The Punjab Issue and the Sikh Diaspora: Calls for Secession in the XXI Century

Occupation: Associate Professor, Department of South Asian History, Institute of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University
Affiliation: Lomonosov Moscow State University
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

Journal name

Asia and Africa Today

Edition

Issue 11

Pages

32-40

Abstract

The article discusses the role of Punjabi-Sikh diaspora in supporting and heating up secessionist ideas in contemporary India. In focus are specific features of the most visible non-governmental organizations based beyond South Asia, which advocate an idea of setting up an independent Khalistan state in the north-west of India (Punjab); activities of the “Sikhs for Justice” group aimed at launching the Khalistan Referendum / Referendum 2020; and 2022–2023 developments in Punjab related to the performance of Amritpal Singh Sandhu, a present-day “successor” of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale (1947–1984) – a charismatic leader of the Sikh separatists in the late 1970s – early 1980s.

Since the 1990s, the Punjab issue has cooled down, but the idea of establishing a sovereign Sikh state has not become a thing of the past. The Khalistan proponents and, in particular, Bhindranwale who was killed in the 1984 “Operation Bluestar” in Punjab, have been proclaimed martyrs for the Sikh faith. International pro-Khalistani groups have been using their images both for self-advertising and for destabilizing India in general and Punjab in particular.

Keywords

secession, India, Punjab, Khalistan, Sikhs, diaspora

Received

07.07.2023

Publication date

23.11.2023

Number of characters

29716

Cite

GOST	Bochkovskaya A. The Punjab Issue and the Sikh Diaspora: Calls for Secession in the XXI Century // Asia and Africa Today – 2023. – Issue 11 C. 32-40 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://asaf-today.ru/S032150750028610-3-1 (circulation date: 18.05.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S032150750028610-3
MLA	Bochkovskaya, Anna "The Punjab Issue and the Sikh Diaspora: Calls for Secession in the XXI Century." Asia and Africa Today 11 (2023):32-40. DOI: 10.31857/S032150750028610-3
APA	Bochkovskaya A. (2023). The Punjab Issue and the Sikh Diaspora: Calls for Secession in the XXI Century. Asia and Africa Today (11), pp.32-40 DOI: 10.31857/S032150750028610-3

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 89

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Singh Kh. A History of the Sikhs. Vol. II: 1839–2004. New Delhi, 2008 (7th impression). P. 250.

2. Oberoi H.S. From Punjab to “Khalistan”: Territoriality and Metacommentary. Pacific Affairs. 1987. Vol. 60(1). P. 37.

3. Bochkovskaya A.V. 2021. The Sixth Takht: To Be or Not to Be? Asia and Africa today. № 6. Pp. 57–61. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.31857/S032150750015269-7

4. Oberoi H. The Construction of Religious Boundaries. Culture, Identity and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition. Delhi, 1994. Pp. 1–19.

5. Belskiy A.G., Furman D.E. 1992. Sikhs and Hindus: Religion, Politics, Terrorism. Moscow. (In Russ.)

6. Kaur Takhar O., Jakobsh D.R. (eds.). Global Sikhs: Histories, Practices and Identities. London, 2023.

7. Singh P., Singh Mandair A.-P. (eds.). The Sikh World. London, 2023.

8. Thandi S.S. Sikh Migration, Diasporas and Transnational Practices. Oxford Handbook on Sikh Studies. Ed. by Singh P., Fenech L.E. Oxford: 2014. Pр. 545–559.

9. Jacobsen K.A., Myrvold K. (eds.) Sikh in Europe: Migrations, Identities and Representations. Farnham, 2011.

10. Brar K.S. Operation Blue Star: The True Story. New Delhi, 2010.

11. Fair C.Ch. The Golden Temple: A Tale of Two Sieges. Fair C.Ch., Ganguly S. (eds.). Treading on Hallowed Ground: Counterinsurgency Operations in Sacred Spaces. Oxford, 2008. Pp. 37–65.

12. Fair C.Ch. Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies: Insights from the Khalistan and Tamil Eelam Movements. Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. Vol. 11 (1), 2005. Pp. 134–137.

13. Tatla D.S. The Sikh Diaspora: The Search for Statehood. London, 1999.

14. Bochkovskaya A.V. 2015. “True” and “Fake” Nirankaris: Specifics of Interaction with the Sikh Community. Moscow University Newsletter. Series 13. Oriental Studies. Vol. 1, Pp. 30–46. (In Russ.)

15. Anderson S.K., Sloan S. Historical Dictionary of Terrorism. Third Edition. Lanham, Toronto, Plymouth, 2009. P. 628.

16. Brar K.S. Sikh extremists merge parties, bring end to unsuccessful stint in electoral politics. The Indian Express, 2015. 18 September.

17. Kurien P. Shifting U.S. Racial and Ethnic Identities and Sikh American Activism. RSF: The Russel Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences. 2018. Vol. 4 (5). P. 83.

18. Sharma Sh. What is the Khalistan referendum, and why is India so concerned about what’s happening in Canada? Independent. 2022. 23 September.

19. Bochkovskaya A. The Kartarpur Pilgrimage Corridor: Negotiating the ‘Line of Mutual Hatred’. International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage. 2021. Vol. 9 (2), #5.

20. Sehgal M. Khalistani Outfit SFJ Wants Greater Khalistan with Headquarters in Pakistan’s Lahore. India Today. 2020. January 30.

21. Tarafdar B. Amritpal Singh or the New Avatar of Bhindranwale in Punjab. https://wbahumatrik.com/opinion/news/106073 (accessed 30.06.2023)

22. Khan N. Punjab: Three Million People Addicted to Drugs. The Siasat Daily. 2022. 17 December.

23. Bochkovskaya A.V. 2019. Nanak Shah Fakir: On the Construction of Taboos in Contemporary Sikhism. Asia and Africa today. № 11. Pp. 43–48. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.31857/S032150750007465-3