Talwinder Singh Parmar was an Indian militant, Sikh separatist, and the mastermind of the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing, which killed 329 people. It was the worst single incident of aviation terrorism in history until the September 11 attacks in the United States. In addition, another bomb was meant to explode aboard Air India Flight 301 in Japan the same day, but it exploded while the plane was still grounded, killing two people. Parmar was also the founder, leader, and Jathedar of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), better known as Babbar Khalsa, a Sikh militant group involved in the Khalistan movement.
The Nihang or Akali, also known as Dal Khalsa, is an armed Sikh warrior order originating in the Indian subcontinent. Nihangs are believed to have originated either from Fateh Singh and the attire he wore or from the "Akal Sena" started by Guru Hargobind. Early Sikh military history was dominated by the Nihang, known for their victories where they were heavily outnumbered. Traditionally known for their bravery and ruthlessness in the battlefield, the Nihang once formed the irregular guerrilla squads of the armed forces of the Sikh Empire, the Sikh Khalsa Army.
Amritsar district is one of the twenty three districts that make up the Indian state of Punjab. Located in the Majha region of Punjab, the city of Amritsar is the headquarters of this district.
The Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) is a Khalistani militant organisation operating in the Punjab with prominent members based in Canada, United Kingdom and Pakistan. Its objective is the creation of a sovereign Sikh nation‐state of Khalistan through armed struggle. It is responsible for numerous assassinations, abductions, and military engagements with the Indian Armed Forces during the Insurgency in Punjab. The KLF is also listed as a designated terrorist group by India.
Piara Singh Bhaniara also known as Baba Bhaniara, was a Dalit religious leader from Punjab, India. He established a Sikh sect in the 1980s, which was opposed by mainline Khalsa Sikhs as insulting to their faith. In 2001, his followers published their own holy text Bhavsagar Granth, and allegedly insulted the Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib. This sparked violence against Bhaniara's followers. The Government of Punjab banned Bhavsagar Granth, and arrested and jailed Bhaniara.
The Sarbloh Granth or Sarabloh Granth, also called Manglacharan Puran or Sri Manglacharan Ji, is a voluminous scripture, composed of more than 6,500 poetic stanzas. It is traditionally attributed as being the work of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru. Scholars, on the other hand, attribute the work to after the Guru's death, being authored by an unknown poet. The work is mostly revered by the Nihang sect.
Majha is a region located in the central parts of the historical Punjab region, currently split between the republics of Pakistan and India. It extends north from the right banks of the river Beas, and reaches as far north as the river Jhelum. People of the Majha region are given the demonym "Mājhī" or "Majhail". Most inhabitants of the region speak the Majhi dialect, which is the basis of the standard register of the Punjabi language. The most populous city in the area is Lahore on the Pakistani side, and Amritsar on the Indian side of the border.
Jathedar Sukhdev Singh Babbar was a was an Indian militant, Sikh separatist, and co-leader of Babbar Khalsa (BK), a Sikh militant organisation involved in the pursuit of creating a Sikh nation named as "Khalistan" and generally believed responsible for the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182, although Sukhdev was never named as being involved. BK was founded by Talwinder Singh Parmar, himself, and Amarjit Kaur. He commanded BK continuously for 14 years until he was killed in 1992. He was a member of the AKJ.
Tarn Taran district is one of the districts in the Majha region of Punjab, India. The main cities are Tarn Taran Sahib, Bhikhiwind, Khadur Sahib and Patti. The City of Tarn Taran Sahib is a holy place for Sikhs. Tarn Taran's Sikh population makes it the most heavily concentrated district of Sikhs in India and the world.
Jaswant Singh Khalra (1952–1995) was a prominent Sikh human rights activist.
Caste-related violence in India has occurred and continues to occur in various forms.
Bidhi ChandChhina was a Sikh religious preacher and military commander, from Chhina Bidhi Chand village, 37 kilometers south of Amritsar and Chhina Bidhi Chand was part of Amritsar District not Lahore. His birth place temple is situated in his own village Chhina Bidhi Chand, which was built by the residents with the help of Baba Daya Singh. Baba Daya Singh laid foundation with his own hands. Every year on his birthday Baba Daya Singh, and now Baba Avtar Singh, would go to village Chhina Bidhi Chand and celebrate it there to date. He was a disciple of Guru Arjan and served Guru Hargobind for most of his life.
The Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan (BTFK) is a Sikh militant organization and was one of several major separatist organizations in the Khalistan movement during the insurgency in Punjab, India. The BTFK's main aim was to establish a Sikh homeland called Khalistan. At its peak, the BTFK's membership totaled 500 members and remained the strongest pro-Khalistan group in Tarn Taran Sahib, which was the epicenter of violence during the Punjab insurgency.
The Babbar Akali movement was a 1921 splinter group of "militant" Sikhs who broke away from the mainstream Akali movement over the latter's insistence on non-violence over the matter of the restoration of Khalsa Raj in Punjab as under the prior Sikh Empire as well as gurdwara reforms in restoring pre-colonial gurdwara environments.
The 2015 Guru Granth Sahib desecration refers to a series of desecration incidents of the Sikh Guru Guru Granth Sahib and subsequent protests that took place in Punjab, India in October 2015, although it is known as the 2015 Guru Granth Sahib desecration it started from 2014 and continued until 2021. The first incident of desecration was reported from Bargari, Faridkot district, where 110 torn Angs (pages) of the holy Book were found on 12 October. On the early morning of 14 October, two Sikhs were protesting and were shot dead by the police.
On 7 November 2019, 37-year old Jagmael Singh was mob lynched in Sangrur, Punjab, India. He was brutally beaten by four men and was forced to drink human urine. He died after 9 days of treatment in Chandigarh. He was a construction worker and was accused of a fight with one of the accused of the case, Rinku over the matter of sitting with them in a Panchayati of upper caste.
The 2021 lynchings in Punjab, India refers to the widely reported lynching incidents that occurred between December 18-19, 2021, at two Sikh temples in Punjab, India in which enraged mobs killed 2 men in response to alleged acts of sacrilege.
Harminder Singh Nihang, also known as Harminder Singh Mintoo, was a prominent Sikh militant and the 7th leader of Khalistan Liberation Force. Nihang was instrumental in reinvigorating the Khalistan Movement in the 21st Century. Nihang died in police custody.
