Nishan Sahib Colors Change

On 26 Jul, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee’s (SGPC) Dharam Prachar (religious preaching) Committee issued a circular regarding the colors of the Nishan Sahib. The circular says, Sikh community and institutions must remain cognisant about the Rehat Maryada (code of conduct) which mandates the color of the Nishan Sahib is either basanti (xanthic) or surmai (blue). The move comes in the wake of complaints received from Sikh organizations that in many Gurdwaras, the Nishan Sahib is kesari (saffron) instead of basanti. Saffron, according to the complainants, denotes the Hindu religion, and not Sikhi. Section 3 of Chapter 4 of the Rehat Maryada says, ‘At a high-level site in every Gurdwara should be installed the Nishan Sahib (Sikh flag). The cloth of the flag should be either of xanthic or of grayish blue color and on top of the flag post, there should either be a spearhead or a Khanda (a straight dagger with convex side edges leading to slanting top edges ending in a vertex).’ According to Sikh historical sources, the yellow Nishan Sahib was first unfurled by the 6th Sikh Sovereign, Guru Hargobind Singh, in 1606. Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Sovereign, instituted the Khalsa in 1699 and introduced the blue flag. Even the Calcutta Christian Observer, in its 4th volume published 1835, records the yellow Nishan Sahib at Darbar Sahib (Golden temple). Except the Damadami Taksal, a school of thought within the Sikhs, the community has accepted the move. On 4 Aug, the historic Ber Sahib Gurdwara in Sultanpur Lodhi was the first to adopt the new colors.

AAP MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney has introduced The Online Hate Speech (Prevention) Bill 2024 in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House). The private member’s Bill addresses the issue of online hate speech. It aims to curb communal disharmony and religious hatred spread through social media. It includes provisions to penalize individuals who use any platform to spread religious enmity or denigrate individuals based on religion, race, caste, community, sex, national or ethnic origin, language, or disability. Sahney emphasized the outdated nature of the current Information Technology Act of 2000, established before the advent of social media, and the urgent need for updated legislation to tackle modern challenges and protect the social fabric of the country. Sahney has previously flagged the issue of online hate propaganda, seeking action against accounts propagating communal discord, including calls for a repeat of the 1984 genocide of Sikhs. Meanwhile on 31 Jul, X shut down and then revived a prominent social media page, Tracking Hate Against Sikhs with the handle @thaSikhs. The Sikh community and advocacy groups including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) condemned X for silencing an account that countered hateful propaganda against Sikhs, while allowing hate campaigns against the community to persist unchecked. When the @thaSikhs handle was suspended, many Hindutva trolls celebrated. @thaSikhs pointed out several instances where Hindutva trolls target Sikhs; they  can be seen here and here. The account administrators noted that their account remains under attack, with ongoing attempts to suspend it, urging followers to join their Telegram group for regular updates.

Bloomberg on 31 Jul reported that Indian and Canadian intelligence agencies have uncovered potential assassination plots targeting Sikh activists in North America. On 3 Nov 2023, five men were arrested in Brampton, Ontario, on firearms charges. This was a day before prominent Sikh activists, including New York-based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, were to attend a wedding in Brampton. (SDW Vol 1 Issue 11, Story 1) The arrested are Swaranpreet Singh, Jobanpreet Singh, Maninder Singh, Ramanpreet Singh, and Amandeep Singh, previously charged in the June 2023 murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. The timing of the arrests, coinciding with the expected presence of Pannun at the wedding, suggests a possible targeted plot. The arrests and subsequent intelligence exchanges between the two countries included two meetings between Canada’s intelligence chief and an Indian interlocutor in a third country, to discuss the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar (SDW Vol 1 Issue 3, Story 1). A spokesperson for Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) did not directly address a query about the interactions abroad in recent weeks. He said: ‘I can confirm that the director has traveled to India to meet with officials. However, given CSIS’s mandate and specific operational requirements, and in order to protect the safety and security of Canadians, I cannot provide more specific information related to the activities of employees, including the director of CSIS.’ There was no official word on the meetings from the Indian side. This has led to further scrutiny of India’s external spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), resulting in staff departures. A senior journalist tweeted, ‘Seems there is some desperation in trying to shield (National Security Advisor of India) Ajit Doval from accountability.’

The Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh informed the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) on 31 Jul that a total of 1,335,878 Indian students, including from Panjab, are currently studying abroad. Canada tops the list with 427K students, followed by the US with 337K students, the UK with 185K students, Australia with 122K students, and Germany with 42K students. This trend indicates a near doubling of Indian students studying abroad over the past six years from 675,541 in 2019. In a separate statement, Singh reported that 633 Indian students have died abroad over the past five years due to various causes. The highest fatalities are in Canada – 172, US – 108, UK – 58, Australia – 57, and Russia - 37. Singh disclosed 19 students died due to violent attacks, with Canada and the US accounting for nine and six of these deaths, respectively. A year back, investigation of overdose deaths among Panjabi students in Canada raised concerning questions about mental health and drug awareness. Singh emphasized the Indian government's commitment to the safety of Indian students abroad and noted that 48 Indian students were deported from the US in the past three years. Singh said, the US authorities have not officially shared any reasons for the expulsions with the Indian govt.

Recent investigations in Panjab have uncovered two significant immigration frauds in Ludhiana and Moga, amounting to over $331K. In Ludhiana, an immigration firm owner, Madhvi Malhotra, reported that four fraudsters from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh issued fake certificates of sponsorship for clients applying for UK visas, leading to a loss of $222K. In Moga, a couple and their aides, operating under the name Time to Fly, duped their employees and financiers by misusing salary accounts to show fake balances for Canadian visa applications, resulting in a fraud of $108K. Additionally, in Khanna, a travel agent was booked for allegedly sending a young man to Armenia instead of Germany after taking $11.3K. On 26 Jul, Panjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said an investigation by the Tax Department’s Enforcement Wing has uncovered fake billing scams worth thousands of crore. Two firms dealing in gold were found to have generated fake bills of $102M, while 303 firms dealing in iron were involved in fake billings of $481M. 68 other firms were found to have engaged in fake billing of $63M after getting their firms registered under fake names. The Federation of Punjab Small Industries Association (FOPSIA) claims to have compiled a report to support and prove Goods and Service Tax (GST) evasions in Panjab to the tune of $2.3B. 'The total GST evasion detected in Punjab was $497M till November 2023 and the recovered amount was just $140M with 61 arrests made.

On 1 Aug, a seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court of India (SCI) headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, in a majority judgment held that the Indian states have a right to sub-classify Scheduled Castes (SC) notified in the Presidential List with an objective to provide them preferential treatment in public employment and education. 49 years before the SC verdict, in 1975, Panjab’s then INC CM Zail Singh issued a circular granting 50% quota within quota for Balmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs who are sub-castes within SCs. This continued until 2006 when the Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) struck it down after it was challenged in the backdrop of the E.V. Chinnaiah v State of Andhra Pradesh case in which a five-judge SCI Bench struck down the Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act, 2000 for being violative of the right to equality. After the PHHC struck down the Act, Panjab saw massive protests by Mazhabis and Balmikis. In 2006 itself, then Panjab INC CM Amarinder Singh brought a Bill in the state assembly to ‘protect and safeguard the reservation rights of the Balmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs.’ The Punjab Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act, 2006 was enacted (SDW Vol 2 Issue 8, Story 10). During the current judgment, four of the seven judges remarked ‘the government should extend the 'creamy layer principle’ to SC and Scheduled Tribes (ST), like in the case of Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. Creamy layer means the next generations of those who have earlier benefited from reservation. They should not get reservation. Since political parties are dependent on the creamy layer to herd votes, both BJP and INC are quiet on the matter. However, various SC &ST groups differ with the judges’ opinion.

With an eye on the 2027 state elections, the BJP is focusing on Mission Punjab, emphasizing urban support and outreach efforts like the Har Ghar Dastak (Knock Every Door). Though the party top leadership knows a significant number of its candidates in general elections were turncoats from INC, they are also concerned about Congressization of the party. In the recent general elections, six of the BJP’s candidates were ex-INC members, two switched from SAD, and one was a former diplomat. Nine out of 13 BJP candidates, even ex-MP twice from INC, Ravneet Singh Bittu, performed poorly, losing even in their home assembly segments. Five other BJP candidates lost their security deposit. BJP’s vote share did go up from 9.63% in 2019 in the last general election to 18.56% in 2024. In the 2019 election, BJP was in partnership with SAD and contested only three seats. In 2024, BJP fought all thirteen seats. Some increase in vote percentage is on expected lines especially when SAD came down from 27.45% to 13.42%. On Congressization, though, BJP has old roots in the state because its precursor the Jana Sangh was dominant in urban constituencies with predominantly Hindu voters. Jana Sangh splintered in 1977 and in the last close to half century, SAD and INC have dominated Panjab. The BJP has no option but to poach from these parties. Even nationally, in the last elections, BJP fielded 110 turncoats and 68 of them lost the elections. The real question is, given the abysmal governance in Panjab under every political party, does BJP have a pro-people program for the state?

On 30 Jul, in Fatehabad Ratia, Haryana, a school bus from Akal Academy Ajitsar, carrying around 37 students and three teachers, was attacked by a group of Kanwariyas. Kanwariyas are Hindu devotees of Lord Shiva who undertake an annual pilgrimage to Haridwar to collect water from river Ganges. The attack took place after the driver accidentally grazed a makeshift chariot. Despite initial attempts by the driver and police to pacify the pilgrims, the situation deteriorated, though no one was injured. The police have booked 40-50 unidentified men and two locals - Vikas Grover and Sanju Jangra from the Hindutva outfit Bajrang Dal, who allegedly instigated the mob. In November 2023 Vikas and Sanju disrupted renovations at Gurdwara Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Purana Bazar, Ratia. On 3 Aug, Hindutva outfits Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal protested the First Information Reports (FIR) and demanded an FIR against local councilor Gurpreet Singh, accusing him of derogatory remarks against the Kanwariyas. Sukhdev Singh, trustee of Akal Academy which runs 130 schools, two universities, and hospitals in five states across the country, said, ‘We might be a Sikh-run school, but we have children from all religions studying here. We respect the pilgrims. They have been traveling peacefully since ages.’ Over the last few years, a simple pilgrimage has been weaponized by Hindutva forces. Earlier this year, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath issued orders to eateries along the Kanwariya route to display the names of their owners and workers. The intent was for Muslim businesses to be identifiable and lose money even though they respect the pilgrims. The Supreme Court of India stayed those orders.

A Right to Information (RTI) request has revealed that Panjab’s state-run schools have only one teacher for every 150 children with special needs (CWSN). This is a gross violation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act which mandates one special educator for every 10-15 students with special needs. The data shows 44,604 disabled children in govt. schools, but only 279 special educators, leading to severe understaffing, especially in districts like Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran where each teacher handles over 300 students. In an affidavit to the Supreme Court of India, the Panjab govt. acknowledged 3,911 vacancies for special educators and highlighted a plan to fill these positions within two years. However, it cited a shortage of qualified special teachers. To address this, the state is considering training regular teachers to handle basic disabilities, although experts argue this is inadequate and specialized training is necessary. Meanwhile, Seventy-year-old Vijay Walia, who is fully visually impaired, uses a mobile app to convert image or PDF files into Word format, allowing his phone's accessibility option to read the text aloud. But his disability has not deterred him from filing hundreds of Right to Information (RTI) applications, especially for the rights of laborers and the underprivileged. His two year long relentless efforts bore fruits last month when the Panjab govt. implemented free travel to attendants of blind people on govt. buses. In fact, the Panjab govt. scheme Divyangjan Shaktikaran Yojna allows free travel for one person accompanying a blind passenger in govt. buses. Though 12.6% out of 65K disabled people are visually impaired, the state had not implemented the provision until Walia took up the cause in 2022.

Historian Johanna Ogden’s book Punjabi Rebels of the Columbia River: The Global Fight for Independence and Citizenship asserts India's independence movement had roots that extended to Oregon, US, particularly in Astoria, where a group of Panjabi immigrants working in the timber industry initiated the Ghadar Movement in 1913. The book also covers Bhagat Singh Thind’s era-defining US Supreme Court citizenship case. The book details this history, emphasizing the revolutionary nationalist ideals of the Ghadar party, which included unity across religious lines and support for women’s rights. The movement inspired many members to return to pre 1947 India and fight for independence, influencing the broader struggle against British colonialism. In an interview, when asked, ‘What ultimately was their role in the eventual overthrow of the British Crown?’ Ogden says, ‘I think their main role was inspiration. Basically, the state cleared out and it was because of the influence of the Ghadar party that people left the state in droves to go back and fight the British. They come here to build a better life, and then for some of these people, they thoroughly reversed the course of their lives. Maybe 5,000 people from the entirety of the West Coast went back to India and tried to basically foment a mutiny amongst the armed forces in India.’ Ogden’s detailed history of migrants’ experience expands the time frame, geographic boundaries, and knowledge of the conditions and contributions of Indians in North America. Ogden is a historian and local activist in Portland.