PoliTricks, false apologies, and gunshots
Bhai Narain Singh’s actions didn’t occur in a vacuum, they’re only one stage in a long unfolding struggle between the Indian state, compromised politicians, and the Guru Khalsa Panth.
The past several months have seen considerable activity and discussion in Sikh spaces, with a particular focus on rejuvenating Panthic institutions and Panthic politics. While the core issues go much deeper and stem much further back, recent attention started after the SGPC-appointed Jathedars led a choreographed farce to impose a supposed thankhaah (punishment/penance) on multiple Badal Dal leaders and then rose to its peak when veteran jujharoo (warrior), Bhai Narain Singh Chaura, fired a gun at Sukhbir Badal only days after.
Rather than simply focusing our attention on a single event or personality however, it is crucial that we reflect more clearly on the underlying context—and most importantly, the opportunities and threats that brought all this to the fore. Bhai Narain Singh’s actions didn’t occur in a vacuum, they’re only one stage in a long unfolding struggle between the Indian state (now controlled by the BJP-RSS), compromised politicians who have willingly undermined Sikh institutions in exchange for patronage from the Indian establishment, and the Guru Khalsa Panth which continues its ongoing sangarsh to maintain Khalsa jee ke bol baale and establish halemi raj, Khalistan.
Looking at the events over the past several weeks, there are several points that Sikh naujawan must reflect on to understand the different forces interacting with the Panth and broader sangat—internally and externally.
Who is Bhai Narain Singh Chaura?
Bhai Narain Singh Chaura was a key thinker and guerrilla commander of the Sikh sangarsh. He was a leading figure of the Akal Federation, one of the earliest groups dedicated to the establishment of Khalistan prior to 1984. Immediately following the Battle of Amritsar, Bhai Narain Singh went underground and played a key role in organizing armed groups and arranging logistics. He was widely known for his insightful analysis and strategic guidance to the movement, including authoring an instructional manual on Sikh guerrilla warfare. After the decline of the armed struggle, he played a foundational role in reorganizing Sikh groups for mass mobilization, political fronts, as well as mobilizing human rights advocacy. He was the driving force behind many initiatives to document India’s human rights atrocities and identify police officers responsible for various crimes against humanity. He also compiled and published all of Sant Jarnail Singh jee’s speeches, as well as Panthic Dastavej, key documents related to the movement, in addition to numerous books on Panthic issues and Sikh poetry. Bhai Narain Singh was accused of being a main conspirator in the legendary 2004 Burail jailbreak, when Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara, Bhai Parmjeet Singh Bheora, and Bhai Jagtar Singh Tara escaped from jail. He was arrested again in 2013 on various accusations of organizing armed actions, and was eventually released in 2017. He immediately returned to mobilizing Sikhs under multiple fronts upon his release, and spent the past several years rejuvenating sovereign Sikh institutions through the Panth Sewak Collective.
Electoral politics = Panthic politics?
Almost all mainstream reporting on this issue has revolved exclusively around the revival of Sikh electoral politics, and in particular, the Badal faction of the Akali Dal.
The reality however, is that electoral politics—particularly, subordinated to the Indian state—does not represent the horizon or even substance of Panthic politics and power. Rather than being bogged down into an exercise dominated exclusively by the Indian state, the need of the hour is for the Panth to revive our own control and command centre, rooted in Panthic traditions and principles to establish our sovereign power bases from which the political structures of halemi raj can be built. This is something that Bhai Narain Singh Chaura had dedicated himself throughout his whole life.
The Guru Khalsa Panth plays a central role within the wider Sikh sangat, as it is the Khalsa that is Guru-roop (collectively the form of the Guru) itself. The Khalsa anchors its sovereign authority in the patshahi bestowed upon it by the Guru, manifesting this sovereignty in the world through the institutions of the Sarbat Khalsa and Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib–not a political party subordinate to the Indian state.
The BJP is a primary driver behind events over the past several months
While all attention has been focused on the activities of internal factions within the Akali Dal and Sri Akaal Takhat, it is imperative that we understand that the BJP has been a primary driver of events in Sikh politics over the past several months, and even years. We have written at length about the BJP’s outlook in India and strategy to contain and neutralize Sikh resistance in Punjab and around the world.
While this entire thankhaah episode originated with the formal complaint by the so-called “baagi” (rebel) faction within the Badal Dal, it is no secret that the leaders of this faction all have close ties with the BJP. Even SGPC-appointed Jathedar, Harpreet Singh, is openly known to have close ties with India’s Home Minister, Amit Shah. This is the same leader that has been exposed as coordinating the violence against Sikhs across Canada, including the assassination of Shaheed Bhai Hardeep Singh jee.
Utilizing the so-called “rebels” and Giani Harpreet Singh as their proxies, one of the BJP’s primary objectives was to revive the “Akali Dal” with their own sycophants firmly planted in leadership after forcing Sukhbir Badal out of his position.
What next?
The future of Panthic politics lies in grassroots mobilization and independent Sikh institutions–not par-adheen (subordinated) institutions created and controlled by the Indian state. While conversations must be had about our strategic interactions with external political structures, we will always remain vulnerable to the political headwinds of any state if we tie our destiny solely to flawed mechanisms of state power.
The Guru Khalsa Panth and Sikh sangat must develop the internal infrastructure necessary to build a sustainable political movement with long-term vision and collective leadership, rooted in Sikh sidhant (principles) and a critical understanding of our current political landscape. By doing so, the Sikh sangarsh can effectively navigate the challenges posed by the BJP's Hindutva project and collectively advance towards the establishment of a sovereign Khalistan.
It must be noted that instead of mobilizing the entire Khalsa Panth, the Jathedars started the exercise of reviving and coordinating those factions of the Badal Dal, which were already aligned with the BJP… Therefore, the ongoing efforts to re-establish this party simply by changing faces (ie. the Badals), without any structural or policy changes, is simply an exercise to realign this party with the BJPs central government.
