The Sikh Genocide Was 40 Years Ago, But India’s Genocidal Ideology Is Still Here Today
"One of the most disturbing chants and calls of the violent pro-India mobs from earlier this month in Brampton and Malton was, 'We will remind Sikhs of 1984.'"
Jasveer Singh
November 15, 2024 | 4 min. read | Opinion
Within Sikh philosophy, there is an idea that timing is in the hands of Akaal Purakh VaheGuru (God). Things happen when they are meant to.
So, when we see pro-India Hindu Nationalist mobs surrounding Gurdwaras in an intimidatory fashion or trying to storm them with weapons during the 40th anniversary of the 1984 Sikh Genocide, many Sikhs will know this was not a coincidence.
This is a divine reminder that the mindset which led to the slaughter of approximately 30,000 Sikhs across India in under a week 40 years ago is still within that community, and it does not take much for it to be displayed.
Of course, categorically, it is not all Indians or Hindus. Many Hindu groups are working with Sikh bodies to challenge the influence of the Hindutva (Hindu Nationalist) movement. At the same time, the poison of the Indian nationalist Hindu Rashtra (Hindu Nation) ideology has also penetrated the minds of some who identify as Sikhs.
Nevertheless, right now is a wake-up call for the Sikh community that within Indian ranks, the genocidal urge to put Sikhs in their place and stifle community dissent towards Narendra Modi’s BJP-led India has existed as strongly as any time since 1984.
One of the most disturbing chants and calls of the pro-India mobs from earlier this month was, “We will remind Sikhs of 1984.”
A weapon-wielding pro-India mob trying to attack Malton Gurdwara on November 3rd arbitrarily is not an isolated incident. Neither was their attempt the next night, on November 4th, to storm Gurdwaras in Brampton. Rather, it is just another example of an ongoing growth of brazenness within the bigoted Hindu Nationalist agenda and its reach in the West.
The assassinations of Shaheed Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Bhai Avtar Singh Khanda signify a new level of threat to Sikhs in the West from India’s highest ranks. However, it was before those killings that we saw incidents like the Leicester Hindutva riots of the UK in 2022 and the aggressive street responses to Farmers’ Protest demonstrations by Indian nationalists in Canada, which revealed the Hindutva thuggery simmering beneath the surface of Indian diaspora communities the world.
The most blatant example of this was in Australia when Vishal Jood led gangs openly targeted Sikhs who were critical of India. Many of those Sikhs were completely unaffiliated with the Khalistan movement too.
When Jood was eventually arrested, convicted and deported for his crimes, he was met with a literal parade back in India to celebrate his work terrorizing Sikhs. Thus far, there is no evidence of any action India took against Jood for his crimes. This undeniable example of India’s transnational repression at a street level did not seem to be the wake-up call it should have been regarding India’s exporting of nationalist crime and goon violence. This nexus regularly results in the lynching of minorities in India.
At a grassroots level, many Sikhs saw violent Indian nationalist aggression on display in the West in a manner that had not previously been seen, indicating, in part, that the new wave of Indian migrants into countries like Canada and the UK had entered with a different mindset and potentially also a specific agenda.
The thought, however, that this new wave of pro-India immigrants would attempt to foster such discord and divide in Canada, with the assistance of foreign interference, to the point they could unleash violence in the West, seen during times like 1984 India, seemed far-fetched.
Yet, plans to petrol bomb Sikhs and police in Canada were revealed from within Hindu WhatsApp ecosystems this week - leading to two arrests. Burning Sikhs alive was a horrific normality in that forsaken first week of November in 1984.
The capability of Hindu Nationalists to kill thousands upon thousands of us in Canada, just like they have done in India, may not be there, but the intention is.
Among the many reactions to the increased threat to Sikh Canadian communities, numerous are calling for Sikhs to stay prepared and vigilant. However, this cannot be an individual act.
Gurdwara groups have made a concerted effort this week to reinvigorate organic Sangat networks, which will supply manpower to coordinate and ensure Gurdwara safety now and in the future.
With moving forward in mind, many Sikhs recognize some issues of the past are still present today.
Jasveer Singh hails from Southall, UK, and is the Senior Press Officer of The Sikh Press Association, a position he has held since 2015. In this role, Jasveer works across all sectors of media supporting Sikh organisations and individuals on Panthic endeavours. Jasveer previously worked as a freelance journalist which included stints with Sky News, Super Fight League, and more. You can find Jasveer on Twitter at @Jazzthejourno.
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