John: I have heard that Sikhs were made certain promises. What about that?
Iqbal Singh: That the Sikhs will have a special place in the constitution of India should they wish to join them. So this promise was given in writing in 1929 by no other person than Gandhi.
John: Now in other words the Sikhs weren’t asking for something from someone say give me something that someone else owns the Sikhs actually had their own country and all they were asking for is the Indian government legitimize it and make absolutely sure that they kept their rights. Is that correct?
IS; Yes, thats right.
John: Did the Sikhs work within the Indian government in other words did they hold offices, did they serve within the military etc. I know they only are one percent of total of the population.
IS.: Yes, the hardcore of the Indian forces is something remarkable by the time of the second world war the Sikhs enrollment in the British Indian army were 30 percent and the British also took the Sikhs in police and para military into 23 of their colonies so Sikhs enjoyed a tremendous reputation as an excellent soldier and policeman and of course Sikhs also on the other side when they were fighting against the British seeking independence as part of the Indian freedom movement their contribution is all time high while they are only one percent population. The number that was arrested, and the number that was sent to life imprisonment, and the number of people that were hanged was always above 70 percent.
The point I am making is that on the one hand Hindus and Muslims are constituting the 85%90% of the total population. Barely 410 percent contributed 810%. While Sikhs being two percent contributed anything over 70% towards freedom movement.
Sikhs feel very hurt today. They contributed the most to achieve the freedom but they were reduced to 1% by being persecuted,
John: The Sikhs are very marvelous soldiers and they serve the country very wellin the World War 11, did not many Sikhs rebel and join the Indian Army?
- Yes thats an excellent point you raised what happened was that when some of the atrocities committed by the British. The Brigadier General Dyre opened fire on an unarmed group killing 1,500 Indians and about 1300. Out of them were Sikhs. All of them were killed on the spot by machine gun fire. The Sikhs were repulsed by them and they also began to join them in the freedom movement. As a result of this and due to radical leader Subhash Chander Bose many Sikhs deserted the British Army. They were practically the prisoners of war with Japanese and Subhash Chander with the help of Japanese was able to convert them into Indian National Army and Sikhs joined in large numbers.
John: In 1960 the Akali Dal which is a political party of Sikhs launched a campaign for a Punjabi speaking state and in 1969 an Akali leader Jagjit Singh Chohan demanded an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan. What about that?
I.S.: Before commenting on situation 1961 let me go to 1947 when India became independent. It was divided into Pakistan and India. The Sikhs had the option to join India as today or Pakistan Sikhs joined India on the basis of promises. Of course Jawaharlal Nehru said that constitutional rights of Sikhs will be restored and ensured in the constitution. But soon after India became independent these were left out of the constitution.
In fact in 1950 when the founding fathers of the Indian Constitution signed the Indian Constitution the Sikh member of the Akali Dal who were representatives of the constitution of the akali Dal did not sign the basic Constitution. When in 1951 India was being reorganized on the basis of language the Sikhs did not get their state on the basis of Punjabi language, which is the mother tongue of Sikhs in Punjabi. This constitutes unfair deal by late 1960 Jagjit Singh Chohan a member of the legislative Assembly who now resides in London moved. the idea that Sikhs must have an independent homeland because the Sikhs are not getting fair deal because promises are not being kept mainly by the Indian government and their leaders. That was the beginning of the movement.
John: What happened in peaceful protest in 1983, The Sikhs had finally decided that Indian government is not going to keep their promises and everything Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi said was not coming through they decided to go with non-violent demonstration and paralyze the government machinery. What happened?
IS.: Yes, between 1971 and 1983 quarter million Sikhs courted peaceful arrests. A batch of 500 Sikhs used to go to court peaceful arrest every day. The government would take them in buses 50 miles away from their homes and leave them on the road side. This continued Sikhs got frustrated. By this time the Sikh quote in the army was drastically reduced. Remember Sikhs were 25 to 30 percent in the army at the time of British which was reduced to 10 to 11 percent. River water of their state was diverted to the adjoining state. Sikhs were producing 30% of India’s farm produce 70 to 80 percent of the food surplus. Then of course there were other persecutions, They were not getting their language properly recognized and the capital surplus created by the Sikh farmers was being invested in other states. Also Sikhs were not allowed to set up industry in Punjab on the plea that it is border state and Pakistan may destroy it. On that analogy there is no industry in Punjab whatsoever be. Sikhs were really very much frustrated and they were asking what they called Anandpur Sahib resolution. A resolution which was passed in the city of Anandpur a historic city for Sikhs. That basically sought autonomy something like a state as in states of U.S. like Ohio or Towa. Where you have your own constitution, your own elected governor. Defense, Foreign Affairs, Highways, currency are controlled by federal government. It was essentially this what Sikhs wanted. It is when the trouble started. The Indian government insists that Sikhs are trying to break up India. Whereas Sikhs were simply asking for a status of a state of federal nature,
John: In your religion Golden Temple is in Amritsar. What happened there in May 1984.
1S.: In May 1984 Indian Armed Forces, Parliamentary forces, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police had surrounded the temple in thousands and on 4th and Sth of June they launched an attack to what they claim to clear unwanted element in the Golden Temple. Of course the Sikhs have the tradition of defending the Golden Temple, They defended against the Mogals and others whosoever had attacked it during the last: 400500 years and have gone down fighting. I am sure any Christian worth will defend his faith.
To Be Continued
Article extracted from this publication >> June 16, 1989
