Recently, two separate incidents happened in Himachal Pradesh, one in Kullu and another near Manikaran, where some Sikh youths clashed with the locals after the latter objected to the displaying of Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale’s posters and “Khalistani” flags on their two wheelers and four wheelers.
T-shirts bearing Bhindrawale’s images is not an uncommon site in Punjab. It is similar to how followers of Che Guvera sport T-shirts with his images on them. And the sentiment is no different.
Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale is a strongly polarising figure. Although he led a radical extremist Sikh movement against the government of India, he personally never raised the demand or banner of Khalistan. When journalists used to ask him whether he was in favour of Khalistan, he would reply that if it was granted he would welcome it. But he never demanded Khalistan proactively.
So, technically it is wrong to identify Bhindranwale with Khalistan, although most of his followers seek and support Khalistan.
In fact, the support for the Khalistan movement gained momentum after Operation Bluestar, in which Bhindrawale was killed when the Indian Army descended on the Golden Temple to flush out the militants. Bhindrawale, along with the legendary military general, Shabeg Singh, the hero of Bangladesh War, who had joined ranks with Bhindrawale, were killed in the operation along with several other militants.
That movement which was led by Bhindrawale, in pursuance of certain demands and which ended up in the demand for Khalistan after his death, has long finished. Bhindrawale is mostly addressed as “Sant” Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale, “Sant” Jarnail Singh or only as “Sant”. That is the level of respect he commands among most of the Sikh community.
Bhindrawale was the head of Damdami Taksal, a Sikh religious seminary. He was a brilliant orator and captured the imagination of Sikh masses with his deep knowledge of the Sikh religion, which he used through his oratorical skills. He is blamed for the killing of various people, both Hindus and Sikhs who did not agree with him. He is on record to have once threatened to kill “5000” Hindus, in case the government did not concede to his demand to release some of his supporters within a specific time period.
Sikhs by nature are rebellious. They idolise and worship anyone who confronts and defies power and authority. Bhindrawale is worshipped as a hero of Sikh resistance against the government. The youth who idolise him as their hero, have hardly any idea about Khalistan. For them, Bhindrawale is like the “Saint Soldier”, who sacrificed his life for the ‘panth’, when he could have struck a bargain with the Government of India.
It will be the greatest blunder to assume that all those people who are sporting Bhindrawale’s posters are supporters of “Khalistan” or are against India. That would be the last thing in the minds of such people. It has been 41 years since Bhindrawale got killed in military action. None of the youth who sport his posters or stickers on their vehicles were even born then. Most of them do not feel any difference between Bhindrawale and Bhagat Singh, believing that both sacrificed their lives for a great cause.
Bhindrawale has already entered into Punjabi folklore. While there are many who have a different opinion for the reason that he was alleged to have ordered the killing of innocent people, just because they belonged to a different faith or did not agree with him. He will continue to remain a polarising figure.
There needs to be greater sensitivity and awareness among the people over any disagreement. It will be very difficult to explain to someone in a far off place like Kullu or Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh the background behind youths sporting Bhindrawale’s posters and flags. For people in Himachal Pradesh, it may seem provocative, while those sporting his posters have no such intention. And when such youths face resistance or objection, their reaction is natural.
Also read: Space ordeal ends but questions remain
The Kullu and Manikaran incidents in Himachal Pradesh had reciprocal fallout in Punjab. Activists of the radical Sikh organisation Dal Khalsa stopped some buses of Himachal Road Transport Corporation and pasted Bhindrawale’s posters on them. A few youths reportedly smashed the windscreen of another HRTC bus near Kharar on Chandigarh outskirts.
It is important for the governments of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to sensitise people of their respective states. Tens of thousands of people, including tourists and pilgrims travel to Himachal Pradesh from Punjab and vice versa. There has rarely been such an incident in the past.
In the age of social media, every incident gets spread like the proverbial wildfire with the likelihood of retaliatory reactions. The governments of the two states and various social organisations, must intervene and ensure that one isolated incident caused by sheer misunderstanding is not blown out of proportion and does not lead to any chain reaction.
Follow us
