Times reported that at least eleven Hindus were killed and 27 were injured in a single day. On February 25, New York Times reported three incidents. Four Khalistani terrorists killed a Hindu in Amritsar and wounded four others. A Hindu was killed in a village in Gurdaspur. Four Hindus who were injured in previous attacks died during treatment at the hospital.
The murder of Ramesh Chandra, son of Jagat Narain
On May 12, 1984, Ramesh Chandra Chopra (Romesh Chandra Chopra), son of Jagat Narain was killed by the Khalistani terrorists. After Jagat Narain’s murder, Ramesh took over the post of editor for the Hind Samachar group. Kulbir Natt’s article in the Index Of Censorship journal’s 1991 edition [Link] noted gruesome details about the attack. Natt wrote that after Chandra took over the editorship of the Hind Samachar Group, the paper continued to “attack the intimidatory tactics of the extremists”.
Chandra denounced the Khalistani terrorists for using the Golden Temple as a “storehouse for arms”. He faced continuous threats since he took the post of editorship. On May 12, 1984, Khalistani terrorists shot him 64 times.
On the eve of his death, Chandra wrote a prophetic note in his editorial. He wrote, “No one knows whose turn will come next. All Punjab has become a slaughterhouse.” [5]
Undocumented deaths haunt Punjab’s history
During the research, we noticed that majority of the reports did not mention the names of the Hindus who had died in terrorist attacks. Many of the murders have not been documented properly in books, reports, and research papers. For example, in the book ‘Amritsar – Mrs Gandhi Last Battle’ [5] there was a mention that during March 1984 and April 1984, at least 80 people were killed and 107 were injured in terrorist attacks. However, we could not find reports verifying the details of who, when and where these 80 people were killed.
In June 1984, Operation Blue star happened and Bhindranwale along with many Khalistani terrorists was neutralized. However, it was not the end of the insurgency in Punjab. The Khalistani movement continued showing its presence for another decade. During that period, hundreds of Hindus were killed in separate attacks.
The attacks on Hindus have not stopped even in 2022. The murder of Sudhir Suri, a Hindu leader from Amritsar, Punjab, on November 4, 2022, has raised a lot of questions about the security of Hindus in the state. Suri was surrounded by police personnel when he was shot at least six times by the assailants standing just a few feet away.
References:
- The Puzzle of India’s Governance Culture, context and comparative theory by Subrata K Mitra [Link]
- Religion and Nationalism in India: The Case of Punjab by Harnik Deol [Link]
- A History of the Sikhs: Volume 2: 1839-2004 by Khushwant Singh [Link]
- What’s happening to India? Punjab, ethnic conflict, Mrs Gandhi’s death and the test for federalism by Robin Jeffery [Link]
- Amritsar – Mrs Gandhi’s Last Battle by Mark Tully and Satish Jacob [Link]
- Dead Silence – The Legacy of Human Rights Abuses in Punjab / hrw.org [Link]
- Sikh Separatists Hijack Indian Jetliner To Pakistan – New York Times – Sept 30, 1981 [Link]
- Bhindranwale’s arrest in connection with Lala Jagat Narain murder case hit headlines – India Today [Link]
- Terrorism against the Punjab Media – Index Of Censorship – Kulbir Natt – 1991 [Link]
- Brutal slaying of four Hindu bus travellers takes tension in Punjab to a new high – Shekhar Gupta – India Today – December 15, 1983 [Link]
- 11 Hindus killed in Punjab unrest – New York Times – February 23, 1984 [Link]
- Mrs Gandhi says terrorism will end – New York Times – October 16, 1983 [Link]
- Indian Government takes over a state swept by religious strife – New York Times – October 7, 1983 [Link]
- General Strike Disrupts Punjab – New York Times – February 9, 1984 [Link]
- Aournd The World: Sikh-Hindu Violence claimed 6 more lives – New York Times – February 25, 1984 [Link]
