In India, there is a group of people who wear colorful turbans and have thick beards, a common sight in the Indian military. However, these people are actually a minority in India—the Sikhs, who follow Sikhism, the third-largest religion in India after Hinduism and Islam.
Sikhs have two notable characteristics:
Unity and strength.
These two traits often combine to give Sikhs a tendency towards independence.
Sikhism and Sikhs
Sikhism originated in the Indian subcontinent, combining elements of Sufism in Islam and the Bhakti movement in Hinduism.
Sufism, regarded as heretical in mainstream Islam, advocates tolerance towards non-believers and grassroots proselytizing.
Sufism spread to Persia with the expansion of the Arab Empire and eventually reached India during the Delhi Sultanate period.
In India, Sufism merged with the Bhakti movement to form Sikhism. Sikhism opposes the Hindu caste system and advocates for equality, gradually attracting a large following.
Those who follow Sikhism become Sikhs, defined by their religious beliefs rather than by ethnicity.
If a Sikh's descendants no longer practice Sikhism, they are no longer considered Sikhs. Due to prolonged oppression, Sikhs learned to use force to protect their freedom.
Sikhs mainly reside in the Punjab region, although this area has seen various rulers throughout history.
In 1947, during the partition of India and Pakistan, Punjab was divided, causing some Sikhs to move to India.
Sikh Struggles
After the partition, large-scale massacres occurred between India and Pakistan. Sikhs in Pakistan faced persecution, prompting many to flee to India.
In India, Sikhs also faced oppression and sought to establish an autonomous state in Punjab with Punjabi as the official language.
However, since Sikhs made up only 35% of Punjab's population, their demands were unmet, leading to a push for independence.
When Indira Gandhi came to power, she attempted to solve the issue by dividing Punjab into three states:
Haryana, Punjab, and parts integrated into Himachal Pradesh.
This division seemingly resolved the issue but left many disputes and hidden dangers.
In the new Punjab, Sikhs made up only 52%, and their political status remained unstable.
Punjab transformed from a comprehensive state to a purely agricultural one, with unresolved land division issues, particularly over the status of Chandigarh, making Sikhs feel unfairly treated.
Escalation of the Punjab Issue
In July 1981, Sikh extremists hijacked an Indian Airlines plane, heightening the conflict between Sikhs and the government.
Frequent terrorist attacks led Indira Gandhi to approve "Operation Blue Star," where the Indian army began to suppress Sikh separatists.
On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.
Importance of Punjab
For the Indian government, allowing Punjab to become independent or highly autonomous is impossible because Punjab is a major grain-producing area in India, producing 25.46% of the country's rice and 43.4% of its wheat.
Punjab's independence would lead to a food crisis in India, which is why the government insists on controlling Punjab.
During "Operation Blue Star," a significant portion of the Indian military comprised Sikhs, making the operation highly risky and resulting in widespread Sikh defections.
Despite these risks, the Indian government persisted in controlling Punjab, reflecting Punjab's crucial importance to India.
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