What was the conflict between Akali Dal and Sant Nirankari Mission?
The reformative group Sant Nirankari Mission
was opposed by the orthodox extremists and several violent attack were
reported. The mission leader Baba Gurubachan singh called upon them to
first
understand the Mission and then point out if there was
anything wrong. But all his gestures fell flat on them.
Nirankari congregations were disturbed at many places.
Violent attacks were also reported from several centres.
The worst in this chain was the attack on the Baisakhi Samagam in Amritsar on April 13, 1978. Sant Nirankari's asked the Punjab government permission to hold the convention in Amritsar, this put the Akali Dal in a predicament.
On 13th April 1978, the Nirankari congregation took place in
Amritsar. A fanatical agricultural inspector named Fauja
Singh, affiliated with the Akhand Kirtani Jatha and
Bhindrawala marched through the streets of Amritsar to
confront the Sant Nirankaris. They saw it their duty to stop
what was in their eyes anti-Sikh preaching, however, along
the way Bhindrawala and a few of his close associates
slipped away. For this act, Bibi Amarjit Kaur, Fauja Singh’s
wife and head of Babbar Khalsa called Bhindrawala a
coward.
That day, 12 Sikhs including Fauja Singh and 3 Sant
Nirankaris died in the ensuing clash. The 12 Sikhs were
immediately declared as martyrs by Akhand Kirtani Jatha
(A.K.J.), and Samparda Kartar Singh Sikhs (known popularly
as ‘Dam Dami Taksal’). This situation presented Sanjay
Gandhi and Jail Singh with a potential political disaster. The
Congress Party began to whip up anti-Sant Nirankari
sentiments amongst the Sikhs via their Congress-controlled
Sikh temples in Delhi. Not wishing to alienate their coalition
partners, the S.G.P.C. Akalis tried to play down the Sant
Nirankari incident in Punjab. The Congress-held Gurdwaras
in Delhi promoted Bhindrawala as a hero of the Sant
Nirankari incident. Meanwhile the Sant Nirankaris had their
court case moved from Punjab to the neighboring state of
Haryana because they felt that in Punjab they would not get
a fair hearing. The Akali Dal allowed the Sant Nirankaris to
move their case to avoid breaking up the coalition
government. The Haryana court acquitted the Sant
Nirankaris honourably on 4th January, 1980. The case was declared to be false and fabricated.
Clashes with orthodox Sikhs- Gurbachan Singh
The court passed severe strictures against then government for filling a totally false case against innocent Nirankaris. The court held fanatics responsible for the brutal attack on the peaceful Nirankari congregation. While the case was on, Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji did not sit back due to the turmoil. He declaredthat such opposition Truth had always to face and the greatest quality of the saints is that they do not feel frustrated realising that the truth is on their side and it must triumph in the long run. There was, therefore, no let up in the activities of the Mission." The Haryana courts acquitted the Sant Nirankaris on grounds of self-defence. Jarnail Singh’s young militant followers and the militant wing of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha (A.K.J.), the Babbar Khalsa, found this unacceptable. Thus, owning to their extremist and highly warped logic led them to conclude that if the law courts of India were not willing to provide justice to the Sikhs, then the Sikhs should take the law into their own hands and deal out justice in their own way.
In a short space of time, the A.K.J. and Samparda Chowk Mehta militants made 2 failed attempts on the Sant Nirankari Guru’s life: first in Kanpur(Uttar Pardesh) and then later near the village of Durg (Madhya Pardesh).
On 24th April 1980, the Sant Nirankari Guru, Gurbachan Singh was shot dead by a member of the A.K.J. named Ranjit Singh who had gained employment in the leader's compound.(Death Gurbachan Singh)
understand the Mission and then point out if there was
anything wrong. But all his gestures fell flat on them.
Nirankari congregations were disturbed at many places.
Violent attacks were also reported from several centres.
The worst in this chain was the attack on the Baisakhi Samagam in Amritsar on April 13, 1978. Sant Nirankari's asked the Punjab government permission to hold the convention in Amritsar, this put the Akali Dal in a predicament.
On 13th April 1978, the Nirankari congregation took place in
Amritsar. A fanatical agricultural inspector named Fauja
Singh, affiliated with the Akhand Kirtani Jatha and
Bhindrawala marched through the streets of Amritsar to
confront the Sant Nirankaris. They saw it their duty to stop
what was in their eyes anti-Sikh preaching, however, along
the way Bhindrawala and a few of his close associates
slipped away. For this act, Bibi Amarjit Kaur, Fauja Singh’s
wife and head of Babbar Khalsa called Bhindrawala a
coward.
That day, 12 Sikhs including Fauja Singh and 3 Sant
Nirankaris died in the ensuing clash. The 12 Sikhs were
immediately declared as martyrs by Akhand Kirtani Jatha
(A.K.J.), and Samparda Kartar Singh Sikhs (known popularly
as ‘Dam Dami Taksal’). This situation presented Sanjay
Gandhi and Jail Singh with a potential political disaster. The
Congress Party began to whip up anti-Sant Nirankari
sentiments amongst the Sikhs via their Congress-controlled
Sikh temples in Delhi. Not wishing to alienate their coalition
partners, the S.G.P.C. Akalis tried to play down the Sant
Nirankari incident in Punjab. The Congress-held Gurdwaras
in Delhi promoted Bhindrawala as a hero of the Sant
Nirankari incident. Meanwhile the Sant Nirankaris had their
court case moved from Punjab to the neighboring state of
Haryana because they felt that in Punjab they would not get
a fair hearing. The Akali Dal allowed the Sant Nirankaris to
move their case to avoid breaking up the coalition
government. The Haryana court acquitted the Sant
Nirankaris honourably on 4th January, 1980. The case was declared to be false and fabricated.
Clashes with orthodox Sikhs- Gurbachan Singh
The court passed severe strictures against then government for filling a totally false case against innocent Nirankaris. The court held fanatics responsible for the brutal attack on the peaceful Nirankari congregation. While the case was on, Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji did not sit back due to the turmoil. He declaredthat such opposition Truth had always to face and the greatest quality of the saints is that they do not feel frustrated realising that the truth is on their side and it must triumph in the long run. There was, therefore, no let up in the activities of the Mission." The Haryana courts acquitted the Sant Nirankaris on grounds of self-defence. Jarnail Singh’s young militant followers and the militant wing of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha (A.K.J.), the Babbar Khalsa, found this unacceptable. Thus, owning to their extremist and highly warped logic led them to conclude that if the law courts of India were not willing to provide justice to the Sikhs, then the Sikhs should take the law into their own hands and deal out justice in their own way.
In a short space of time, the A.K.J. and Samparda Chowk Mehta militants made 2 failed attempts on the Sant Nirankari Guru’s life: first in Kanpur(Uttar Pardesh) and then later near the village of Durg (Madhya Pardesh).
On 24th April 1980, the Sant Nirankari Guru, Gurbachan Singh was shot dead by a member of the A.K.J. named Ranjit Singh who had gained employment in the leader's compound.(Death Gurbachan Singh)
