After the British left India, many Sikhs were removed from their jobs and replaced by Hindus. When the Indian Constitution was written, Sikh representatives refused to sign it in Parliament because Article 25 labeled Sikhism as part of Hinduism, denying it a separate identity. When Sikhs raised concerns to Prime Minister Nehru about their rights, he reportedly responded, “The time has changed now. If you wanted to live freely then why didn’t you demand for a separate country from the British?”
Below are direct quotes from Indian leaders that reveal their attitude toward Sikhs:
- “To preserve the unity of India, if we have to eradicate 2-kror (20 million) Sikhs, we will do so.” — Balram Jakhar, colleague of P.V. Narsimha Rao
- “The Sikhs are a lawless people and a menace to the law-abiding Hindus … The [Government] should take strict measures against them.” — Pandit Nehru
- “Kya main taqat dushman (the enemy—the Sikhs) ke haath main de dun?” — Jawaharlal Nehru, 1961
- “I hate the very physique of a Sikh because of the turban and beard.” — Vallabhbhai Patel
- “I don’t give a damn if the Golden Temple and whole of Amritsar are destroyed, I want Bhindranwale dead.” — Indira Gandhi
- “We have broken the back of the Sikhs and we will get them elsewhere.” — M.M.K. Wali, Indian Foreign Secretary, June 7, 1984 (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
- “Let us teach these bastards (the Sikhs) a lesson.” — Rajiv Gandhi, October 31, 1984
- “…a threat to the villagers that all males would be killed and their women taken to army camps to breed a new race if there was any militant activity in their village.” — Brigadier R. P. Sinha, March 8, 1991
- “You do not know the might of our armed forces. We will eliminate 10,000 Sikh youths and the world will know nothing about it.” — Chander Shekhar, former Prime Minister, October 21, 1991
These quotes reflect the discrimination, hatred, and violence Sikhs have faced in post-independence India—both in speech and in action. Understanding this history is important to recognize the continued struggle of the Sikh community for justice and identity.
