Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale - Sikh Missionary Society (UK)

SANT JARNAIL SINGH BHINDRANWALE - LIFE, MISSION, AND MARTYRDOMPART IIIINTRODUCTIONThis is the third and final part of an essay concerned with life, mission and martyrdom ofSant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. In this part we examine specific allegations that were levelledagainst the Sant by the Indian Government, and considers his relationship with the ShromaniAkali Dal. we end the essay with a look at the future.A. ALLEGATIONS BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIAIn justifying its attack on Sikh places of worship, the Indian Government declared 215 :'Bhindranwale and others operating directly from the Golden Temple complex began to extol andinstigate violence'; that 'extremists were attacking conscientious police officers who were doingtheir duty of enforcing the law'; and that 'Bhindranwale had advocated the killing of Hindus inPunjab so as to set in motion a general exodus'. The army action was described as 216 'operationstaken to remove terrorists, criminals and their weapons from sacred places of worship.' IndiraGandhi, in her broadcast to the nation on June 2, 1984, described the leadership of the Sikhagitation as 217 'a group of fanatics and terrorists whose instruments for achieving whatsoever theymay have in view are murder, arson and loot'. The Indian Government's 'White Paper' charged 218that 'the tactics employed by the secessionist and terrorist groups were: systematic campaign tocreate bitterness and hatred between Sikhs and Hindus; indoctrination in the ideology ofseparatism in militant terms behind the facade of gurmat 219 camps; training in the use of modernweaponry; use of terrorism against specific targets in the police and the administration of Punjab;preparation of 'hit lists' of those who disagreed and organizing their murder; random killing ofpersons of a particular community aimed at creating terror and instigating communal violence;stockpiling of arms and ammunition in places of worship; utilization of smugglers and anti-socialelements for procuring supplies of arms, ammunition and for looting banks, jewelry shops andindividual homes; and obtain covert and overt support from external sources?' Was this indeedtrue. Let us examine the various allegations.1. Initiation of ViolenceTavleen Singh 220 reports: 'Contrary to the popular belief that he took the offensive, seniorpolice sources in the Punjab admit that the provocation came in fact from a Nirankari officialwho started harassing Bhindranwale and his men. There were two or three Nirankaris in keypositions in the Punjab in those days and they were powerful enough to be able to create quite alot of trouble. The Nirankaris also received patronage from Delhi that made Sikh organizationslike Bhindranwale's and the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, headed then by Bibi Amarjit Kaur's husband,215 White Paper on The Punjab Agitation, Government of India, July 10, 1984, pages 26,27,33.216 Ibid, page 4.217 Ibid, page 105.218 White Paper on The Punjab Agitation, Government of India, July 10, 1984, page 2.219 Camps for religious instruction.220 Tavleen Singh, Terrorists in the Temple, in The Punjab Story, edited by Amarjit Kaur et al., Roli Books, page 32.41