Unveiling India's Deep Concerns Over Calls for Khalistan: What You Need to Know

On June 23, 1985, tragedy struck as a bomb detonated in the cargo hold of Air India flight 182, which was en route from Montreal to New Delhi. The explosion occurred off the coast of Ireland, claiming the lives of all 329 individuals aboard the aircraft.

The individuals implicated and prosecuted for this heinous act were Indian-born Sikh Canadians. According to the prosecution, they were suspected of being radical separatists who sought vengeance for the Indian army's violent raid on the Golden Temple in Punjab state the previous year. Out of those accused, only one was convicted while two were acquitted in 2005. In 2016, Canada released the sole individual who had been found guilty of orchestrating the bombing.

Almost forty years later, the terrorist attack, which remains the most devastating in Canadian history, and the broader history of Sikh separatism abroad, have come back into the global spotlight following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claim that the Indian government may have had involvement in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil in June.

Prior to this incident, New Delhi had labeled Nijjar, a Canadian citizen of Indian origin, as a terrorist and accused him of leading a banned militant organization aimed at radicalizing the Sikh community worldwide to support the creation of Khalistan, a separate Sikh homeland encompassing parts of India.

Nijjar's followers dismissed the accusation of terrorism, claiming that it was aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the Sikh leader. He was well-known for advocating Khalistan and speaking up against the alleged human rights violations committed by the Indian government.

Trudeau's assertion of assassination has further strained relations with New Delhi, prompting them to vehemently deny the allegation and undertake a series of diplomatic actions to express their dissatisfaction with Canada.

The deteriorating relations between the two nations, which are crucial allies of the United States, have rapidly worsened and there are no indications of either side relenting. The current query being raised is why has an issue that had been mostly inactive in recent times suddenly resurfaced with such intensity?

Irish naval authorities bring ashore debris from an Air India Boeing 747 in Cork, Ireland, following the bombingof the aircraft on June 23, 1985.

Andre Durand/AFP/Getty Images/File

Stuck in the past?

Sikhism, a monotheistic religion, originated in the Punjab region during the 15th century under the leadership of Guru Nanak. He was a Hindu by birth but advocated for religious freedom, community service, and inclusivity. Following India's independence in 1947, demands for the establishment of Khalistan became more pronounced. The British, upon their departure, divided the country into two parts through the Partition, resulting in the division of Punjab, which was once the stronghold of a mighty Sikh empire.

Muslims were allocated to go to the recently established Pakistan, whereas Hindus and Sikhs were assigned to independent India. Despite Sikhs being the majority in Punjab, they constitute less than 2% of India's whopping population of 1.4 billion today.

A nurse with two child victims of communal violence in Amritsar, Punjab, during the Partition of British India in 1947.

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Some members of the Sikh community experienced dissatisfaction in the newly formed Hindu-majority nation, leading to a demand for increased political and cultural independence. This resulted in violent confrontations between Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus, prompting Sikh leaders to advocate for the establishment of a separate homeland. These calls generated additional conflicts between the separatists and the Indian government, resulting in numerous casualties.

Despite the lack of active insurgency in Punjab for nearly three decades, a 2021 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center revealed that 95% of Sikhs expressed a strong sense of pride in being Indian, with 70% agreeing that those who disrespect India cannot be considered Sikhs. However, security officials in the region have recently raised concerns about a resurgence of separatist sentiments following sporadic acts of violence, bombings, and targeted assassinations of Hindu religious leaders. Amandeep Sandhu, the author of Panjab: Journeys Through Fault Lines, acknowledges that while the term "Khalistan" is largely seen as a scare tactic in India, there is an underlying sentiment of injustice among Sikhs and in Punjab.

Earlier this year, police conducted an extensive manhunt for Amritpal Singh, a Sikh separatist who renewed the call for an independent homeland. His statements regarding social issues and the protection of Sikh religious rights against India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) resonated with certain individuals in the state.

Singh faced accusations of attempted murder, obstruction of law enforcement, and causing societal "disharmony." As a result, he went into hiding to evade authorities, while hundreds of his supporters marched through Punjab's streets, rallying for his release. After more than a month on the run, he was apprehended in April.

Amritpal Singh leaves the Golden Temple along with his supporters, in Amritsar, India, March 3, 2023.

Last week, Indias anti-terror agency conducted raids in seven Indian states and union territories, in relation to alleged Khalistan violence. In addition, a reward was offered for information that could lead to the capture of five individuals accused of "spreading terror" in Punjab.

Memories of a painful insurgency

Prime Minister Modi and the ruling BJP have long maintained that Canadas inaction toward extremism within the sizable Sikh diaspora poses a national security threat to India.

Modi has not publicly addressed the escalating dispute with Ottawa. Indian authorities have labeled Canada as a "safe haven for terrorists," prompting New Delhi to suspend visas for Canadian citizens due to alleged "security threats" against diplomats in the country. Concurrently, certain Sikh supporters of Khalistan have made remarks that are seen as anti-national and menacing towards India and its government.

According to Suhasini Haidar, diplomatic affairs editor at The Hindu newspaper in New Delhi, India has long accused Canada of harboring individuals involved in the violence in India, specifically Sikh separatists involved in the Air India bombing. Haidar also mentioned that India has consistently claimed that Canadian authorities have been slow in addressing extradition requests. The Air India bombing occurred during a heightened period of conflict between the Indian state and Khalistani militants.

The decade-long Khalistan insurgency in the 1970s and 80s witnessed the brutal execution of innocent civilians, relentless bombings, and targeted assaults on Hindus. Simultaneously, during counterinsurgency operations, Indian security forces faced severe allegations regarding numerous human rights violations.

The first photos of the damaged Akal Takhat after the army stormed the sikh Golden Temple complex in Amritsar on June 9, 1984.

Sondeep Shankar/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In 1984, the insurgency reached its height when the Prime Minister at that time, Indira Gandhi, gave the order to Indian troops to forcefully enter the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which is considered the sacred temple of Sikhism. The objective was to remove a Sikh militant and his followers who were hiding within the temple complex. This military operation resulted in substantial damage to the temple and caused the death of numerous individuals, leading to an outpouring of anger from the Sikh community. Several months later, Gandhi herself was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards as an act of retribution.

Harsh Pant, the vice-president of the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi think tank, highlighted that Sikh extremism had previously played a significant role in shaping India's national security concerns before the emergence of extremism in the West. Consequently, the Indian government approaches its national security agenda with a certain level of sensitivity.

Following the assassination of Gandhi, violent riots erupted, resulting in the deaths of approximately 3,000 people, predominantly Sikhs. These tragic events marked one of the most severe instances of communal violence since the partition of India.

A disconnect with the diaspora

In the aftermath of Gandhi's assassination, support for Khalistan waned in India, leaving behind indelible and distressing memories for the Sikh community residing there. Many Sikhs, afraid of reprisal from authorities and due to the delicate nature of the matter, hesitated to share their thoughts with CNN.

Those events still deeply affect the Sikh diaspora living in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Many members of this community affirm that they are still actively pursuing reconciliation for the human rights violations that were inflicted upon them.

On September 25, 2023, demonstrators gather outside the Indian consulate in Toronto to protest against the suspected role of the Indian government in the death of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Several Sikh organizations based overseas refute the Indian government's claims of equating the Khalistan movement with terrorism. They assert that they will persist in advocating for the peaceful establishment of a distinct homeland.

According to analysts, those who pursue the Khalistan cause through violent means constitute a small number within Punjab. "The Indian communities have largely disassociated themselves from the notion of Khalistan," explained Pant, the analyst.

The Indian government's national security establishment asserts that the responsibility for addressing this matter at home has lessened, shifting more onto our partners in the UK, Australia, and Canada to find the optimal resolution. Consequently, Nijjar's death has become a poignant representation of the widening detachment between members of the Sikh diaspora and the Modi administration.

Following the fatal attack on Nijjar, where he was shot by two unidentified assailants while sitting in his van outside a Sikh temple, numerous Sikhs in Canada implored officials to thoroughly investigate his murder, asserting that political motivations were behind the heinous act.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media outside his office in Ottawa on September 25, 2023.

Blair Gable/Reuters

Trudeau's statement received a warm reception from certain members of the diaspora.

"The Sikh community is firmly supporting Trudeau's remarks and is calling for tangible measures to be taken," stated Jasveer Singh, a senior press officer at the Sikh Press Association, who is based in Britain.

"There is a sense that Sikhs are incapable of being free [in India]," he added. "Theres a lot of depth to this issue."