By: Information Dept.
Babbar Khalsa (Birmingham office) Sikh politics is historically oriented. Our history has imbued us with the unique present liberation struggle. We, the members of Babbar Khalsa, pay our obeisance to the Khalsa Panth and wish to share our beliefs, our position, our experiences, on origins and expectations with the people of United States of America on the sacred occasion of 296th birth day of Khalsa.
Two hundred ninety six years ago Guru Gobind Singh had, in founding the Khalsa Panth given the final shape to the great civilization mission initiated by Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh represented the ideal of the warrior saint, who saw in the unfearing fight for righteousness the highest duty of life. To this day of inauguration of the Khalsa Panth goes back the mandatory requirement that every Sikh must rededicate himself to that mission through the prescribed baptismal ceremony, by partaking the holy pabul- the sacrament of initiation. The baptismal ceremony renews the intrinsic pledge of being a Sikh to lay down the head, if required, for the sake of the mission of life the fulfillment of the civilization destiny of the Sikh. The heroic tradition of the Khalsa Panth presents innumerable examples of how true Sikhs honored this pledge in the spirit of undaunted courage, offering their head for the noose rather than lowering it to the hangman who required them to respite from the spiritual basis of their existence to be spared with their moral lives.
The hierarchy of Guru’s in Sikhism had come to an end with Gobind Singh, who after creating Khalsa in April 1699 had proclaimed that the Sikh Church and not at living Guru would thereafter be the source of spiritual and secular guidance to the community. The Nirankari sect, as it began to revolve around living Guru claiming to be equal to Nanak in spiritual status, offended this basic tenet of orthodox Sikhism. The followers of the sect placed the sandals supposedly worn by its founder on the altar alongside the Holy book of Sikhs. Most Sikh’s resented this practice and considered it as being a deliberate blasphemy. Although the influence of the sect dwindled after the rise of the Singh Sabha,’ it continued to enjoy a considerable following among prosperous Hindus and very small number of Sikhs in Towns. The Nirankari sect. began to publish literature containing derogatory remarks towards orthodox linnets of the Sikh faith and even toward the tenth Guru.
The Hindu Indian State followed the policy to encourage the sects that Anunted the Sikh appearance but noted their fundamental beliefs to crode and ultimately eliminate the Sikh religious identity. Those sects were encouraged to set up false gurudorn, which Sikhism disallows, and to the followers by exploiting the human weakness for personalized relationship to God’s liaison men. This trend of corruption in Sikhism came into a clash with the true Sikh faith, and ensued virulently through the incident of April 13. 1978 on Vaisakhi day
Bhai Fauja Singh launched the movement in 1977 to light against the pernicious influences, which the Hindu and heterodox Sikh religious sects like the Nirankaris etc. were having on the Khalsa Sikh society. It was Bhai Fauja Singh who inculcated the strong conviction in the group of young Sikhs around him that the Sikhs would not for long be able to retain their religious distinctness unless they achieved Sovereign Sikh state, that is in indignant minority of less than two percent of India’s people, they would have to received struggle to attain this objective.
Nirankaris were instigated to organize their congregation at Amritsar. They had known it that the Sikh who resented their heretical practices and derogatory comments against the Gun would protest April 13. 1978 was the occasion of Vaisakhi the most important day in the Sikh religious calendar as the birth day of the Khalsa Bhai soia Singh, with his experience of organizing political programs, was asked to lead the procession, The groups of protestors that left the Golden Temple for the venue of the convention comprised roughly 150 persons. When the Sikh went to oppose the blasphemous gathering the Nirankaris opened lire. Bhai Fauja Singh, as is well known became a martyr along with his 12 close associates. The Akali government became an accomplice to the murder of the faithful. Bhindrawale announced on oath to take revenge.
Nirankans hoped to overawe the Sikhs with the help of the Central government. The government instead of purishing the killers, supported them Nirankaris repeated their blasphemous conventions at Kanpur and Delhi and government encouraged them to meet the Sikh protest with the force of arms. The trial of the Killers of Sikhs at Amritsar was manipulated, transfer of the case to a court in Haryana flouted the principle or independent jurisdiction of the State in criminal matters. The court predictably acquitted the killers, Punjab government, which had refuse come under the Congress Party, High challenge the acquittal in the High Court. The episode compelled the sikhs to the conclusion that they could not expect justice in Hindu India that wished to wipe out their independent religious identity that this premise is not the prodden Pranoid sensitivity would be evident to all students of indian history. Budhism had its origin in India and was until the ninth century the predominant religion in the whole Asia. Under the resurgence of Hinduism in has almost totally disappeared from the land of its origin.
space constraints this article to or continued next week…
Article extracted from this publication >> April 14, 1995
