What is the Khalistan Movement?
The Khalistan movement is a fight for a separate, sovereign Sikh state in present day Punjab (both India and Pakistan).
The origins of the movement have been traced back to India’s independence and subsequent Partition along religious lines.
The Punjab province, which was divided between India and Pakistan, saw some of the worst communal violence and generated millions of refugees.
Lahore, the capital of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s great Sikh Empire went to Pakistan.
Holy Sikh sites including Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak(the founder of Sikhism) went to Pakistan.
Punjabi Suba Movement
Began around the time of Independence - for the creation of a Punjabi-speaking state.
In 1966 - Punjab was reorganized.
The erstwhile Punjab state was trifurcated into the Hindi-speaking, Hindu-majority states of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, and the Punjabi-speaking, Sikh-majority Punjab.
Anandpur Sahib Resolution
In 1973, Akali Dal, the major force in the new Sikh-majority Punjab, released a list of demands.
Anandpur Sahib Resolution demanded autonomy for the state of Punjab, identified regions that would be part of a separate state, and sought the right to frame its own internal constitution.
Akalis were not demanding secession from India, for the Indian state, the Anandpur Sahib Resolution was of grave concern.
Bhindranwala
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, positioned himself as “the authentic voice of the Sikhs.
Later he become a problem for the government.
Dharam Yudh Morcha
In 1982, Bhindranwale, with support from the Akali Dal’s leadership, launched a civil disobedience movement called the Dharam Yudh Morcha.
He took up residence inside the Golden Temple, directing demonstrations and clashes with the police.
Operation Bluestar
Indian Army’s operation
In 1984: Bhindranwale was killed and the Golden Temple was freed of militants, however it gravely wounded the Sikh community around the world.
It also galvanised the demand for Khalistan.
Aftermath of Operation Bluestar
In October 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two Sikh bodyguards.
Over 8,000 Sikhs were massacred in massive anti-Sikh violence.
In 1985, Sikh nationalists based in Canada blew up an Air India flight killing 329 people.
Current Status of the Khalistan movement
Punjab has long been peaceful.
But the movement lives among some Sikh communities overseas.
The diaspora is composed predominantly of people who don’t want to live in India.
The deep-rooted anger over Operation Blue Star and the desecration of the Golden Temple continues to resonate with some in the newer generations of Sikhs.
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