Page 355 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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Sikh Terrorism———335

in 1947, Sikhs agitated for the creation of either an nonviolent groups also supported the establishment of
independent Sikh state or an autonomous Sikh entity Khalistan, but for the rest of 1983 and the first half of
within India. Although no such state was created, the 1984 violence continued in Punjab, generally targeted
borders of Punjab were eventually redrawn to create a against Bhindranwale’s Sikh rivals and critics, as well
Sikh-majority state. A Sikh political party, the Akali as Hindus.
Dal, was created to promote greater political autonomy Indian government officials became convinced that
for Sikhs. Bhindranwale was directing assaults out of the Golden
No single group has come to dominate militant Temple. In early June 1984, India launched Operation
Sikhism—by 1990 even the Panthic Committee, an Bluestar, a military assault against the temple as well
umbrella organization of Sikh militants, had splintered as other Sikh places of worship throughout Punjab.
into three factions. But radical Sikh groups generally The assault killed hundreds (possibly thousands),
trace their roots to a single individual, Jarnail Singh including Bhindranwale and the leader of the All-India
Bhindranwale. Bhindranwale, leader of a Sikh funda- Sikh Students Federation, Bhai Amrik Singh.
mentalist sect and a fiery orator, rose to prominence in Operation Bluestar, intended to end Sikh terrorism,
the mid-1970s. In 1977, a party coalition including the had the opposite effect. Many militants were killed
Akali Dal came to power in Punjab, defeating India’s or arrested in the assault, but so were many unarmed
then-dominant Congress Party, led by Indira Gandhi. religious pilgrims who had come to the Golden Temple
In an effort to gain popularity among Sikhs, the Con- to worship. That the Indian government launched a
gress Party began to support Bhindranwale. military attack on a deeply sacred place profoundly
In 1978, followers of Bhindranwale battled with offended many Sikhs.
members of a small Sikh sect; at least 18 people died Sikh attacks on Hindus in Punjab escalated, with
in the fighting. Bhindranwale and his followers gath- Indian officials becoming targets and violence spilling
ered arms and turned their religious center into a over the state’s borders. On October 31, 1984, Gandhi,
fortress. On September 9, 1981, the chief editor of a who had ordered the attack on the Golden Temple, was
chain of newspapers harshly critical of Bhindranwale gunned down by two of her Sikh bodyguards as she
was assassinated, and police arrested Bhindranwale at walked from her home to her office in New Delhi.
his fortress. Bhindranwale’s followers embarked on a The assassination led to anti-Sikh riots and to a
month-long campaign of violence to obtain his major government crackdown on Sikh militants that
release, attacking Hindus, derailing trains, and even was widely criticized for its brutality. Events the fol-
hijacking an Air India plane. lowing year raised the specter of a global network of
Bhindranwale was released from prison on October Sikh terrorists: in June 1985 members of the militant
14, 1981. He appeared so powerful that even the Akali Babbar Khalsa Society living in Canada planted
Dal attempted a rapprochement. Bhindranwale was bombs on two Air India jetliners, killing more than
able to assume effective control of the All-India Sikh 300 people. In mid-1988, outdoor markets in New
Students Federation, a large youth organization. In Delhi were bombed; that year an estimated 2,500
April 1983, a high-ranking police officer was assassi- people were killed either by Sikh militants or Indian
nated in front of the Golden Temple in broad daylight, security forces, a toll that was matched or exceeded in
apparently on Bhindranwale’s orders; once again he each of the next three years.
was not prosecuted. By the early 1990s, however, many Sikh militant
Murders of individuals rapidly gave way to mas- leaders had been captured and killed by Indian secu-
sacres. In October 1983, six Hindu bus passengers rity forces, and the threat of Sikh terrorism seemed
were slaughtered by Sikh militants, leading the Indian largely contained. Occasional acts of terrorism that
government to impose emergency rule in Punjab. To may be attributable to Sikh militants still occur, but
avoid arrest, Bhindranwale moved himself and his Sikh militant groups now rarely take credit for attacks.
followers into the Golden Temple.
See also AIR INDIA FLIGHT 182 BOMBING
While Bhindranwale usually insisted that his goal
was simply to ensure that Sikhs were treated fairly in
Indian society, many of his followers listed as their Further Reading
goal the establishment of an independent Sikh nation, Deora, Man Singh, ed. Aftermath of Operation Bluestar.
usually called Khalistan, or the land of the pure. Some New Delhi: Anmol, 1992.