Sikh naujawan in solidarity with Sikh Youth UK

Sikh naujawan should take inspiration from how UK-based naujawan have responded to years of collusion and repression–demonstrating resilience and remaining steadfast on the path of struggle.

Khalistan Centre | Akal Force | Sikh Youth of America | The Undying Morcha | Panthic Avaaz

On January 9, 2025, sevadars of Sikh Youth UK (SYUK), including Kaldip Singh Deepa and Rajbinder Kaur, were sentenced by British courts in an ongoing witch hunt to criminalize and repress Sikh support and advocacy for Khalistan across the UK. These events should not be viewed in a silo. Instead, they represent an increasing pattern through which a number of countries, particularly the UK, have colluded with Indian security agencies to criminalize and crackdown on Sikh naujawan.

Using the backdrop of a spike in insurgent strikes by Sikh jujharoos between 2015-2017 and the proliferation of widespread grassroots advocacy for Khalistan, Indian security forces renewed their tactic of criminalizing all Sikh dissent as sedition and terrorism–in Punjab, and around the world. In a set pattern, Indian security forces allege foreign conspiracies are destabilizing the country and swoop in to neutralize activists across the region—while pressuring international partners to prosecute and extradite Sikh naujawan around the world.

According to various sources, British intelligence cooperated with India to facilitate the abduction and arbitrary detention of Jagtar Singh “Jaggi” Johal in November 2017. Shortly thereafter, West Midlands Counter-Terrorism Police raided the homes of five Sikh activists, including Deepa Singh and his sister, Rajbinder Kaur, in 2018. Media reports clearly indicate these raids were carried out at the behest of Indian security agencies in order to clamp down on activists advocating for Khalistan and mobilizing for Jagtar Singh’s immediate release.

In 2020, UK authorities agreed to begin extradition proceedings against three Midlands-based Sikh naujawan who were then arrested from their homes in the middle of the night. The West Midlands Three were subject to an extradition request and years of court proceedings with their lives hanging in the balance. If extradited, they faced the death penalty in India on trumped up charges that were eventually dropped because the Indian government failed to provide even a shred of evidence of their allegations.

This pattern of collusion between India and the UK has culminated most recently in the sentencing of the SYUK sevadars this past week, but it represents a broader trend across a number of NATO-aligned countries seeking to appease India to strengthen their individual economic ties, and ultimately to pressure India to join their collective camp against China. For years, India has used this favourable situation to demand that the UK, Canada, US, and Australia crack down on so-called “Sikh extremism” in exchange for diplomatic and economic cooperation with varied degrees of success.

The precarious position of Sikhs around the world is once again laid bare in the absence of political sovereignty, despite every attempt to ingratiate ourselves to our host societies. While it is important that we take stock of the current geopolitical realities, the most important step for Sikh naujawan today is to chart our own course to achieve our collective political vision of Khalistan on our own terms and rooted in our own autonomous power.

The current wave of repression we have seen through the assassinations of Jathedar Parmjit Singh Panjwar, Bhai Avtar Singh Khanda, and Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar, is a continuation of the state’s genocidal policy to repress any Sikh mobilization that steps outside the boundaries of the state’s control. The degree of force and intensity of various psyops (psychological operations) is not only aimed at suppressing the growing political consciousness of Sikh naujawan, but also to shock, confuse, and terrorize Sikh communities around the world with the spectre of overwhelming force and legalized repression.

While we continue to repel the current onslaught on multiple fronts, Sikh naujawan must prioritize strengthening our own internal capacity (individual and collective) and infrastructure as we inevitably barrel towards the next phase of our sangarsh. We must shift the terrain from a politics of grievance seeking solutions solely from state institutions, towards an internal transformation aimed at cultivating our collective power through our own sovereign institutions.

Sikh naujawan should take inspiration from how Sikh Youth UK and other UK-based naujawan have responded to years of collusion and repression–demonstrating resilience and remaining steadfast on the path of struggle. As Rajbinder Kaur was taken into custody, she shouted “I am not afraid, Waheguru is with me!” This spirit of chardikala and defiance is foundational in our larger struggle.

We call on Sikh naujawan around the world to acknowledge the gravity of our situation and commit ourselves to resolutely continuing the struggle for Khalistan, consistently building upon each small victory to move towards our ultimate objective. Foregoing overnight, symbolic victories, it is important that we begin to relish the gruelling and invisible work of preparation and action that will be required for sustained periods of time in the years to come.