Sukhmeet Grewal: Hindutva Extremists' Anti-Sikh Hate & Sikhphobia In Australia Meets Resistance
"[Local Sikhs] suggest Australia could see more Hindutva-based violence similar to what is already happening in India under the Modi Hindu Nationalist government."
Sukhmeet Grewal
February 15, 2023 | 4 min. read | Original Reporting
The Khalistan Referendum in Melbourne, held on January 29, 2023, saw large numbers participate, with some estimates suggesting over 50,000 voters took part.
The day went without incident until approximately 20 pro-Indian protestors antagonized and hurled obscenities at attendees in an attempt to disturb the peace, as described by eyewitnesses.
The group was quickly dispersed by organizers. However, the incident was used by Indian media outlets to target Sikhs, labelling their actions as unprovoked violence. Local Australian media were not as quick to pick up the coverage.
In the week following the referendum vote, a prominent private Indian diasporic Facebook page, well known by locals for its anti-Sikh and Islamaphobic commentary, featured a post which called for the boycott of over 30 different businesses in Melbourne.
The post on the page labelled these businesses are ‘Khalistani’. However, it did not explain how they came to that conclusion. It appears from a review of the list and business targetted that they are owned by Punjabis.
In a conversation with SBS Punjabi, Gurpreet Singh, owner of Singh Sweets and Punjabi Restaurant, shared that, since the post, his business has been the victim of fake reviews and abusive phone calls.
Whereas this facebook group has continued to feature a slew of posts with taglines along the lines of “no Khalistanis”, other Hindu Nationalists have taken to a more disturbing levels of anti-Sikh rhetoric.
Several Twitter accounts have been engaging in attempted doxxing by posting photos of individuals who attended the Referendum and attempting to uncover identifiable information about them, including children.
The Australian Hindu Association, a group started by Sydney Barrister Amendra K Singh, recently created a petition that targets Sikhs wearing Kirpans and calls for legislation that would put severe limits on the types of Kirpans Sikhs could wear.
Even though the petition has no official standing in any legislative body of the State or Federal governments, the fact that it has been shared across the spectrum of anti-Sikh channels, and signed by over 10,000 netizens, has alarmed Sikhs of growing anti-Sikh or Sikhphobic activity from Hindutva extremists.
The petition makes claims of alleged violence committed but offers no sources and makes several derogratory and defamatory remarks regarding Sikhs and Khalistan.
Baaz reached out to Amendra Singh’s law firm for a comment, but no response was received at the time of publication.
Other Hindutva groups within Melbourne also passed along a handwritten list of demands to Claire O’Neill, the Federal Minister for Home Affairs.
Among these demands was a call to ban carrying weapons for Sikhs, the deportation of “every Nihang on a temporary visa”, and to “de-radicalise Sikh Religious places”.
While some have commented on the unprofessional and grammatically incorrect nature of hte document, Sikhs do not believe it is a laughing matter, as many suggest Australia could see more Hindutva-based violence similar to what is already happening in India under the Modi Hindu Nationalist government.
In a joint press release signed by 24 major Sikh Organisations within Australia, there was a clear and direct condemnation of the rise of anti-Sikh hate speech.
The signatories to the statement are “deeply troubled by the recent rise in hate attacks and crimes targeting their identity, places of worship, and businesses.”
The statement goes on to add that they are “deeply troubled by the recent acts of hate and division being perpetuated by extremist elements,” and by individuals who are attempting to “sow discord in our society through vandalism at Sikh places of worship.”
“The spread of these hateful narratives, amplified through online platforms both in Australia and beyond, threatens the peace and unity of our diverse, multi-faith society and has instilled a sense of fear and unease within the Australian Sikh community.”
The Sikh Council of Western Australia has also issued a statement condemning the recent targeting of the Sikh Community.
“The Entire Sikh Community of Australia condemns the actions of Right-Winged, Hindutva extremist outfits and organizations, active in Australia whose sole purpose is to target Sikhs and our Children in an orchestrated pattern.”
The statement also goes on to explore the history of Hindutva in India, recounting the deaths of Graham Stuart Staines and his two sons at the hands of the Bajrang Dal.
Other members of the Sikh community of Melbourne have also voiced their opposition to the anti-Sikh hate.
Jang Singh Pannu, secretary of the Victorian Sikh Gurdwara Council, has appealed to the community “to not [fall] prey to the misinformation and hatred being spread on social media”.
Those present at the referendum have signalled that the hate has not softened their resolve. Mr. Singh, name withheld upon request, a resident of Melbourne’s South-East, shared that the community is “not afraid at all”.
“The fact they are doing this in response to the referendum, means that they are scared of the results, which will show the referendum has a lot of support.”
The wide support for the referendum across the world has undermined previous attempts by pro-India actors to suggest that Khalistan is a “fringe” topic in the Sikh community.
When explicitly asked about the rise of anti-Sikh articles and petitions, Singh responded that such things “need to be called out” and reported to the relevant authorities. But, “we shouldn't let these things stop us from supporting Khalistan.”
“Our Gurus never stepped away from a fight, so why should we?”
Sukhmeet Grewal hails from Melbourne, Australia, and is currently studying to obtain his Masters in Culture and the Creative Industries. He is also the co-founder of “We Sikh Justice”, a Sikh youth collective based in Melbourne focused on education, advocacy, and sewa. You can find him on Twitter at @Sukhmeet_Grewal.
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With 2024 elections in India around the corner, there is likely to be an increase in such deliberate acts to feed the election-time propaganda / fear-mongering. Let us learn from history :
1970s-80s : Congress-aligned 'agents' started media campaigns to garner NRI support for 'Khalistan' = Now : 'Sikhs For Justice' / people with dubious credentials doing the same thing :
1978-83 : Multiple acts by 'Agent provocateurs' designed to provoke a reaction from the Sikhs and responding with overwhelming force = same thing happening now with all these staged / fake 'acts of vandalism' on temples in Melbourne / BC etc., the unusual violence during a protest march in Chandigarh and those in power unleashing pre-planned massive hate campaigns around these alleged acts. (again, with no proof, just allegations)
Indian officials raking up 'Khalistan' non-issue with their US, Canada, Australia and UK counterparts : why ? Perhaps setting the grounds for a potential future action on the community in India
How should we respond ?
1. Why give others a chance to point fingers at us ? Stop these useless 'referendums' ? Question the motive of dubious people like Pannun and his shady organization. The only purpose is to use this as an excuse to malign Sikhs - 99.99% of Sikhs are anti-Khalistanis anyway. Those pursuing this non-issue should do a reality check : look at how faction-ridden every political party in Punjab is ! how poorly our community fares in prestigious professions - long list of poor performance in almost all areas (other than transportation :) )
2. We should Strongly condemn any acts of vandalism on temples / gurdwaras and hate campaigns at Sikhs : even if there is no such reciprocation (for example, there were attempted attacks on gurudwaras in Melbourne, yet no apologies or regrets)
3. Avoid confrontation / reactions to deliberate provocations : youth from Haryana are being recruited to front-end such provocations mainly designed to create a rift along state lines
I personally agree with and support the demand to "de-radicalize Sikh places of worship" - Sikhism is an egalitarian religion to serve humanity - there's no place for 'radicals' plus the whole idea of 'Khalistan' is a non-starter and only serves as political fodder to malign our community and all the good humanitarian work we do
As a community, we need to focus on ensuring better prospects for our future generation, work harder at gaining respect, focus more on upward mobility, higher education / highly skilled professions etc.
DJ Singh/Chicago