By TSAT report

NEW DELHI (TSAT) - After clashes between Sikhs and Hindu extremists in Punjab state last month, the “Khalistan movement” again gaining momentum in India.

On Sunday, pro-Khalistan flags were hoisted outside the building of the legislative assembly in Himachal Pradesh’s winter capital, Dharamshala, a northern Indian state in the Himalayas, according to The Print, a local media outlet.

Sikhs for Justice claimed responsibility for placing the flags on Himachal Pradesh Assembly gates and said they were sent through its activists.

Local police registered a case against the Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, chief of the pro-Khalistan Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Sikh for Justice has already banned the Indian government and declared it a terrorist organization.

However, SFJ is active in several foreign countries and campaigning for the creation of a separate state in India.

Last month, the pro-Khalistan movement supporters also held protests rallies in Punjab demanding a separate state for Sikhs.

In Patiala, the Hindu extremists and Sikhs also clashed during the rally, resulting in injuries to several people.

However, flags hoisting in Himachal Pradesh shows that the Sikh freedom movement is gaining momentum as Indian intelligence agencies have also arrested some young Sikhs from Haryana state during the last few days, according to local police sources.

The recent development has spread fear among the top government officials in New Delhi as most of them are accusing the current Hindu nationalist BJP-led government policies that have caused anger among the minorities and have pushed them to raise voice for freedom.

RSS/BJP extremist groups are targeting minorities especially Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians since 2014 when Narendra Modi came into power.

International rights groups including the Human Rights Watch repeatedly have expressed grave concerns over the Modi government's anti-minorities policies and have criticised Indian government for targeting them on the bases of religion.

“The government has adopted laws and policies that discriminate against religious minorities, especially Muslims. This, coupled with vilification of Muslims and other minorities by some BJP leaders, and the police failure to act against government supporters who commit violence, has emboldened Hindu nationalist groups to target members of minority communities or civil society groups with impunity,” said HRW in its recent report.

Last month, in several states, clashes erupted between the Hindus and Muslims after RSS affiliated groups carried out attacks on Muslim communities.

Later, the government launched an operation and destroyed dozens of houses, shops, and properties of Muslims.

- Sikhs referendum

On Sunday, the Council of Khalistan held a referendum in Italy and asked questions from Sikhs that do they want a separate homeland in India?

According to Dr Bakhshish Singh Sandhu, President Council of Khalistan, Washington, DC over 40,000 Sikhs voted in favor of Khalistan state.

“Sikhs have expressed their right to vote for the creation of Khalistan through their democratic voting right,” Sandhu said in a statement.

He praised the Sikhs who participated in the campaign and said they will create their own independent Khalistan state inside India very soon.

JFS launched the referendum in October last year from London to push the international community to support their independent state demand.

- Background

The Khalistan movement is a Sikh freedom movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing a sovereign state, called Khālistān.

 
The movement was launched in 1940 during the British era. In 1980, it spread across the Sikh majority areas in India but in 1990, the Indian government launched an operation “Operation Blue Star” against the group and arrested most of its leaders.

 
However, the movement continued despite severe crackdowns against Sikhs by governments of the time. Sikh leaders living in Canada and other western countries are now holding their gatherings and demanding a separate state in India.
 
The movement has been gaining lot of traction lately due to execution of ultra-nationalistic policies against minorities in India by BJP government. The current crackdown is likely to further aggravate the security situation in the Sikh-dominated states of India.