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EARLY BACKGROUND Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale or '''Jarnail Singh Brar''' () was the leader of Damdami Taksal , a Sikh organisation based in India . Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale ( 12 February , 1947 – 6 June , 1984 ). He was born in the village of Rode, Faridkot district, Punjab, India. His father Joginder Singh, was a local Sikh leader. Jarnail Singh was the seventh of eight brothers. RISE TO POPULARITY In Punjab, the Congress(I) party followed a strategy of alternating communal incitement and appeasement, which were based on a desire for the popular vote and a control of the religious affairs of the Sikhs through the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC). The SGPC is the body that administered Sikh religious affairs and places of worship. This explosive mix of politics and manipulation of religious identities and communities succeeded in bringing the fringe of the Sikh far right into the forefront of State politics. Nowhere is this more evident than in Indira Gandhi's support of Bhindranwale, which succeeded in bringing a rather obscure, but firebrand cleric to the forefront. His political demands started attracting young uneducated male Sikhs. He was supported by the Congress (I) in the SGPC elections of 1979, though only 4 of his 40 candidates were able to secure seats. ROLE IN THE MILITANCY Bhindranwale was widely perceived to be a supporter for the creation of Khalistan , a proposed theocratic state. However, in a BBC he revealed some ambiguity in an interview where he stated that if the government agreed to the creation of Khalistan, he would not refuse. Other quotes attributed to Bhindranwale include 'we are not in favour of Khalistan nor are we against it.' Responding to the creation of Khalistan he is quoted as saying, 'We won't reject it. We shall not repeat the mistake of 1947.' to which he added, 'if the Indian Government invaded the Darbar Sahib complex, the foundation for an independent Sikh state will have been laid.' The BBC reported he was basically daring the Government to attack the holy site which would legitimise any further acts of terrorism. Back in 1978, it was alleged he was involved in a confrontation at with the Nirankari sect, now excommunicated from Sikhism. It was during this confrontation, that firing by the Nirankaris and retaliation by the Sikhs led to the death of 3 Nirankaris and 13 members of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha. The FIR named 22 persons, several of whom were known associates of Bhindranwale. In 1981, the leader of Nirankari sect was killed and Bhindranwale was implicated in ordering his death. He was later released without charge by the courts, thereby refuting later claims that he had been involved in the murder. It has been alleged in some quarters, that Bhindranwale's followers may have been responsible for the killing of Lala Jagat Narain , the proprietor of the Hind Samachar Group , publishers of the popular daily, Punjab Kesri . Narain had written some negative articles about Bhindranwale. Following this, Lala Jagat Narain was found dead along with 62 other staff of the daily paper. Due to absence of evidence, Bhindranwale was later released. Over the next 25 days, sporadic fights erupted in some areas where Bhindranwale's supporters gathered, while Bhindranwale was held in custody other incidents took place including the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane to Lahore . On October 15 Bhindranwale later armed his followers. Rioting continued with police. DEATH On June 1 , 1984 . Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi initiated Operation Bluestar and ordered the Indian Army to surround the Golden Temple complex to flush out militants. It was widely reported that Bhindranwale did not survive the operation and is thus regarded as a "martyr" by his followers According to correspondent Mark Tully also reported seeing Bhindranwale's battered body during his funeral. People who maintain that he survived the operation include Dilbir Singh, the Public Relations Advisor at Guru Nanak Dev University . He stated that Bhindranwale was injured on the right side of his temple. R.K. Bajaj, a correspondent for Surya magazine, claimed to have seen a photograph of Bhindranwale in custody. REFERENCES AND EXTERNAL LINKS |
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