Between 17101752 many of the Sikhs were captured and killed during the governorships of Zakrai Khank, Yahia Khan and Mir Manoo. About a Thousand of men, women and children were captured from villages and carried to Lahore, They were paraded through the bazars of Lahore and then taken to the Nakkas the horse market, outside the Delhi gate, There they were cut limb by limb, flayed alive, or broken on the wheels. Throughout this period, not one Sikh abjured his faith or perjured his soul to preserve his physical body.
To differentiate Sikhs from Hindus the latter were ordered to shave off their heads and maintain just a plait so that it could be easy to recognize Sikhs and kill them. It was a blood stained century when Sikhs were hunted like wild animals and butchered most mercilessly employing about 70 different forms of torture to make them give up their faith. The intention being to eliminate Sikh religion. Between the years 1735 to 1756 Sikhs were driven out of the plains of Punjab and a large number of them had to seek shelter in the far off hills and forests.
Some people are allergic to Sikh militancy they know little that is perhaps the only religion in the world that has so many martyrs, the executions of fifth and ninth Gurus were the height of peaceful resistance, after that Sikhs were forced to resort to militancy to defend their faith. In spite of relentless persecution by the local rulers they proudly defended their faith and always fought against overwhelming odds but never abjured their religion. The soil of Punjab enriched by the blood of its martyrs shall ever remain holy land for Sikhs.
One of the greatest persecutors of Sikhs was Mir Manoo, governor of Lahore.
Provided by: Bhai T.S. Sandhu, Fremont.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 2, 1993
