KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
India 06-Jun-2021
While speaking during the 37th Operation Bluestar anniversary observed in the Golden Temple complex, Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh emphasized maintaining unity among the Sikh community and tagged Operation Bluestar as “Chaurasi (84) Da Ghallughara (holocaust)”. Justifying the pro-Khalistan slogans, Giani Harpreet Singh said the event could never be forgotten by the Sikhs. “It is like an irretrievable wound and such slogans help them relieving their pain and anger against the atrocities of governments”, he said. Referring to blood-stained pages of the Sikh history, he said like the earlier massacres of the Sikhs in 1746 and 1762 by the Mughal empire that were termed ‘chhota ghallughara’ and ‘vadda ghallughara’ in which 7,000 and 35,000 Sikhs were killed, the 1984 Army attack was nothing short of “ghallughara”. The ‘parallel’ acting Jathedar of Akal Takht Dhyan Singh Mand, 2015 Sarbat Khalsa main organiser Jarnail Singh Sakhira, Shiromani Akali Dal - SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann and actor Deep Sidhu, who was charged for provoking the Red Fort violence, were also present.
India 06-Jun-2021
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Prem Singh Chandumajra demanded a probe by Supreme Court (SC) judges into Operation Bluestar. Chandumajra, who is a former MP, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said guilty must be brought to book. “Here’s a request to order a high-level judicial probe, comprising at least three sitting or retired judges of the Supreme Court, into the Army attack on Golden Temple in June 1984,” he wrote. He said, “There continues to be a question mark on several aspects of this action, including the number of those killed in the shrine between June 3 and 7, 1984. The truth must prevail.”
India 06-Jun-2021
Harbhajan Singh posted a story on his official Instagram handle supporting the Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Posted on the 37th anniversary of Operation Bluestar, his post begins with the caption 'Salute to the martyrs'. The text in the image written in Punjabi reads, "Heartfelt tribute to those martyred in Operation inside Shri Harmandir Sahib on June 1- June 6, 1984". While Singh did not explicitly name Bhindranwale, his photo is featured prominently in the former's Instagram story.
India 06-Jun-2021
Twitter blocked access to four more accounts in India, including that of Indo-Canadian pop singer Jaswinder Singh Bains or JazzyB based on a request made by the government of India, under the Information Technology (IT) Act, the micro-blogging disclosed on Lumen Database. However, Twitter did not disclose as to why the access to these accounts were blocked in India.
Pakistan 06-Jun-2021
According to reports, Sikhs in Pakistan took out an anti-India rally in Nankana Sahib to condemn the attack on the Golden Temple by Indian forces in June 1984. Sources said that rally participants held placards and banners with anti-India slogans. The protesters led by pro-Khalistani leader Gopal Singh Chawla demanded of the United Nations to take action against Indian culprits involved in the massacre of Sikhs in 1984.
India 06-Jun-2021
Various Sikh organisations observed the anniversary of the 1984 Operation Bluestar in Jalandhar. Several speakers shared their views on the need for equality among minorities and also spoke about the historical importance of the day and the lives lost to operation. Key speakers on the occasion were Ambedakar Sena president Harbhajan Suman, Imam of the Jama Masjid Phagwara Owais-Ur-Rahman, Muslim leader Ghulam Sabba and historian and speaker on the incidents of June 1984 Alliance for Sikhs Coordinator Parmapal Singh Sabhran.
United Kingdom 06-Jun-2021
According to reports, two Indian flags were set on fire and stamped on during a remembrance march and "freedom rally" by some Khalistani supporters in London, United Kingdom, held to mark the anniversary of 1984 Operation Blue Star. The report quoted the Indian High Commission in London as saying that it was "extremely concerned and distressed" by what happened and vowed it would take action against those who desecrated the national flag. The incident reportedly took place at Trafalgar Square and some bystanders shouted "Khalistan Zindabad". Pro-Khalistani British Sikhs marched in London city, which started from Wellington Arch, led by the Panj Pyare, the five beloveds with their swords drawn, passed through the iconic route of the Constitution Hill and The Mall to Trafalgar Square. Addressing the march, the Sikh leaders said the events of 1984 took place 37 years after India gained independence in 1947, but the horror memories of those events would live forever in the minds of millions of Sikhs around the world, who feel deeply aggrieved at the Indian atrocities during the genocide carried out by the Indian Army.
India 06-Jun-2021
On the occasion of 37th anniversary of Operation Blue Star, Delhi-based Sikh Forum has sent a resolution, signed by prominent Sikhs, including former IAS and defence forces officers, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, urging them to appoint a truth and reconciliation commission to record incidents of violence against innocents during 1980s. Mentioning the Army action on Darbar Sahib and 37 other gurdwaras, the resolution said, “The Indian state ordered this aggressive action against its own people. It resulted in the death of thousands of innocent men, women and children, who had gone to the shrine to pay their homage to Guru Arjan Dev. Many Sikhs were killed elsewhere in Punjab in the military operations in June 1984. The army action was followed, in November 1984, with the horrific pogrom against the Sikh community, when again thousands of innocent Sikhs were brutally murdered in Delhi and other parts of the country.”
India 06-Jun-2021
Various Sikh groups held a protest at the Guru Nanak Mission Chowk in Jalandhar district on the anniversary of the Operation Bluestar.
India 06-Jun-2021
Irate over the increasing number of deaths due to overdose of drugs, the panchayat of Shamkhera village in Lambi of Muktsar District has appealed to drug peddlers to mend their ways and passed a resolution in this regard.
India 07-Jun-2021
Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh, in an apology and clarification note on Twitter, wrote, “I am a Sikh who will fight for India and not against India. This is my unconditional apology for hurting the sentiments of my Nation. In fact, any anti-national group against my people I do not support and never will."
India 08-Jun-2021
Khalsa Aid CEO Ravinder Singh slammed former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh for apologising over his controversial tribute to Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and took a dig at the Members of Parliament. Harbhajan Singh faced flak after he shared a poster of Bhindranwale and others killed inside the Golden Temple during 1984 Operation Blue Star, following which he issued an apology, claiming that it was a 'WhatsApp forward' and that he had posted it on social media in a haste.
India 08-Jun-2021
Backing Harbhajan Singh's post, the Khalsa Aid CEO asked how many times had 'trolls' tweeted against 'criminals' in the Indian Parliament. Ravinder Singh asked Harbhajan Singh to not apologise for 'his history' and claimed that there was an attempt to silence them after attacking the community.
India 08-Jun-2021
Police arrested a woman drug peddler, identified as Kulwinder Kaur and recovered 40 gm of heroin from her procession near Phagwara road, Mahilpur in Hoshiarpur district.
India 08-Jun-2021
Hajipur Police arrested a man, identified as Rahul and recovered 28 gm of intoxicating powder from him in Jhading village in Hoshiarpur district.
India 09-Jun-2021
Taking exception to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)’s plan of initiating talks with the Centre for out-of-court settlement of ₹1,000-crore damages suit related to the 1984 Operation Bluestar, Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal on June 9 warned the apex gurdwara body against taking any such risk. In a statement, Taksal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa said that “Taksal is the main organisation that fought the Indian army during military action on Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in June 1984. No settlement can be achieved without the consent of Sikh Sangat (community) and Taksal.”
India 09-Jun-2021
Government of India justified its request to Twitter to de-platform Jazzy B from Twitter, saying the rapper was glorifying Khalistan and Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the secessionist leader. The government asserted that this handle was being used to post inflammatory posts provoking communal sentiments by glorifying Sikh militancy in Punjab and pro-Khalistan feelings on the anniversary of Operation Blue Star. His posts allegedly also used the images of Bhindrawale, who was about to declare the formation of Khalistan when he was killed in Operation Bluestar, to arouse communal sentiments that could pose threat to public order, government sources said.
India 09-Jun-2021
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has made it clear that, investigating a drugs case, end-to-end encrypted WhatsApp chats can be dug into and analysed by government agencies with the help of forensic specialists.
India 09-Jun-2021
Punjab’s most-wanted gangster and drug smuggling kingpin Jaipal Singh Bhullar and his accomplice were killed by Bengal police in a Kolkata flat in West Bengal on June 9, 25 days after the gang murdered two ASIs of Ludhiana rural police at the Jagraon grain market.
Canada 10-Jun-2021
In a response to Canada MP Jagmeet Singh’s politicism over Islamophobia in Canada, journalist and author Tarek Fatah stated that "Let me assure you Mr. Singh, both as a New Democrat and as a Muslim, it is only in Canada that I feel safe as a Muslim. Not in your imaginary Khalistan or in Iran, Turkey, or Pakistan that fuels much of the terrorism and hate around the world out of their consulates and embassies in Europe and North America."