Sikhs, suppression and bloody revenge

I recently returned to India with the Memsahib.

We had been several times before and love both the country and its peoples. Indeed, we had spent our honeymoon in India all those years ago. And the circle is about to be squared because our daughter will be honeymooning there later this month.

But this is not the purpose of this post.

On the day we flew out from Heathrow (1st October) I noticed a brief story on the BBC about an attack in London on a retired Indian army general. One of those inevitable coincidences that occur in life, you might say, or is it the case that you just pay more attention when you hear the connector, in this case India?

What really caught my eye was the suggestion that far from the attack being some horrible street robbery gone wrong, there was potentially another more sinister explanation for the attack. It turns out that the officer concerned, Lieutenant General Kuldeep Singh Brar, led the bloody 1984 operation to remove Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Amritsar, it turns out was to be our first stop on the trip, and this news heightened expectations because of course there is a long standing connection between the city and violent events both on the sub-continent and in London.

It is of course the site of what is known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre which occurred on 13th April 1919. The unfortunate events of that day, ordered by Brigadier-General Reginald E.H. Dyer, led to the deaths of many hundreds of unarmed men, women and children by British army personnel. The site is now a memorial public garden which we visited and saw, rather poignantly, some of the bullet scarred walls retained as a permanent reminder of the tragedy.

Bullet scarred wall Jallianwala Bagh

Bullet shaped memorial Jallianwala Bagh

Brigadier-General Dyer left the army and died in 1927 but that was not the end of the matter.

Udham Singh Kamboj was present at the Jallianwala Bagh that day and witnessed the dreadful events. The British Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab, Michael O'Dwyer had approved Dyer's action and was believed by Udham Singh and others to be the main planner. Udham Singh planned to take his revenge by killing O’Dwyer and eventually travelled to England where on 13th March 1940 he did so by shooting and killing him. Udham Singh was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. He was hanged at Pentonville Prison on the morning of the 31st July 1940. Although buried later that afternoon within the prison grounds his remains were finally exhumed and repatriated to India in July 1974 where he is revered, particularly in Punjab, as a revolutionary and independence fighter.

More recently, there is ‘Operation Blue Star’, the 1984 Indian military operation, ordered by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and led by General Brar, to remove Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Golden Temple Amritsar

Again many hundreds died in the assault on the Golden Temple complex itself but there were many other deaths to follow. Not least of all Indira Gandhi herself, murdered in a hail of bullets by two of her own Sikh bodyguards on 31st October 1984. One of the bodyguards was killed after both had surrendered and another was subsequently arrested as an accomplice in the murder. Both the surviving bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh were convicted, sentenced to death and hanged in Delhi's Tihar jail.  Following the cremation of Indira Gandhi, millions of Sikhs were displaced and thousands were killed in anti-Sikh riots.

Indira Gandhi statue Shimla

Indira Gandhi is remembered across India. There are many different buildings and institutions named after her. Statues have been erected to her. But in Amritsar I did not see any such public recognition or feel any great affection for her. 

In addition General Arun Shridhar Vaidya, the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army at the time of Operation Blue Star, was shot dead in Pune on 10th August 1986 while driving his car home from the market. In 1989, Sukhdev Singh Sukha and Harjinder Singh Jinda were sentenced to death for the killing and were hanged on 9th October 1992.

 

All of these events were faithfully recounted to us by our excellent guide and travelling companion, Vikram Singh Rathore, as we made our way through Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. 

Vikram Singh Rathore and friends

We were fortunate enough to be able to visit the Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib twice. Once to see the temple complex itself during the day and then later that evening to witness Palki Sahib when the Granth Sahib (Holy Book) is carried in procession along the bridge to its "bed" in the Akal Takht. This nightly ceremony provides a chance for male pilgrims and visitors to actively participate in the veneration of the Holy Book as the heavy palanquin is passed along the shoulders of the worshippers.

Palki Sahib

Which I suppose brings me full circle back to London. 

I do not know why General Brar was attacked and will not speculate on the reasons. On 4th October, Scotland Yard announced that they had arrested three people for the attack. Further arrests followed and two men, Barjinder Singh Sangha and Mandeep Singh Sandhu, were, on 8th October, charged with wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm on the general. Barjinder Singh Sangha was also charged with common assault on the general's wife, Meena.

Westminster magistrates remanded them in custody and adjourned the case to 7th December when they are due to appear at Southwark Crown Court. These matters will fall to be considered by judge and jury applying due process but of one thing I am certain. Whatever the outcome, there will be no hanging.

UPDATE 1st August 2013 – The BBC reported that Mandeep Singh Sandhu, 34, of Birmingham, Dilbag Singh, 37, and Harjit Kaur, 39, of London were this week convicted at Southwark Crown Court of wounding with intent. Barjinder Singh Sangha, 33, of Wolverhampton, had admitted the charge. The trio, along with Singh Sangha, will be sentenced on 19 September.