We Are Not Terrorists, We Are Vanquishers Of Iniquity

 

2.2.1992

 

The voices of Bhai Jinda and Bhai Sukha

 

To my respected mother, father, brother Nirbhail Singh Khalsa, brother Bhupinder Singh Ji, sisters-in-law, sisters, townspeople, and to the congregation of the Guru, let’s hail one another with the greeting gifted to us by the great Guru,

 

The Khalsa belongs to Waheguru!

To Waheguru belongs victory!

 

At this time, we have received a most high-spirited letter from my lifelong brother Nirbhail Singh. Upon reading his letter, as with those from our respected mother, we are filled with such great optimism and hold our heads high in the knowledge that we are blessed with such a courageously spirited mother who is preparing her sons for climbing onto the gallows where they will place the noose around their necks.

 

My dearest mother! Your sons eagerly await being led towards the high seat of execution where we shall kiss the hangman’s rope. How fortunate are we to receive such a prize for undertaking what is our duty to defend the holiest Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar! Norman Cousins spoke the truth when he stated, “Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.”

 

Today, so many of the world’s nations enjoy their freedom, but the Sikh nation continues in its struggle to rid ourselves of enslavement. The Sikh way of life has no mention in the religious history of the World. We humbly try to walk on this path given to us by the Guru in order to ensure the continuation of the Sikh doctrines and the flourishing of this way of life, in this way we too join the devout Sikhs of our past in pledging to uphold the fight for Truth and Righteousness, for which countless brothers have been and are being martyred.

 

For Sikhs there is an inimitable association between the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the lifetimes of the ten Guru Sahibs, and the inheritance of the Khalsa, all of which combined in today’s struggle has been given the name ‘Khalistan’. It should be appreciated and understood that the concept of ‘Khalistan’ has not appeared all of a sudden from the ether. This struggle is neither a mere pipe dream of young people who have experienced disappointment and a spectrum of related emotions, nor is it the masterplan of misguided bitter individuals whose sole aim is to destroy the unity and peace of the land, both of which are the narratives being preached on a daily basis by the Indian State. The concept of ‘Khalistan’ can be found recorded in the mottos enshrined in our community over 275 years ago – ‘the Khalsa shall rule’ and ‘may the Khalsa be honoured’, both of which are an integral part of the daily Ardas made in supplication by the Khalsa individually and collectively.

 

We are not against any religion, in fact to the contrary, being true to morality is the very basis of our way of life. We are neither imperialist nor are we anti-democratic, moreover our central motto is ‘to work honestly, contemplate the Divine, and share what we have’. We are not in opposition to the impoverished nor any other section of the community, and daily we seek the welfare of all without exception. We are not terrorists, and we are not enemies of this state, we are vanquishers of iniquity and falsehood.

 

Every ideology, its proponent, administration, state and system is our enemy if it is removed from righteousness and leads away from the Divine path.

 

Any person who is spiritually awakened and on that Divine path of Truth and righteousness is our close friend and ally, regardless of whether they are Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jain or any other denomination or none.

 

From the birth of Sikhi until the modern day, the Brahmin rites of Hindutva have consciously or unconsciously, antagonised the Sikh Panth and has made plans to attempt to eradicate our way of life. From time to time, the idols of the Brahmin ways have entered our practices and stray us from the path of the Guru.

 

From reading the history of the Guru and of Sikh history, we have come to learn of their (Brahmin) ill intentions towards us and have become adept at discovering the tricks they employ. We do not yet write of how the Sikh rule was betrayed or how the promises prior to Partition went unkept; nor of the fight for Punjabi Suba – the very deliberate conspiracy to keep Punjabi speaking areas out of Punjab, the distribution of river waters, the rewriting of Sikh history and the interference into the Sikh Rehat Maryada, or any other betrayals. We write today of the rage that fell upon us in June 1984 when the troops of the communalist government, complete with tanks and artillery attacked our sacred ‘Sri Harmandir Sahib’.

 

This incident shook us to the very depths of our core. It helped us to clear the decades-long misperception of the Hindu communalist state that had rested uneasily on our minds. Whilst this massacre was extremely painful, it also provided us with the realisation that we have gone astray from our path, and perhaps for the first time our Qaum truly has understood the words repeated so often by Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale when he stated that the Sikhs are slaves in India, and that we are to extinguish this enslavement. The Sikh genocide and the daily fake encounters have made every Sikh realise what place we hold here in this country.

 

We remember the words of Sirdar Kapur Singh Ji, that, “Sikhs are either sovereign, or rebels, there is no such middle ground in which the Khalsa can reside in comfort.” The Khalsa only submits to the law of the Immortal One and is thus only accountable before that Divine entity.

 

Amongst the Sikhs, the will of the Immortal One arises from Gurmat-inspired collective thinking and deliberation. But if any worldly or imperial power contrives to find an opportunity in which to force itself upon the Sikhs, then the Khalsa adopts an altogether more rebellious form. Any legislation or constitution in which the will of the Khalsa is not fully embodied is challenged by the Sikhs at every turn, time and again, through any means, and where necessary will lead to the Khalsa entering into the battlefield.

 

The Khalsa is a loyal soldier of the Immortal One’s army. The Khalsa will challenge any and every worldly or imperial structure that goes against Divine order. In the present times, the freedom fighting factions of the Khalsa having declared war on the Indian state, it’s constitution and the Hindu leadership of the majority, is a manifestation of this deeply-rooted ideal based on our historically-informed deliberations.

 

The last five hundred years has taught the Sikh people that in order to retain our way of life and help it prosper wider, we need a part of this earth where our roots can take hold and blossom, becoming a center from where we spread the Sikh doctrine.

 

All know well that in the years leading up to 1947 and then beyond it, we engaged in an intrinsically touching peaceful struggle that is now a golden part of human history. But when those who rule become blind and deaf intoxicated by power, the struggle becomes wholly necessary and vital to our existence. Only when all other means fail does the Khalsa engage in armed struggle for as the Tenth Guru says:

 

When all other methods of communication have failed

It is righteous to take the sword in hand

 

This unstained struggle we have undertaken is awakening sleeping Qaums and alerting them to unite in the face of this enemy, and to engage in discussion where the flow of our thoughts can roam freely. The point for discussion before the Khalsa Panth today is not a question of whether the courageous struggle should be fought by peaceful means, for Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj has clearly indicated:

 

The truth spoken by the emancipator of the poor

Sovereignty is established through the power of arms

 

Rather, our thought and focus should be on the idea that this courageous struggle is fought along the highest of principles and Divine values, expressing our notion that the sword is not raised to inflict pain, but to bring peace and happiness. The barrel of the gun must always be aimed for the cause of the philosophically-minded, not the reverse. It is vital that on this journey of life we are of the purest character and highest morality. The right to vanquish a wicked culprit of evil deeds belongs only to the Gurmukh whose own morality is greater than that culprit. It is when we walk along the path in this way that the Guru will grace our life. We have no essence of pure character of our own accord; it is given to us as is true strength by the Immortal One when we walk in line with the Divine Design. Battles and weapons have a deep connection to the Sikh lifestyle, thus a Sikh who denies themselves the bearing of arms has gone astray from this path.

 

Brother Khalsa Ji! You have also written in your letter of the Hukam of Baba Thakur Singh Ji, an instruction that will now be fulfilled even if it means taking our last breath. We are happy that Baba Ji has instructed us to recite Gurbani. Contemplating the Name of the Divine is our first step. To do so and then instruct others to do so is the Hukam of the Guru, and by appreciating this we freely contemplate the Divine Name. To do good is in the nature of a Sikh, and this too is to be done by understanding it as Hukam. If misery or joy comes, it must also be understood as Hukam.

 

We have received letters from sister Boparai from the USA, sister Khalsa from Canada, and brothers Manjit Singh and Rajinder Singh (Darshan Das case) from England. The brothers have been moved to a different prison now and so we will send you their new address. All are in high spirits. They think of you all with great fondness and send their greetings of the great Guru’s Fateh.

 

How is dear father? Please send a message before you come to meet with us.

 

If there is a mistake in anything written, then please forgive us as your kith and kin. In closing, please join us in hailing the great Guru’s greeting once more,

 

The Khalsa belongs to Waheguru!

To Waheguru belongs victory!

 

Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda

Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha