Struggle for Justice: Speeches and Conversations of Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale

Ranbir Singh Sandhu

Sikh Educational and Religious Foundation,

P.O. Box 1553, Dublin, Ohio43017, USA

The leader of a popular Sikh religious revival in the late 1970's and1980's, Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale is perhaps one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted figures in recent history. The Sant spoke only Punjabi and authentic material in English has been virtually non-existent.

Following his death at the hands of the Indian army in 1984 and the ensuing religious and ethnic cleansing, people hurried to destroy photographs, literature, and recordings to avoid persecution. Through this culmination of fifteen years of painstaking research, the author has given us a rare opportunity to meet and understand this man through his own words. This 608 page book published recently by the Sikh Educational and Religious Foundation includes an introductory essay titled "Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale Mission and Martyrdom" and chronologically arranged English translations of forty-four speeches and three conversations of the Sant transcribed from several audio and video tapes. This publication raises vital questions for the media and academia, who expect transparency from the state agencies and hold them accountable fortheir words and deeds. They might have to undertake a probing self-analysis and ask themselves, why did they accept the official media blitz of misinformation without verifying the sources and thus unwittingly becoming a party to distorting the truth?

Sikh Educational and Religious Foundation (SERF),

P.O. Box 1553, Dublin,Ohio, 43017, USA

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Those who possess a sense of reality and a love for the true freedom and dignity of individuals and nations ... are thus convinced of the legitimacy of the right to defend oneself against an unjust aggressor." "War and violence originate when one does not recognize the fundamental rights of man.","Violence which destroys homes and buildings is serious, but violence directed against the dignity of the individual is intolerable and unworthy of man ... if we remain silent, the clamor of violence will stifle the cry of the people, who call for justice and peace."

-Pope John Paul II in Ypress, Belgium addressing the meeting to remember those who died in Flanders. (Pope Defends Concept of a Just War, The NewYork Times, 18 May 1985)

A Sampling of Sant Bhindranwale's ViewsMission:

"My mission is to administer Amrit, to explain the meanings ofGurbani and to teach Gurbani to those around me; ... that a Hindu should betrue Hindu, a Muslim should be a true Muslim, and a Sikh should be a trueSikh." Conversation, 22 February 1984.

Respect for all faiths:

"Who was Jaidev? Wasn't he a Hindu from amongst you? He was a Brahmin. Jaidev is sitting here in Guru Granth Sahib. If as on of a Sikh has made obeisance here he has done so at the feet of Jaidev, the Brahmin." Speech, early 1982.

Demands:

"Our demands were primarily the release of our Singhs and classification of Amritsar as a holy city. That was all. These were the basic demands." Conversation, January 1983.

Separate state:

"How can a nation which has sacrificed so much for the freedom of the country want it fragmented but I shall definitely say that we are not in favor of Khalistan nor are we against it." Speech, 11 May1983.

Police atrocities:

"The police force is set up for the protections of the public, but today's police have taken on the form of robbers to loot the public." Speech, 30 July 1983.

Possession and use of weapons:

"With reference to weapons I shall only say that you should bear arms. Being armed, there is no greater sin for a Sikh than attacking an unarmed person, killing an innocent person, looting a shop, harming the innocent, or wishing to insult anyone's daughter or sister. Also, being armed, there is no sin greater than not seeking justice." Speech, 20 October 1983.

On defending Harmandar Sahib:

"Do not commit any excesses, do not be unfair to anyone but just as for a Muslim there in only wilderness after Mecca, for a Sikh of the Guru, there is nothing but wilderness beyond Harmandar Sahib. We do not got to anyone's home, we do not loot anybody's shop, nor do we lay siege to any place. However, if someone intoxicated by his power as a ruler attacks our home, we are not sitting here wearing bangles that we shall continue to suffer as eunuchs and as lifeless people."  Speech, 18 May 1983.

Some Reports About Sant Bhindranwale

"The Sant's following grew as he successfully regenerated the 'good' life of purity, dedication, and hard work by reviving these fundamental values of the Sikh religion's way of life." Vanadana Shiva: The Violence of TheGreen Revolution, Research Foundation for Science and Ecology, Dehra Dun, 1989."

Bhindranwale's Amrit Prachar was a resounding success. Adults in their thousands took oaths in public to abjure liquor, tobacco, and drugs, and were baptized. Videocassettes showing blue films and cinema houses lost outto the village Gurdwara. Men not only saved money they had earlier quandered in self-indulgence, but now worked longer hours on their lands and raised better crops. They had much to be grateful for to Jarnail Singh who came to be revered by them ..." Khushwant Singh: A History of the Sikhs,Volume 2: 1839-1988, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, Delhi, 1991.

"Contrary to the popular belief that he took the offensive, senior police sources in the Punjab admit that the provocation came in fact from a Nirankari official who started harassing Bhindranwale and his men. There were two or three Nirankaris in key positions in the Punjab in those days and they were powerful enough to be able to create quite a lot of trouble."Taveleen Singh: The Punjab Story, edited by Amarjit Kaur et al., Roli Books, New Delhi, 1984.

"By early this year, it was apparent to her (Indira Gandhi, then PrimeMinister of India) that Bhindranwale had become so popular he had usurped the Akali's authority, leaving the party impotent in negotiations and fearful of his violent fanaticism. No matter how long she talked to the Akalis, Mrs. Gandhi concluded, they could never deliver on an agreement that would hold while Bhindranwale was alive." Laura Lopez: India, Diamonds, and the Smell of Death, Time, 25 June 1984.

"The army went into Darbar Sahib not to eliminate a political figure or apolitical movement but to suppress the culture of a people, to attack their heart, to strike a blow at their spirit and self-confidence." Joyce Pettigrew: The Sikhs of Punjab, Zed Publishers, London, 1995.