The Rise of the Khalistan Movement in Australia

Activists from various radical Sikh organisations hold placards in support of Sikh leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and Khalistan, the name given for the envisioned independent Sikh state, after prayers at Sri Akal Takht at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, in Punjab, on June 6, 2013. Narinder Nanu/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

The Sikh religion was founded in Punjab in the 15th Century by Guru Nanak and has about 25 million followers worldwide. Sikhs are a minority group in India, comprising less than two percent of the country’s 1.3 billion population, but they form a majority in Punjab.

The origins of the modern-day ‘Khalistan’ movement trace back to around the time of India’s independence from Britain in 1947 when a handful of Sikhs demanded that a nation be carved in the state of Punjab for followers of the faith.

When the Indian subcontinent won its independence, the bloody Partition hastily divided the former colony along religious lines—sending Muslims to the newly formed nation of Pakistan and Hindus and Sikhs to the newly independent India.

Punjab, which was sliced into two parts, saw some of the worst violence. Around this time, Sikhs began a greater struggle for political and cultural autonomy, and the Khalistan movement gained prominence.

The 1980s witnessed the worst insurgencies, during which some Sikh separatists in Punjab committed a series of human rights abuses, including the massacre of civilians, indiscriminate bombings, and attacks on minority Hindus, according to Human Rights Watch.

The Khalistan movement is outlawed in India and considered a grave national security threat by the government—a number of groups associated with the movement are listed as “terrorist organisations” under India’s Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, particularly Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

SFJ, in its London Declaration in August 2018, announced it would hold the first-ever non-binding referendum among the global Sikh community on the question of secession from India and re-establishing Punjab as an independent country.

The referendum has been successfully conducted in various cities in the UK, Canada, and Italy, attracting massive unrest in the form of protests, rallies, and violence.

Arriving Down Under

Australia has also witnessed the expansion of the movement in the name of the Khalistan Referendum, with Melbourne’s Federation Square seeing a hefty affray between Khalistani supporters and Indians in which the two groups resorted to violence.

Later, the Melbourne East Neighbourhood Policing Team arrested three men in connection with the brawl.

Prior to the Khalistan referendum voting on Jan. 29, three Hindu temples were also vandalised in Australia, making the Indian government worried about its diplomatic ties with Australia.

The second and third phases of voting took place in Brisbane and Sydney, respectively, amid stiff resistance from the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal campaign to stop Sikhs from holding the referendum in Australia.

In January 2023, Australian Member of Parliament Cate Faehrmann (Greens Party) moved multiple resolutions supporting the Khalistan Referendum and Sikhs For Justice in Australian Parliament.

She stated that Sikhs have full rights and support from the Australian government to hold and conduct referendums to liberate their sovereign state.

Greens MP David Shoebridge has also expressed his interest in the referendum by attending the Sydney voting.

Protection Needed for Indian Diplomats

However, while Australia is a free country, the recent ‘Kill India’ rally held in Melbourne by SFJ on July 8, 2023, called into question the safety of Indian diplomats, including the High Commissioner of India to Australia, after the rally’s promotional posters labelled them as alleged “killers” of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar was the head of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey, Canada. He was also the chief of the separatist organisation Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).

The Australian government needs to take a stand against the budding Khalistan Movement in Australia despite knowing the fact that their decision may hamper the geopolitical relations between India and Australia.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last visited India in March. Though he said, he was keen to further deepen Canberra’s multifaceted relationship with New Delhi at a time of extraordinary growth and dynamism, especially in areas of trade, security, and people-to-people links. His words did not meet his actions.

Today, when the threat lingers upon a country’s diplomats, the silence of Australian authorities is deafening.

Meanwhile, UK government officials have already put forth their stance against any attack on the Indian High Commission.

It is also significant to note that the previous rallies and protests of SFJ have always followed a record number of violent activities.

Thus, it becomes all the more important to take significant steps to protect and provide security to the Australian citizens and diplomats if only Australia is keen to maintain a healthy diplomatic relationship with India.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.