Sikh activists are being persecuted by the Indian government all over the world.
One of the most high-profile cases occurred in June 2023 in Canada: activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in a parking lot in a Vancouver suburb. An investigation by Canadian law enforcement agencies has revealed the involvement of the Indian government in the incident.
Around the same time, in June 2023, an assassination attempt on activist Gurpavant Singh Pannoon took place in the United States. As a result of the investigation by the US FBI, it was established that the organizer of the plan was an Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav.
And in August 2024, an attempt was made on the life of activist Satinder Pal Singh Raja in California…
The history of Sikh persecution is the result of a deliberate government strategy.
The Hindutva ideology, which is the main political line of the ruling Indian National Democratic Alliance led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is an ideological and political trend aimed at affirming Hindu identity as the basis of the national identity of the Indian nation.
Hindutva especially sharply opposes Islam, Christianity, and… Sikhs.
The Sikh community, comprising approximately 25 million people, primarily resides in the Indian state of Punjab. When India and Pakistan were created in 1947, the interests of the Sikhs were not taken into account. The historical province of Punjab was artificially divided into two parts, which became the starting point of the tragedy of the Sikh people.
Since the 1950s, policies have intensified in India, leading to the suppression of Sikh demands for linguistic and administrative autonomy.
Clashes between Sikhs and Indian authorities reached a peak in the 1980s. In June 1984, the Indian Army conducted an infamous military operation at the main Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar. For the Sikhs, this was the deepest act of sacrilege and betrayal on the part of the state.
Especially given that in the following years, Sikhs who fought for their rights continued to be persecuted by the Indian authorities.
Among the victims was human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who revealed the Punjab police’s crimes against Sikhs during his investigations.
The policy of repression against Sikhs in India has been repeatedly documented by international human rights organizations such as the UN Human Rights Committee, Human Rights Watch, and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Yet, at the same time, the most alarming aspect is that the persecution of Sikhs continues beyond India’s borders, which clearly constitutes a violation of international law and the system of international relations. So this is not just a problem for the Sikh community anymore – it is already becoming a risk factor for global security.
