Akal Takht
and SGPC provide legitimacy to 1981 hijacking that globalised Khalistan
narrative
Ground Zero
Jagtar Singh
Khalistan
men hijack Boeing to Lahore- The Indian Express
“Khalistan”
men hijack I. A. plane – The Tribune
Both these
banner headlines in these two newspapers published from Chandigarh were datelined
September 30, 1981.
This was the
hijacking by the members of the Dal Khalsa that brought under focus the demand
for Khalistan that otherwise had not been raised by any of the main Sikh organisations
till then, except by National Council of Khalistan headed by Dr. Jagjit Singh
Chohan. This hijacking was staged mainly to demand release of Sant Jarnail
Singh Bhindranwale in the case relating to the assassination of Jalandhar-based
owner-editor of Hind Samachar group of newspapers Lala Jagat Narain.
It was also
with this action that the Dal Khalsa constituted in 1978 in reaction to the
killing of 13 Sikhs in Sikh-Nirankari clash at Amritsar on the Baisakhi of April
13, 1978 came into the limelight.
The Dal Khalsa
continues to advocate Khalistan but now professes democratic approach.
It is on the
42nd anniversary of this hijacking that the two highest Sikh
institutions -The Akal Takht and the SGPC – have provided ipso facto legitimacy
to this first such action associated with the militant struggle.
Of course,
earlier in 2020, the Akal Takht had accorded the title of Jalawatan Yodha (Warrior
in Exile) on one of the hijackers Gajinder Singh who recently announced his location
in Pakistan. Gajinder is also one of the founders of Dal Khalsa.
Akal Takht
Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh in a written statement has today paid tributes to
Gajinder Singh on the completion of his 41 years in exile.
He stated, “Bhai
Gajinder Singh ‘Zinda Shaheed’ (Living Martyr) hijacked the plane against
injustice being meted out to the Sikh nation and release of Sant Jarnail Singh
Bhindranwale on September 29, 1981 to open the blocked ears of the Indian
rulers. I salute the patience and fortitude of this warrior…his sacrifice would
continue to shine like a bright star in the sky of Sikh history”.
SGPC chief
attended the function organised by Dal Khalsa at Hoshiarpur today on the
anniversary of this hijacking. As per the press release by Dal Khalsa, Dhami “praised
Gajinder Singh for his contribution towards Sikh struggle and in highlighting
the discrimination and injustices heaped on Sikhs by successive governments.”
The associates
of Gajinder Singh who hijacked this Indian Airlines IC-423 Delhi-Amritsar-Srinagar hopping flight
included Satnam Singh Paonta Sahib, Tejinder Pal Singh, Jasbir Singh and Karan Singh. None of them had boarded a plane
earlier.
It is not for
the first time that both the highest Sikh institutions have come together on the
issues relating to the radical discourse
that was sparked by the Sikh-Nirankari clash. It was this clash that catalysed
the rise of Sant Bhindranwale who only a few months earlier in August 1977 had
taken over as chief of the Damdami Taksal at a young age of 30 following the
death of his predecessor Sant Kartar Singh in a road accident near Solan in
Himachal Pradesh.
What is
important that both these institutions continue to legitimise that struggle
from time to time. It is a separate issue that the completely marginalised Shiromani
Akali Dal is trying hard to revert to the Panthic concerns.
Of course,
at another level, the Sant Bhindranwale martyrs memorial in the Darbar Sahib
(Golden Temple) complex symbolises the armed struggle but the same has again been
reinforced by the two Sikh institutions in the context of the hijacking
anniversary.
It is
pertinent to mention that what at one time used to be non-descript US based Sikhs
for Justice recently organised a Sikh referendum in a Canadian city on this
Khalistan issue. The Khalistan narrative is being kept alive.
Some other
sections too now seem to be getting active in this domain reviving the memories
of 1981.
Dal
Khalsa today appealed to Govt of Pakistan to consider the case of Gajinder
Singh for political asylum. Terming Gajinder Singh as a stateless
person, who is living in exile ever since his release from Pakistani prison in
Nov 1994, the resolution stated in case Gajinder Singh was still there and
wished to spent his rest of life in Pakistan and approached the concerned authorities, his case for asylum be
given sympathetic consideration on humanitarian grounds. It further says,
our abroad unit will submit the memo in this regard to Pakistan government
through its local embassy.
Senior
leader Kanwar Pal Singh said today’s March was dedicated to Sikh political
prisoners, martyrs and militants living in exile as they all fought to gain
freedom from India and all of them have sacrificed their lives and suffered and
are still suffering under detentions or exile.
Article seams to give new meanings to Khalistan narrative
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