Global Rice News

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is placing a significant focus on combating Sikh separatism, despite the minimal support it has among the country’s small religious minority. This emphasis stems from security and political concerns, according to officials and experts.

The movement for a Sikh homeland in northern India, which was suppressed several decades ago, has recently gained global attention as both the United States and Canada accused Indian officials of being involved in assassination plots against Sikh separatist leaders in North America.

New Delhi has denied any connection to a June murder in a Vancouver suburb but has announced an investigation into the alleged plot in New York. The Indian government asserts that such plots are not reflective of its policies and denies actively pursuing Sikh separatists abroad.

These diplomatic disputes with traditionally friendly nations like the US and Canada highlight the significant role Sikh separatism plays in the political calculations of Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government, which is likely to win national elections next year.

Indian security officials argue that they must crack down on what they perceive as Sikh connections to criminal activities abroad that are linked to the Sikh heartland of Punjab. However, Sikh nationalists reject this claim, asserting that Modi is attempting to dismantle their leadership and mobilize his Hindu base.

Critics of Modi also suggest that he is exploiting the issue for political gain, especially after Sikh farmers dealt a significant blow to his government by successfully pressuring for the rollback of agricultural reforms.

Sikh separatists seek the creation of Khalistan, a homeland referred to as “the land of the pure,” carved out of Punjab, where their religion originated in the late 15th century. Punjab is the only Indian state in which Sikhs form a majority, although they comprise less than 2% of India’s population.

The Khalistan insurgency claimed tens of thousands of lives in the 1980s and 1990s before being suppressed by New Delhi. Since then, it has ceased to be a prominent domestic issue.

While acknowledging that Khalistan has little grassroots support in Punjab today, a senior Indian security official claims that certain prominent separatist leaders abroad are involved in criminal activities, such as drugs, arms trafficking, and crime syndicates with links to Punjab.

A recently retired top Indian security official described Khalistan as a “dead horse” but emphasized the importance of proactive action to counter fundraising, training, and agitation for India’s division happening overseas.

Given the simmering issues underlying Punjab, including unemployment and widespread drug use, which borders arch-rival Pakistan, India’s government must exercise caution, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Although India has not publicly released recent evidence of Sikh separatist involvement in international crimes, the government asserts that it has repeatedly shared such evidence with foreign capitals.

Modi’s strongman image, cultivated through actions such as air strikes against Pakistan, revoking special privileges in Kashmir, and targeting left-wing activists allegedly linked to Maoist militants, necessitates an assertive national security stance.

Kanwarpal Singh, the political secretary of the Punjab-based Dal Khalsa group, which advocates for Khalistan’s creation, refutes the accusations of involvement in drugs or crime. He believes that Modi’s government is attempting to “defame, isolate, and eliminate” Sikh separatist leaders.

Singh characterizes the policy as “calling the dog mad and shooting him.”

Critics of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has struggled to make inroads with Sikhs, contend that the party exaggerates the Khalistan issue for political advantage.

Ajai Sahni, a security expert, asserts that the BJP leverages the limited Khalistani element within the country and diaspora to mobilize the Hindu population.

Dal Khalsa’s Singh asserts that following the yearlong 2021 farm protests, primarily led by Sikh farmers and activists, which hurt the BJP politically, “they are taking revenge on the Sikh community.”

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