Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale: Sant or terrorist?

JALANDHAR: BKU leader Rakesh Tikait’s short answer to a question from a journalist a couple of days ago about a Sikh protester at Lakhimpur Kheri wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a photograph of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was simply: “Some people consider him Sant and the government considers him a terrorist.”
In a short sentence, Tikait summed up the sharp division in the popular perception about Bhindranwale, who died in Operation Blue Star in June 1984.The only difference is that ‘many’ people in Punjab consider him a ‘Sant’ and a hero of the Sikh Panth who ‘laid down his life while defending the Akal Takht and the Sikh honour.’
In fact, hoardings, T-shirts and even vehicles with Bhindranwale’s photographs are a common sight in Punjab. Two ubiquitous photographs seen across Punjab are those of Bhindranwale and Bhagat Singh.
Bhindranwale was declared a ‘martyr’ of the Sikh community by the Akal Takht in 2003 and his photograph is on display in the Central Sikh Museum, which is part of Darbar Sahib Complex in Amritsar. The only reason for the delay in declaring him a ‘martyr’ was that his organisation, Damdami Taksal believed that he could have escaped alive in June 1984. The others who died with him had already been declared ‘martyrs of the faith’ earlier. The families of these ‘martyrs,’ including former Major General Shabeg Singh, are honoured by the Akal Takht annually on the anniversary of Operation Blue Star.
A memorial, named ‘Shaheedi Gallery’ is already being established along the ‘parikarma’ of the Golden Temple complex in the memory of the ‘martyrs’ – both the fighters and other devotees killed in Operation Blue Star.
Not only Shiromani Akali Dal, other mainstream political parties, including Congress, BJP and BSP prefer to avoid taking any explicit position on Bhindranwale even as a few BJP leaders have been calling him a terrorist during TV debates when facing specific questions. However, BJP’s top leaders in the state have been deftly avoiding taking any stand on the subject. Opinions remain divided between Sikhs and Hindus in Punjab, but both sides have learnt to stay together with this contradiction and SAD and BJP even had a highly successful tie-up that lasted over 23 years.
All is not in black and white, if some Sikhs remain critical of Bhindranwale, some Hindus too want a nuanced understanding. Kharar resident Navdeep Gupta even filed RTI applications to ask if Bhindranwale was mentioned as a ‘terrorist’ in police records or whether there was any FIR registered against him before Operation Blue Star. After getting the replies in negative, he made it a point to highlight it in the media and described him as a martyr.
Not only Akali Dal but even Congress and BJP have leaders who were once close to Bhindranwale and still admire and defend him. Punjab BJP spokesperson advocate Harinder Singh Kahlon, who once headed the All-India Sikh Students Federation after Operation Blue Star had not only proximity to Bhindranwale but also defended him in a TV interview recently. In the same interview, Kahlon also defended the three farm laws and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that he was sincere towards the Sikhs.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal was a Union minister in the Modi government when in a post on her official Facebook page on June 4, 2019, she paid tribute to those “who sacrificed themselves to guard the honour of Akal Takht.” Four days later, on June 8, she reiterated the respect “for those who laid down lives defending Sikh faith and Sri Akal Takht Sahib.”
Subramanian Swamy's take on religious preacher
Dr Subramanian Swamy has been maintaining dissenting views on Bhindranwale from the beginning, before and after Operation Blue Star and he has remained consistent in his views, including strongly criticising Operation Blue Star. In an article, titled ‘Creating a Martyr’, written just after the Army action, he questioned, “If Bhindranwale was a killer, what was the concrete proof?” apart from raising several other questions on the Army action, intent and narratives pushed by the central government.
In the same article, he had also argued, “Sikhs who had a nagging doubt about him, have none now. He is ‘Santji’ for them. His simple and crude message, however absurd, that Hindus want Sikhs as second class citizens, has registered with even articulate Sikhs.” He also predicted that “the killing of Bhindranwale furthermore has been counter-productive, Instead of one Bhindranwale, I cannot even guess how many new have been born because of his martyrdom.”
While some of his TV interviews are already available and Bhindranwale’s supporters often refer to these to drive home their point, on April 23, 2016, Swamy, during a function at Lovely Professional University near Jalandhar, said, “Sant Bhindranwale was a religious preacher. What I saw and what I knew personally and very clearly was that he was speaking out against narcotics and on other social issues in Punjab. He was young, aged 35 years, his speeches were fiery (joshiley). Once the Soviet ambassador also asked me why I was supporting Bhindranwale and I told him that I was not supporting him, but you can’t call him a terrorist as he was holding a press conference daily at Akal Takht. Will a terrorist hold a press conference at his place daily? Perceptions are created, perspectives are changed, things and opinions can be managed.”
“Blue Star was also Indira Gandhi’s compulsion as she was facing pressure from the USSR and she could not say no to the latter,” Swamy said.
Was Bhindranwale a Khalistani?
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was part of the Dharam Yudh Morcha launched by Shiromani Akali Dal, headed by Sant Harchand Singh Longowal. He always clearly announced that his political goal was the Anandpur Sahib Resolution but that clarity was missing when he used the “K” word. He referred to the ‘K’ word in two different ways — responding to questions about his demand for Khalistan — he often said the “mistake” of 1947 (implying so-called rejection of a separate Sikh State) would not be repeated and if the Government of India would offer it on a silver platter, he would not reject it. His other reference to Khalistan was if there was an “attack” on Darbar Sahib, then the foundation of Khalistan would be laid. He also said in his speeches that the Sikhs also need their own nest.
Both, the protagonists of Khalistan and those who don’t subscribe to the idea interpret his statements differently. “Bhindranwale had never unequivocally raised the demand for Khalistan. He would often say ‘we’ want to live in the country as equal citizens (to Hindus),” says veteran journalist and author Jagtar Singh, who apart from covering Punjab during the early 1980s also had an hour-long one-on-one meeting with Bhindranwale on May 25, 1984. “The idea of Khalistan gaining currency was more a result of the Operation Blue Star and November 1984 massacre of Sikhs in Delhi and other places in the country,” he adds.
Was he a Congress ‘creation?’
“It is also a wrong perception that he was a Congress creation. Facts are otherwise as Congress was nowhere in the scene when his emergence started in religious-political space in Punjab. He became the head of Damdami Taksal in 1977 and his emergence started after the April 13, 1978 Nirankari-Sikh clash in which 13 Sikhs were killed in Amritsar when Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi were fighting for their survival,” explains Jagtar Singh.
Former IAS officer and noted Sikh author Gurtej Singh, who remained close to Bhindranwale and also authored a book on him, also strongly rejects the suggestion that he was a Congress creation, “All facts contradict this perception,” he adds.
Baldev Singh, a retired bank officer, even authored a book titled ‘Was Bhindranwale a Congress creation’ to strongly argue that he was not by presenting facts and perspective.

To end bitterness, RSS chief Sudarshan met his successor in 2001
The pro-BJP ecosystem on social media and some of the party leaders have since the start of the farmers’ protest against the Centre’s three contentious farm laws last year suggested that Punjab farmers were secessionists with Khalistani leanings and the same narrative was used after a couple of protesters in Lakhimpur Kheri were seen on video clips wearing T-shirts with Bhindranwale portrait.
However, two decades ago the then Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, the late KC Sudarshan only engaged with Damdami Taksal, the Sikh seminary once headed by Bhindranwale, but also visited its headquarters and met his successor along with other Taksal leaders. Sudarshan was accompanied by senior BJP leader AR Kohli, who later became the Mizoram governor and Punjab RSS leaders.
“It was either at the end of 2000 or the beginning of 2001 when Sudarshan visited Taksal headquarters at Chowk Mehta and had a meeting with then Taksal chief Baba Thakar Singh and other Sikh Sants and Taksal leaders,” former Akal Takht Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode, a nephew of Bhindranwale, told TOI.
Recalling the details of the then RSS chief’s visit, he said, “When he entered the Taksal headquarters, he showed great reverence towards Baba Thakar Singh and the latter too reciprocated. The meeting happened in a hall that had a life-size picture of Sant Bhindranwale. The RSS chief’s opening remark was that he felt very sad over Army action on Darbar Sahib by the Congress government and called it a disaster.”
Baba Sarabjot Singh Bedi, who headed Gurmat Sidhant Parcharak Sant Samaj at the time and was very active, was also present at the meeting as one of the main articulators. “Sudarshan paid reverence to Baba Thakar Singh and after the initial exchange of pleasantries, he asked us what should be done to reduce bitterness between Hindus and Sikhs as he also dwelt upon the history, traditions, and the bond between the two communities. We explained the situation to him, highlighting that there were contrasting perceptions. We underlined that at the very outset they should do at least two things – one to declare that they recognised the independent religious identity of the Sikhs and second to release all the Sikh prisoners who were in jail for happenings in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star and November 1984 massacre of Sikhs. The meeting had lasted till late night and it was in a cordial atmosphere and Sudarshan sounded positive on both issues.”
“However, a prominent Sikh political leader started accusing us of hobnobbing with RSS, and propaganda was unleashed against us in which others also started participating and I withdrew from further negotiations,” Baba Bedi revealed.
Rode said that Sudarshan had said at the time that the Union government would send a list of Sikh prisoners after getting details on them. “Initially, some progress appeared on the issue immediately after meeting with Sudarshan but then things did not move forward,” he said, adding, “We don’t know what was exactly happening between Sangh and BJP and within the BJP government at the top on this issue as after some time the government appeared to be dragging its feet. At the same time, if one Sikh political leader issued open statements against the negotiations, another top Shiromani Akali Dal leader, who was allied with BJP, indulged in internal machinations and did not want negotiations to happen through Taksal and Sant Samaj,” he said.
The then Taksal spokesperson Bhai Mohkam Singh, who worked closely with Bhindranwale till Operation Blue Star and who was also present at the meeting with Sudarshan, endorsed the details shared by Baba Bedi and Rode about Sudarshan’s visit and what had transpired between the two sides. “When Sudarshan expressed regret at the Army action and blamed Congress for it, we made it a point to say that all had collaborated to isolate and vilify Sikhs and prepared ground for an attack on Darbar Sahib,” he said.
When contacted, former Mizoram governor A R Kohli confirmed that Punjab RSS leaders had also accompanied Sudarshan and him as RSS wanted to end bitterness between Sikhs and Hindus while always remaining alive to historic relations between them. "We wanted that Sangh parivar and Singh parivar should end bitterness and that would be in greater interests of the country," he said, adding, “I even sent a note to then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal about the issues flagged in the meeting at Taksal headquarters.”