Communalism
Khalistani Terrorism
Taken from 1992 booklet, "The Bleeding Punjab: A Report to the Nation," a joint publication of Surkh Rekha and Inqualabi Jantak Leeh. Editors: Amolak Singh and Jaspal Jassi.
The Khalistani terrorists and their apologists, in a bid to hoodwink the masses, often keep on harping that "their Sikh struggle is not directed against any race, religion or community" but it is for "smashing the chains of slavery from around the necks of sikhs" and is directed against "the tyrannical brahmanical rulers at the centre." But as the saying goes: the deeds are stronger than the words, the hundreds of cold-blooded mass murders of Hindus and ordinary toiling masses, their venomous communal tirade against the Hindus and Nirankaris (an off shoot of Sikhism), the forcible closure of all Nirankari Bhawans throughout the state, a spree of lootings, extortions, rapes and beatings let loose on the common people, the various fascist edicts aimed at crippling the democratic rights, aspirations and the lives of people of Punjab and numerous such other acts, all deride their pious exhortations. Let us examine them, albeit briefly, through their own words and deeds.
Thoroughgoing Communalists
Contrary to their loud claims, the Khalistani terrorists have nothing to do with the aspirations or interests of ordinary Punjabi people or even the Sikh masses. Instead, they are out and out and die-hard Sikh communal fundamentalists who are usuing communalism as a weapon in their reactionary power-struggle to grab the throne and resources of Punjab.
The various differences, dissentions and inter-gang warfare among different Khalistani factions notwithstanding, all of them adhere to the ideology of late Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and draw inspiration from his life and works. So it will be quite worthwhile to examine the preachings and practice of this rustic preacher-turned-politician in order to grasp the thinking and practice of Khalistani terrorists. Let us see what Bhindranwale has to say.
Bhindranwale, issuing a clarion call to the Sikhs to get armed in order to confront the Hindus, says:
"....Get armed. There is no need of getting licences. If the son of a Hindu needs no licence for possessing a grenade, if this off-spring of sheep and goats needs no licences for arms why the son of a lion (Singh) should ever bow and plead: 'Please give me a weapon.' Can't confront a policeman.... understandable since they possess too many weapons. But if you Sikhs get thrashing from a shopkeeper, from a topiwala (i.e.a Hindu-editor), if the son of a lion gets a kick from the sheep and keeps quiet, he should rather die in shame..... Are we Singhs upto this much...?"
Bhindranwale, not only stubbornly refused to condemn the murders of innocent Hindus, but at times he himself advocated them. When, in the wake of a murder of some police inspector by terrorists, suspected to be Bhindranwale's men, the police detained a bus sent by Bhindranwale to bring some of his men, he, red with rage, immediately issued a warning to the police:
"If the vehicle is not released by 5 P.M. and unconditionally I will slaughter 5000 Hindus in just one hour."
Justifying his threat of slaughtering Hindus en masse he propounded his thesis:
"If a Hindu dies, the centre is shaken to its very roots. One must strike where it pinches most. Why to strike at a place where it hardly pinches?"
A blantant Sikh communalist robed inside a pious and priestly-looking Blindranwale, is laid bare in all its nakedness when in a tape-recorded and widely circulated message to the Sikhs he unleashes an all-out open war against the Hindu community.
"I humbly requested and got this detail from an educated person. Each one of us (Sikhs-edit) is upto 35 (Hindus). Just 35 and not a hundred. They are mere 66 crore. Each sikh has to take upon just 35 and no more, not even 36."
Inheriting, implementing and emulating Bhindranwale's these venomous communal preachings, the Khalistani terrorists throughout their counter-revolutionary onslaught against the people of Punjab, kept on enacting the mass murders of innocent Hindus. They tried their every bit to incite Hindu-Sikh communal pogroms. The Khalistani terrorists issued/numerous threatening calls to the Hindus to flee Puniab. Hindu students were killed enmasse and the college authorities were issued instructions to admit only Sikh students in the professional colleges of the state. As per Khalistani commandments, all top posts in the administration, departments, universities should be filled with Sikhs, only Sikhs should be recruited as TV and radio announcers. Fleeing Hindus were forbidden to take their property along. Any Sikh, found guilty of taking care of a Hindu's property or of tilling his land, was to be punished. According to the Khalistani's, only those Hindus could stay back in Punjab who had reconciled to the sepremacy of Sikhs and wholeheartedly supported the Khalistani struggle. Numerous such other communal dictates were issued from time to time to the Hindus residing in Punjab.
An Avowed Anti-People Force
The Khalistani terrorists are guilty of committing innumerable crimes against the innocent ordinary people of Pubjab -- Hindus and Sikhs alike. Brandishing AK 47's and other sophisticated weapons they let loose a reign of terror against the people of Punjab, making their lives a living hell. As a result of a spate of killings, mass beatings, tortures, extortions, rapes, insults and other intimidating tactics, a large number of Hindus, well-to-do Sikh peasants, employees and many sections of self-respecting populace had to flee their houses in the villages to more safer places inside the adjoining cities or even states. People hesitate even to whisper against the Khalistani terrorists. Even then, hundreds of horror stories of Khalistani brutalities are widely known. Here is a brief description of Khalistani crimes against the people.
Killings of Innocent People:
Starting from 1982, throughout the decade, the Khalistani terrorists continued gunning down mercilessly the innocent people of Punjab, both Hindus and Sikhs, without any let up. The people were blasted to bits by planting and exploding bombs in crowded bazars public places, trains and buses, cinema houses and other busy places. According to a most conservative estimate, the Khalistani terrorists have butchered more than 20,000 people in the past ten years on the self-presumed pretext of their being police informers, anti-Sikh or defying their dictates. Even women, breast-sucking infants, children or aged people were not spared. There are very few villages in Punjab where someone or the other has not fallen prey to Khalistani bullets.
Hindu passengers were alighted from the buses and trains and mercilessly murdered. Gruesome mass murders were committed for avenging the fake police encounters of the Khalistani terrorists. Whenever the Khalistani terrorists came under the intense pressure of the state security forces, the Khalistani invariably resorted to mass killings to loosen up the pressure. Again, the Khalistani terorists took to mass murders to divert the attention of the people and for sabotaging a negotiated settlement among the various reactionary ruling class factions in Punjab, whenever the opportunity arose. They even enacted massacres for just recording their presence and killing potential. Most often, the victims of Khalistani wrath without exception, were the innocent toiling masses of Punjab.
The terrorists, inhuman and beastly as they are, often resorted to threats of eliminating their purported enemies alongwith their entire families. Hundreds of such families were completely wiped out. Apart for killing by raining from assault rifles and through bomb blasts, they at times hanged the people to death, burnt them alive or dragged them behind vehicles till death. In some cases, even properties were not spared. The farm houses, standing crops and livestock of the victims were burnt or destroyed. Many women were gang raped before killing them in a most ignominious fashion. More than 300 relatives of police personnel, mostly constables and home guard jawans, were brutally killed. Some whole families were decimated. Thousands of people, had to flee, leaving their homes and hearth's behind, to the cities just for escaping the wrath of Khalistani terrorists.
The victims, that fell prey to the Khalistani bullets included eminent revolutionary Punjabi poets, writers, academicians, engineers, trade union and political leaders, intellectuals and dozens of other worthy sons of Punjab. Their loss is an irreparable damage to Punjab.
To sum up, one can hardly come across a Punjabi, be it Hindu or a Sikh who most confidently feels secure from the Khalistani terrorists. Even Khalistani terrorists feel equally insecure from the rival terrorists or their own companions. Scores of them have perished in inter-gang and inner-gang warfare. Insecurity and terror haunts the whole of Punjab.
BRUTAL MASS-KILLINGS BY KHALISTANI TERRORISTS - Partial List
(This tabulation of ghastly massacres at the hands of Khalistani terrorists is incomplete, to a large extent.)
Date Place Description of the Incident
Oct. 1983 Dhilwan 6 Hindu bus passangers killed.
Oct. 21, 83 Gobindgarh Massacre of rail passengers
Sep. 12, 84 Batala 8 hindu bus passengers killed
June 22, 84 Irish sea Air India Boeing 747 blasted by omb, all 329 passengers killed.
Feb. 86 Nakodar 15 persons killed and many injured in indiscriminate firing.
March 6,86 Kapurthala Many innocent persons killed in indiscriminate firing.
March 28,1986 Ludhiana 13 people (Hindus) killed in indiscriminate firing in Dresi ground
March 29,1986 Mallian 20 innocent labourers killed (Jalandhar)
July 25,1986 Mukatsar 15 Hindu bus passengers gunned down.
Oct. 31,1986 Ludhiana 8 migrant and local industrail workers, all hindus, gunned down in indiscriminate firing
on Daba road.
Nov. 30, 1986 Khudda 24 Hindu bus passengers gunned down.
July 87 Lalru 80 bus pessengers killed in Fatehabad on three Haryana Roadways buses.
Aug. 6, 1987 Jagdev Kalan 13 Hindus gunned down.
(Majitha)
Sep. 28,1987 Alawalpur 5 killed and 8 injured, firing near Geetha Bhawan.
(Jalandhar)
Oct. 20,1987 Delhi 12 persons shot dead at various places in Delhi on Diwali day.
Jan. 15,1988 Dhadial Nijhran 8 members of a family including 2 women and 3 children killed in this village near Batala.
Feb. 19,1988 Bombs exploded by Babbar Khalsa at Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur and Patiala. 12 person killed,
over 50 injured.
March 2,1988 Bhaian 8 members of a family killed.
(Verowal)
March 3,1988 Kahri sahri 35 persons shot dead, 50 others injured, indiscriminate firing at a festival gathering.
(Hoshiarpur)
March 31,1988 Theh Rajbah 18 members of a Rajput family shot dead at village theh Rajbah under police station
(Patti) Harike, Sub- division Patti in Amritsar distt.
April 2,88 Ramgam 6 persons masssacred in this village under P.S. Gharinda. 18 more persons killed in other
(Amritsar) parts of Pinjab
May 15,88 40 persons gunned down, 100 others injured in different incidents at Samana, Patiala,
Jalandhar and Mukerian
May 16,1988 26 killed (3 member of a family, 3 bus passengers and 20 others) in Amritsar, Ludhiana,
Jalandhar and Gurdaspur.
May 17,1988 Kharar 35 labourers killed
May 24,1988 Dhaliwal 6 members of a family massacred.
(Nakodar)
June 19,1988 Kurukshetra 15 persons blown to pieces when a bomb exploded at a TV shop during the TV serial
Ramayana's telecast.
June 25,1988 Moga 26 RSS volunteers killed. 22 injured in an indiscriminate firing in Nehru Park.
Sept. 7,1988 Rure Aasal 15 rail passengers killed, 25 injured at Rure Aasal Riy. Station near Khem Karan in
Amritsar district.
Nov. 1,1988 Pathankot Bomb blast in a Jammu-bound bus, many killed or injured.
Nov. 1988 Majaat 32 Migrant labourers working on SYL Canal gunned down
Nov. 3.1988 Sufianwala 11 bus passengers killed by a BTFK gang. alighting them from a Dera Baba Nanak bound bus
killed all Hindus.
Nov. 4,1988 Lodhuwal 19 labourers shot dead at Govt. seed farm Lodhuwal.
(Ludhiana)
Nov. 1988 Batala 25 persons killed in a bomb blast in Chakkri bazar.
Sirhind Indiscriminate firing in bazar, many killed.
Pathankot Bomb blast near a tempo overloaded with passengers. Many including a woman killed.
Nov. 22,1988 Kaithal 25 persons massacred. 37 others injured.
(Haryana)
Nov. 22.1988 Batala 22 persons killed, many injured in indiscriminate firing in bazar on the eve of Guru Nanak
birthday.
Dec., 1988 Makhu 7 Hindu passengers kidnapped from a Chandigarh bound bus and killed.
Dec. 7,1988 Gujran 5 members of a marriage party killed in indiscriminate firing at Gujran on Zeera-Makhu
road.
May 21,1989 Chakk Kania 7 members of a family, including a CPI (M) leader Comrade Dalip Singh massacred.
BaggaKalan 4 members of a family killed.
Aug. 27,1989 Kabarwala Indiscriminate firing for 50 mintues on a train at Kabarwala, station, dozens shot dead.
(Abohar)
Oct. 5, 1989 Kandhwala 5 members of a family shot dead.
(Fazilka)
Nov. 1989 Patiala 19 Hindu students massacred in Thapar Engg. College who had come from other states to
participate in a youth festival.
Jan. 19,1990 Bahmanwal 8 massacred including 6 Hindus
(Majitha)
March 7,1990 Abohar 32 shot dead in indiscriminate firing in crowded bazar.
March 19,1990 Talwandi Bhai 14 persons shot dead.
March 19,1990 Chandigarh 6 persons killed, 27 injured in a bomb blast.
Nawan Shahar 11 persons killed in a bomb blast.
April 3,1990 Batala 36 persons killed in a bomb bias.
April 19,1990 Pathankot 15 pessengers killed, 40 injured in a bomb blast in a bus.
May 28,1990 Ferozepur 13 Bihari labourers shot dead
May 30,1990 Talwandi Bhai 10 persons massacred
June 4,1990 Patiala 8 including 6 children killed in a bomb explosion, 30 injured.
July 15,1990 Taredan 8 members of a family gunned down in village Taredan under
(Mamdot) Mamdot police station.
July 30,1990 Bidar 35 killed, 30 injured in a bomb explosion in a local cinema hall.
(Karnatka)
Aug. 8,1990 Ludhiana 9 gunned down in indiscriminate firing.
Nov. 5,1990 Batala 9 Hindu passengers shot dead in a Batala-Jalandhar bus.
Nov. 9,1990 Batala 5 Hindus shot dead after alighting them from vehicles on Batala-Pathankot highway.
Nov. 12,1990 Kothe Lal Singh 8 Hindus killed by KCF (Zafarwal) gang.
(Bathinda)
Nov. 15,1990 Ferozepur 7 Hindu passengers of a bus going from Ferozepur to Dharamkot shot dead.
Nov. 17,1990 Killianwali 11 RSS workers killed in indiscriminate firing on morning assembly.
(Dabwali)
Nov. 20,1990 Amritsar 12 killed in a massacre
Nov. 22,1990 Chandigarh 16 Hindus killed after alighting from two buses near Parhol.
Nov. 24,1990 Patti 5 Hindus shot dead
Nov. 25,1990 Jalandhar 15 shot dead in indiscriminate firing.
Nov. 26,1990 Ludhiana 5 members of a hindu family shot dead on Daba road.
Dec. 13,1991 Sedeke 5 Hindu passengers shot dead in Sedeke village near Guru Harsahai
Jan. 8,1991 Gill 14 Hindu kidnapped from different places, shot dead at village Gill near Ludhiana.
March 22,1991 Chandigarh 30 employees of Punjab Tractors Ltd. Foundry, all Hindus, shot dead.
April, 9,1991 Sewewala 18 activists shot dead 22 injured, indiscriminate firing on front gethering.
June 15,1991 Baddowal, 75 train passengers shot dead by KLF.
Kila Raipur
Nov. 9,1991 Sirsa 16 persons, all Hindus, shot dead
Nov. 9,1991 Faridkot 7 family members shot dead in a village in Faridkot district.
Nov. 17,1991 Rudarpur(U.P.) 12 persons shot dead.
Dec. 19,1991 Ludhiana 12 killed in a bomb blast in Bharat Nagar Chowk
Dec. 26,1991 Sohian 32 rail passengers shot dead at Sohian railway crossing in Ludhiana district.
Jan. 8, 1992 Kharar 21 industrial workers shot to death.
Kup Kalan
Jan. 15, 1992 Dhanaula 5 electricity employees gunned down at grid station.
Jan. 17, 1992 Samana 7 persons killed in a bomb blast
March 10-20 Ghabdan 75 persons gunned down in 4 separate incidents.
Ludhiana,
Ahmedgarh Factory workers from outside state at Ghabadan, general people in indiscriminate shoot out
twice in Ludhiana and once in M'andi Ahmedgarh.
June 25,1992 Kila Raipur 9 Hindus gunned down
July 13,1992 Bassian 7 Hindus, gunned down.
July 14,1992 Bathinda 7 Hindus, 5 Sweepers and 2 migrant workers gunned down in sporadic shoot out.
May 2,1992 Kadarvaad 7 members of a family among 8 killed in village Kadarvaad, police district Majitha.
May 3,1992 Sadarpur 10 persons killed, 3 injured in village Sadar pur, district Karnal.
(Haryana)
