The Multifarious Faces of Sikhism
throughout Sikh History
Page 2 of 5
Sant
Nirankaris cont'd
The former S.G.P.C. Akali, and experienced
politician Jail Singh, decided
the best way to break up the S.G.P.C.
Akali Dal/Bhartiya Jang Sang coalition
was to wean the Sikh support away from the S.G.P.C.
Akalis by propping up a another man. According
to all independent sources, the man Jail Singh
chose for this task was ‘Sant’
Jarnail Singh Bhindrawala.
Jail Singh
Jail Singh (left) greeting Gurbachan Singh (center)
and his wife
Jarnail Singh always vehemently denied he
had any association with the Congress or any
political party yet, the historian Patwant Singh
comments:
‘The person
chosen for the role was Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala,
a seminary preacher with a considerable
knowledge of the Sikh scriptures.
Seen at the outset as devout Sikh and man
of God, he was built up without his knowledge
- with all the Brahmnical subtlety and skill
perfected over millennium into a charismatic
leader who eclipsed the Akalis by utterances
more fiery than their own: whose larger
than-life image was repeatedly projected
through cannily manipulated press, radio
and television. It came to appear as if
he represented the aspirations of all Sikhs,
though millions of them had no interest
in him or the Akalis.’
‘The Sikhs’, by Patwant Singh
Pa.232
Jaila played his clever card to destroy the
Akali Dal/Bhartiya Jang Sang coalition by encouraging
the Sant Nirankaris to hold a convention in
Amritsar. This in turn gave Jarnail Singh a
weapon with which to potentially smash the Akali
Dal/Jang Sang coalition. Jaila was fully aware
that the Sant Nirankaris were considered a heretical
Sikh sect and perceived by most Sikhs as a enemy
of Sikhism. When Sant Nirankaris asked the Punjab
government permission to hold the convention
in Amritsar, this put the Akali Dal in a predicament.
Jarnail Singh Bhindrawala
Jarnail Singh (holding the arrow) accompanied
by Harchand Longowal
The Sant Nirankaris had strong
intercaste links with the Jang Sanghias. By
refusing the Sant Nirankaris permission to hold
the convention, the Akali Dal would risk a bust
up with the Jang Sanghias. On the other hand,
if the convention went ahead the Sikhs would
be upset. Jaila had played his card well and
the Akali Dal decided to let the convention
go ahead and weather the storm of Sikh protest.
On 13th April 1978, the Nirankari convention
took place in Amritsar. A fanatical agricultural
inspector named Fauja Singh,
affiliated with the Akhand Kirtani Jatha
and Bhindrawala marched through
the streets of Amritsar to confront the Sant
Nirankaris. They saw it their duty to stop what
was in their eyes anti-Sikh preaching, however,
along the way Bhindrawala and a few of his close
associates slipped away. For this act, Bibi
Amarjit Kaur, Fauja Singh’s wife
and head of Babbar Khalsa called
Bhindrawala a coward.
Fauja Singh
Fauja Singh and his wife, Amarjit Kaur
That day, 12 Sikhs including Fauja Singh and
3 Sant Nirankaris died in the ensuing clash.
The 12 Sikhs were immediately declared as martyrs
by Akhand Kirtani Jatha (A.K.J.),
and Samparda Kartar Singh Sikhs
(known popularly as ‘Dam Dami Taksal’).
This situation presented Sanjay Gandhi
and Jail Singh a with a potential political
disaster.
Gurbachan Singh
Gurbachan Singh with Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(who was at the time the Prime Minister of India)
The Congress Party began to whip up anti-Sant
Nirankari sentiments amongst the Sikhs via their
Congress-controlled Sikh temples in Delhi. Not
wishing to alienate their coalition partners,
the S.G.P.C. Akalis tried to play down the Sant
Nirankari incident in Punjab. The Congress-held
Gurdwaras in Delhi promoted Bhindrawala as a
hero of the Sant Nirankari incident.
Meanwhile the Sant Nirankaris had their court
case moved from Punjab to neighboring state
of Haryana because they felt that in Punjab
they would not get a fair hearing.
