The All India Sikh Students Federation is a Sikh students’ union and political organisation of Sikh youth. Although largely political in its activities, the organisation also seeks to promote the values and heritage of Sikhism. Before the federation came into being, the Sikh youths were organised into “Bhujangi Sabhas” in schools and colleges across the Punjab region that promoted Sikh values, heritage and social service. Under the influence of British Raj, Sikh politicians formed the “Sikh Youngmens’ Association”, whose first president was Bhai Harnam Singh. Although small in size and activity, the association published the “Khalsa Youngmens’ Magazine” and sponsored work on religious and social subjects. Sikh youths were an integral part of Sikh organisations.
The All India Sikh Students Federation is a Sikh students’ union and political organisation of Sikh youth. Although largely political in its activities, the organisation also seeks to promote the values and heritage of Sikhism. Before the federation came into being, the Sikh youths were organised into “Bhujangi Sabhas” in schools and colleges across the Punjab region that promoted Sikh values, heritage and social service. Under the influence of British Raj, Sikh politicians formed the “Sikh Youngmens’ Association”, whose first president was Bhai Harnam Singh. Although small in size and activity, the association published the “Khalsa Youngmens’ Magazine” and sponsored work on religious and social subjects. Sikh youths were an integral part of Sikh organisations.
The All India Sikh Students Federation was formed as a students’ organisation independent and committed to the political representation of Sikhs. The motivation for a distinct organisation for Sikhs came from the heightening communal and political tensions between the Hindu and Muslim communities. In 1937, a large group of Muslim students split from the Hindu-majority All India Students Federation to form the All India Muslim Students Federation, which became the youth arm of the Muslim League and the Pakistan movement.
Seeking to protect Sikh political rights and representation, organisations such as the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee sponsored the creation of the All India Sikh Students Federation in 1944. It was headquartered in Layalpur/Faislabad (now in Pakistan) and its organisation spread across colleges and universities in Punjab and northern India. Following the partition of India in 1947, the organisation moved its headquarters to Amritsar in Indian Punjab. During the communal riots and mass migrations at the time of India’s partition, the AISSF helped organise relief and rehabilitation camps for Hindu and Sikh refugees arriving in India from Pakistan. In independent India, the AISSF became closely linked as the youth arm of the Akali Dal.
The federation would expand its organisation across India and become one of the nation’s leading student political organisations. It would also help build support and lead the Sikh political demand for the establishment of a Sikh-majority state within the Indian union. During Sikh struggle of eighties the federation was wrought by internal divisions and a hard-line faction of Sikh students who supported the insurgency and its leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Following Operation Bluestar in 1984, the federation led agitations to condemn the action of the Indian government and the resulting damage of the Harimandir Sahib and the deaths of civilians.
Sardar Sarup Singh, then a senior law student, was the first president. Its primary object was the promotion among the Sikh youth of the Sikh principles and values and to bring to them a living consciousness of their religious inheritance and political aspirations. The search was for the authentic Sikh personality and to this end all of the conscious energy and formulations were then directed. The Sikh students Federation came into being as such in the forties of the twentieth century. The purpose mainly was to stimulate Sikh thought and ideals among the youth and to counteract the corrosive influence of Muslim Hindu and other groups which were forcing their identity issue rather obstreperously.
The response of the Sikhs lay in energizing their own body-politic. The sphere of its activities widened after partition. Sikh youth camps became the order of the day. Young men and old and tried leaders joined in enthusiastically, committed to carrying them thorough in their training in Sikh lore and scholarly discipline. The series was weighed in with the camp at Paonta Sahib which ranked as historic. Even the senior Sikh politicians of the day considered it a privilege to join and address these camps. The Sikh panth felt the glow of a new life process through these camps and their influence which indeed was widespread and many-sided. The youth took to their work with a new zeal which brought to the panth a completely fresh image of its future and destiny. The camps became very popular and brought a new dimension to Sikh life. Many Sikh from among the older generation came forward. Famous among them was Hukam Singh, jurist and parliamentarian, whose photographs can still be seen bathing in the knee-deep waters of Yamuna.
Hukam Singh was followed by a series of brilliant youth leaders such as Surjit Singh Barnala, Amar Singh Ambalvi, Jaswant Singh Neki, Gurmeet Singh, Satbir Singh, Bhai Harbans Lal, and Santok Singh of Indore. There were many others who had made themselves famous in their respective spheres, like Dr. Manmohan Singh who remained prime minister of India for ten years. In fact, there is hardly a Sikh of any eminence who had not been touched by the Federation and it’s ideology. Another name that became a legend was that of Bhai Amrik Singh (1948-84), Son of Giani Kartar Singh Khalsa , who was elected president on 2 July 1978. He remained its president even during his internment from July 1982 to August 1993 and thereafter until his shahdat during Operation Blue Star in June 1984. This was a glorious period of Sikh youth resurgence and the Sikh youth found themselves profoundly moved. This was a momentous experience for the entire body of the Sikh youth and its impact lasts to this day.
Studies of 1984 scenario, intends to demonstrate that the Sikhs whether living in Punjab, India or overseas are dissatisfied with the policies of the Indian government regarding their politico-religious status in India. Their strong sense of betrayal at the hands of founders of modern India since its beginnings in 1947 has since been reinforced time and again by the injustice they perceive as being meted out to their „targeted‟ community by the central government based in New Delhi and some of its political agents based in Punjab itself. The nationalist Sikh elements strongly feel that they should have not opted to join India in 1947 on the false promise of the establishment of a separate Sikh state in India. In the self-proclaimed pseudo secular country like India large and/or historically prominent religious communities like Muslims, Sikhs and Christians have never felt comfortable due to very active groups of extremist Hindu elements.
The Sikh community of Punjab was deeply caught up in the communal politics of the province in the 1930s and 1940s. In contemporary times most of the states are experiencing challenges brought on by ethnic conflicts on their soil. Quite obviously multi-ethnic societies, especially those who have failed to develop or properly implement structures for post-independence cooperative living are more prone to such internal challenges. As an independent political entity since 1947 India has been the testing-ground for a large number of such claims and movements. Such movements have demanded varying levels of autonomy or even full independence from the controls of the central government in New Delhi.
After 1984 Indian army attack and November carnage of Sikhs in Indian cities and Delhi Sikh youth became the target of Indian state repression. Sikh student federation activists and its leaders became the front line to stand up against the state repression and payed a heavy price. After 1984 Sikh federation split mainly in two fronts one faction mostly it’s leadership barring bhai Amrik Singh sahid surrendered along with alkali leadership in June 1984 and after that a new Sikh federation came into picture who followed the path of defiance like bhai Amrik Singh sahid and lead the Sikh struggle till it’s culmination in early nineties. After wards the remnants of surrendered factions split vertically into several factions and became part and parcel of Badal Akali dal whose earlier leadership surrendered before Indian army and failed miserably to fulfill Sikh and Punjab aspirations. Bhai Amrik Singh sahid federation got decimated by state repression barring few individuals who went on to serve long prison sentences. Now after the total collapse of Badal Akali dal voices have emerged to realign and build up the base of Sikh nursery that is Sikh students federation under one leadership to collectively Stand up against Indian state to fulfill the aspirations of Sikh youth and Punjab issues.
