Out of 2175 Indian martyrs for freedom, 1557, or 75% were Sikhs. Out of 2646 Indians sent to the Andaman’s for life imprisonment 2147, or 80% were Sikhs. Out of 127 Indians who were hanged 92 or 80% were Sikhs. Out of 20000 who joined the Indian National Army under Subhash Bose, 12000, or 60% were Sikhs. And the Sikhs comprise only two per cent of India’s total population. Clearly the Sikhs, and for that matter Punjabis generally, do not require a certificate for patriotism from the rest of India. Rajinder Puri in “Rediscovery of India.”
Article extracted from this publication >> August 28, 1996
