As of late, worries about public safety and instances of prejudice against India’s Sikh community under BJP’s Hindutva ideology have casted a pall over this once thriving and vibrant ethnic minority. Sikhs in India have experienced prejudice in a variety of ways, including having less access to basic services, opportunities for education and employment, and political representation. The Sikh community has experienced social and economic marginalization as a result of this prejudice, and is frequently being treated as second-class citizens. Violence against Sikhs has occurred both in India and overseas, which highlights the constant battle they are engaged in for equality and safety.
The anti-Sikh riots of 1984 are one of the most devastating episodes in the history of Sikh community’s existence in India. Following the death of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, there occurred a terrible outbreak of violent riots against the Sikh community. These horrific assaults, which were planned by Hindu extremists, resulted in a significant loss of life and property among Sikhs. This tragic time left the Sikh community with permanent scars and serves as a sharp reminder of the pervasive hostility they have experienced.
Physical assaults, gang violence, arson, and the desecration of Gurdwaras, the Sikhs’ places of worship, have been openly perpetrated in India. These assaults, motivated by religious intolerance and a desire to demonstrate Hindu dominance, have made the Indian Sikh community stand up for its due rights. Resultantly, Sikh separatists in India have demanded their separate homeland “Khalistan” which means “the land of pure”. It is an ethnoreligious liberation movement that gained strength during the 1970s and 80s. The Khalistan movement is considered a security threat to India and has been a major reason for pushing the Indian government to commit massacre of the Sikh community over past few decades for multiple times.
Seeing an uprising from within Sikh community, Avtar Singh Khanda, a key figure in the Khalistan cause, was poisoned to death in Birmingham, UK, in June. Khanda had participated actively in protests, including one where the Indian national flag was lowered and the flag of Khalistan was raised. Concerns have been expressed regarding the safety of Sikh activists as a result of the circumstances of his death, which point to foul play by the BJP government. Most recently, according to BBC, Canada has accused India of being linked to the murder of a Sikh leader- Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil, fuelling a significant rift between the two countries.
The world has taken notice of the maltreatment of Sikhs in India and has denounced these violent and discriminatory activities by the extremist BJP government. International groups have advocated for justice for the victims of the continued discrimination and violence against Sikhs in India and have drawn attention to the need to resolve these issues.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has repeatedly voiced its concerns over occurrences involving the Sikh community and breaches of religious freedom in India. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports, Sikhs and other religious minorities in India have been the victims of violence. They have drawn attention to how India’s Modi-led government has failed to appropriately safeguard Sikh places of worship and individuals. According to Amnesty International, there have been cases of police brutality, extrajudicial executions of Sikh activists, and harassment of Sikhs by Indian state officials.
Along with other regional and ethnic minorities, India’s Sikh community has remained the target of religious and ethnic violence, and the United Nations has repeatedly asked India to stop it and maintain the ideals of justice, equality, and non-discrimination. The situation of Sikhs in India under Modi’s Hindutva government serves as a stark reminder of the necessity for ongoing work to guarantee their safety and equality, both within the country and internationally.
