One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

ONE MAN’S TERRORIST IS ANOTHER MAN’S FREEDOM FIGHTER

Karmjeet Singh

BA History (hons)

Global Politics

ONE MAN TERRORIST IS ANOTHER MAN’S FREEDOM FIGHTER

INTRODUCTION

To the allegations labelled against him by the 1970 government of India. that he was on extremist and separatist. Sant Jarnail Singh explained in his public address in Amritsar, in 1981

“I extort the Sikhs to become ‘amritdhari’ (baptised). I advise them to give up all kinds of intoxicants and narcotics. I tell them not to harm any innocent person. I tell them to follow the path shown by Guru Gobind Singh ji and take revenge from the sinners. In short I advise them to become true Sikh. And similarly I advise every Hindu to become true Hindu, a Muslim a true Muslim If in spite all of this, I am branded on extremist then I am proud to be labelled an extremist.” (Narrang, SS, Khalsa: Saint Soldier, 1999)

Terrorist was first used in 1975 during the French revolution; it was used to describe the government of the time.

Those fighting the terrorist were called revolutionaries the use of the term terrorist was to describe militant groups is a relatively modern development.

Nelson Mandela was branded a terrorist by the apartheid regime of South Africa and improved as such. He walked out of prison 30 years later a hero and now possibly the most revered statesman.

For South Africa it was Nelson Mandela, for the Sikhs it was Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, whom like Nelson Mandela was branded a terrorist by the regime (Indian Government). Where Nelson survived, Bhindranwale in the eyes of many Sikhs took martyrdom.

This essay will attempt to answers the Question. “One man terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”

Laying emphasis on Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was a freedom fighter for his people but to the Govt. he was a terrorist.

Is it the act or the nature of the perpetrator that defines terrorism? If there are oppression of one group by another what boundaries, can there be in fighting such oppression?

SANT JARNAIL SINGH KHLASA BHINDRAWALA

Bhindernwala’s cognitive mindset is one of the most difficult in Sikh history to understand. The incredible amount of propaganda aimed against him by the Indian Government and media have made it almost impossible to look at his life and words without bias.

Born in 1947 at the time of Indian Independence, he studied up to 5th grade in a government school, he then went onto guru Teg Bahader Khalsa high School, giving up scholastic studies because of his immense leaning’s towards religion engaging himself in meditation and farming.

Later he was admitted to Dam Dami Taksal, here he was initiated and administered Amrit (baptised). He married at the age of 19 to Bibi Pritam Kaur, In 1977 Bhindranwala was nominated ‘Jathedar’ (leader) of Taksal, after the existing head had met a fatal accident.

The Khalsa is the collective name given to baptised Sikhs, The Khalsa is like a finely tuned instrument. All that it requires is someone to hold his finger on the right hole. In the late seventies and early eighties it was Sant Jarnail Singh (Khalsa) Bhindranwale.

Sant Jarnail Singh’s message to Sikhs was simple. “Follow your faith as you are supposed to”. To him following the path of righteousness was a commitment that should never be broken whatever negatives he may have had or extreme beliefs, he never hid those from anyone. He was never perceived as a hypocrite that’s why people were drawn to him.

When Sant Jarnail Singh felt that the Arya Smaji’s and the RSS were plotting to assimilate Sikhism by following manifold devices, he waged a relentless war against this drive and cautioned the Sikhs of the impending danger in the constitution of India the Hindus have already incorporated article 25(a/b) which has named the Sikhs as second class Hindus, so the campaign launched by Sant Jarnail Singh to save Sikhism was justified by all means.

For this reason the Hindus dubbed him as anti-national. Not only was that he labelled anti-national, extremist, secessionist and a disruptionist.

The ...

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For this reason the Hindus dubbed him as anti-national. Not only was that he labelled anti-national, extremist, secessionist and a disruptionist.

The Muslims including the Mughlas and the Christians like the British ruled India from the 13Th Century AD to 1947AD. They were foreigners, Indo-Aryans, who had invaded the India subcontinent in the middle of the second millennium BC and therefore established their rule here, were also foreigners. The present day Hindu rulers are the remote descendants of those Indo-Aryans. They made India their homeland and so did the Muslims. The Christians were the exception.

The Sikh fought against the Mughals and other Muslim rulers of India but the Mughals never attacked the Harmandir Sahib (The Golden Temple). The British too did not hurt the religious feelings though they fought three wars with the Sikh rulers of Punjab.

Strangely it is the Hindu rulers who claim that the Sikhs are their integral part and yet they have invaded Harmandir Sahib by sending armed forces equipped with the main battle tanks and heavy field guns and vengefully destroyed the Akal Takht, The Holy Shrine of the Sikhs.

Sant Jarnail Singh and his companions went down in a hail of gunfire at the Akal Takht, Harmandir Sahib. It became the militant movement for Khalistan. The history of the ten Gurus and the development of Sikhism during the Guru’s periods provide the ideology base for Khalistan activism for scenes of events, which took place. The 1970’s pushed a section of the Sikh community to a position of readiness for militancy.

In justifying its attack on Sikh places of worship, the Indian government declared

“Sant Jarnail Singh and others operating directly from the Golden Temple Complex began to extort and instigate violence”. (Singh, GK, Operation Blue Star, 1990)

The Indian Government stated,

“Bhindranwala and his followers were attacking conscientious police officers who were doing their duty of enforcing the law.” (Dr Dharam, SS, Internal and External threats to Sikhism, 1986)

And that

“Bhindranwala had advocated the killing of Hindus in Punjab. The army action that followed was described as operations taken to remove terrorist, criminals and their weapons from sacred places of worship” (Dr Dharam, SS, Internal and External threats to Sikhism, 1986)

Bhindranwala and his followers were described as, “A group of fanatic and terrorist whose instruments for achieving whatsoever they may have in view are murder arson and loot.” (Singh, GK, Operation Blue Star, 1990)

The Indian government had several allegations against Sant Jarnail Singh, which inevitably labelled him a terrorist. The allegations themselves can be justified, yet the government ignored reasoning even though evidence was proved them incorrect.

The 7 main allegations were

1. Initiation of violence.

2. Attack on conscientious police officers.

3. Keeping hit lists.

4. Hating and killing Hindus.

5. Advocating political separatism.

6. Getting support from external sources.

7. Proclaiming weapons for looting.

Bhindranwala’s confrontations with the Nirankari’s (Nirankari’s were a Sikh sect created by the RSS, in an attempt to split Sikhism) began in the 13 April 1978, Many of Bhindranwala’s conflicts were misreported by Punjab Police. Bhindranwala repeatedly declared that he would never initial a dispute or a confrontation.

However he ascertained “that if someone attacks a Sikh, he should get a proper response. We should never be the first to attack, if we attack first then too we are spoilt Sikhs”. (Singh, GK, Operation Blue Star, 1990)

Oppression against devout Sikhs escalated during 1982 and 1983 Sikhs from villages flocked to see Sant Jarnail Singh seeking redress.

At the time of Bhindranwala’s right hand man, Amrik Singh’s arrest, Puran Singh Hundal, his lawyer went to the judge. He petitioned the judge and after submitting the petition came and met the police officers. He said to the officers “Here is his petition to the judge and the judge’s signature; the lawyer can stay with the accused.” The officers at the police station told him: “we do not know the judge. Here we are the judges.”

The lawyer went back to the judge and told him: “Sir, here is your signature. These are your orders and the officers said they do not know the judge and that they are the judges.” The judge folded his hands and said that this was not in his power. Where will you go? When there is no respect for the judge and the police the police officers say he’s everything, then there is the instruction “ with your own hands take care of your business.” (Singh Kushwant, History Of Sikhs, 1999)

Bhindranwala publicly identified some of the most notorious culprits in the police force some of these officials were eventually killed, by surviving relatives of their victims.

The government and the news media immediately held Bhindranwala responsible for ‘death of conscientious police officers’ without any evidence connected with these incidents in any direct manner.

It is said that the Bhindranwala kept a hit list of people who disagreed with him and organised their murder.

Bhindranwala said “if from this stage, I say something, naming someone they say Bhindranwala has given out the name of such person, now this name has come on the list” (KH Human Rights Group, Oppression In Punjab, 1986)

Indira Ghandi claimed that this list is in existence. This caused upset to Bhindranwala, he challenged Indira Ghandi “Upon my life and upon my breathe, let her prove where did I get the paper for that hit list, where did I get the pen, the ink and the ink pot.” If this is proved, I shall cut off my head and place it before the congregation. If there is no proof and she has the same honour, dignity and some little decency. She should resign as prime minister and come before the public in the streets” (Singh, GK, Operation Blue Star, 1990)

Bhindranwala was blamed for advocating the killings of Hindus in Punjab, “random killing of persons belonging to a particular community aimed at creating terror” (Jaijee, I S, Politics of Genocide, 1999) and for carrying on a campaign to create bitterness and hatred between Sikhs and Hindus.

Bhindranwala in response said, “The government is trying very hard to start Hindu-Sikh riots. Avoid this along as you can. However, if the Hindus get into the government’s vote and start to dishonour the daughters and sisters of the Sikh and to take off the Sikhs turbans, then in order to save our turbans, we shall take what steps the Khalsa, following the path shown by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. We should only adopt those methods when forced to. We shall not resort to those as our own. We have to be peaceful” (Singh, GK, Operation Blue Star, 1990)

Once again the government blamed Bhindranwala indoctrinating an ideology of separatism in militant terms of ‘Gurmat Camps’ Bhindranwala had no interest in gaining or separate state, may have reached conclusions form one of his speeches where he states

“ It is argued all this would end when shackles of slavery are broken” (Singh, GK, Operation Blue Star, 1990) people may have interpreted this into the desire to achieve a sovereign state.

The Gurmat camps were never organised by Bhindranwala. The only time he spoke at them was those held within the Golden Temple complex. As he asserted, that the Sikh religion had and identity of its own and was not a sect within Hinduism, to imply political separatism and demanded for an independent state is illogical and perhaps mysterious propaganda by government and extremist Hindus.

Bhindranwala receiving covert support from external sources raising the spectre of ‘the foreign hand’ was Indira Ghandi’s favourite ploy and it was eagerly accepted by the Indian public which, has always been suspicious of colonial powers.

Bhindranwala responded to an accusation made by Ghandi with “if you know that persons from Pakistan came here to see me you have such large a CID, why are those persons not arrested on their way? Then they return from here. Why they are not apprehended at that time? If you must be in league with them and they must be coming, getting out and returning with your permission” (Singh Kushwant, History Of Sikhs, 1999)

Weapons are apart of daily life for a Sikh., a quote from Guru Gobind Singh’s (the 10th Sikh Master’) Autobiography states: “without weapons and hair a men is but a sheep. Held by the ear, he can be taken anywhere” (Guru Gobind Singh, Dasam Granth, 1701)

“Listen my beloved Sikhs this is my command; without weapons and hair, do not come to my presence” (Guru Gobind Singh, Dasam Granth, 1701)

These proclaimed allegations, were what sent the Sikh community in uproar in the Punjab and outside. Those were the government’s reasons for attack the Golden Temple.

The government had claimed that a group of terrorists whose official number was from 40 before the attack to about 450 in succeeding months was operating in Punjab in particular the complex of Golden Temple.

In the history of mankind, wherever a corrupt and degenerate society has felt threatened by moral and social revival, the powers of the day have branded them criminals and so justified their elimination and brutal subjugation of their associates and disciples.

These messengers of peace and brotherhood were killed, not because they had committed any crime but because they did not toe the line of the rulers of the time. These people were inconvenient because of their popularity and influence with the people.

Sant Jarnail Singh’s martyrdom represents yet another addition to this illustrious list., he was a religious preacher without interest in politics. His mission was to propagate the basic principles of Sikh religion. He emphasised a life of prayer and saintliness and himself set an example for other Sikhs.

He advised Sikhs to poses weapons and to be ready to lay down lives, if necessary in the interest of ensuring justice and protection of the defenceless and the weak in the line, with the teachings of the Gurus.

Bhindranwala’s message was simple, to follow your religion, but follow it fully. His struggle against oppression had him labelled a terrorist. Then it is only evident to say that any individual who stands against oppression is a terrorist. This seems to be the way the Indian government categorized terrorists.

The Sikh national Anthem, emphases militancy as well as inspiration at the time of need, written by the Guru Gobind Singh (Tenth Sikh Master)

“Lord, these boons of these I ask, let me never shun a righteous task, let me be fearless when I go to battle, give me faith that victory will be mine and when comes the time to end my life, Let me fall in mighty strife.” (Guru Gobind Singh, Dasam Granth, 1701)

CONCLUSION

This essay has attempted to answer the question set, “One’s man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”.

It has been evident through out, that when looking from the Indian Government’s or Indira Gandhi’s point of view, Bhindranwala was a terrorist, but if you flip the coin and look at Bhindranwale from the Sikhs eyes, he was a leader, some one to look up to, and some one who set the way, then yes it is true to say that one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.

In December 1983 a senior officer in Chandigarh confessed,

“It’s really shocking that we have so little against him while; we keep blaming him for all sorts of things”. The fact is that when the Government was in the process of training army units in the planned invasion of Golden Temple, the only charges against Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale were that his speeches were objectionable” (General Vadhia, Laskara TV, 1983)

Nothing has been produced to suggest that Bhindranwale did anything expect up for the rights of Sikhs, because after 17 years the truth has come out and history has acquitted him of wrong doing.

To this day to government is still engaged in a massive propaganda campaign to besmirch Sant Bhindranwala’s noble contributions to the Khalsa, the crux of which were to spread the teachings of the Guru through Amrit and to rid the youth of their insidious addictions to alcohol and drugs.

Yet despite the efforts of government there have never been produced any evidence of testimonials from credible sources/witnesses that the Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala engaged in unrighteous acts.