 |
Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gurbaksh Singh 12 December 1965 |
| Died | 20 March 2018 (aged 52) |
| Citizenship | India |
| Spouse | Jasbir Kaur (since 1987) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Ajit Singh and Mohinder Kaur |
Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa was an Indian Sikh civil rights activist, demanding the release of Sikh prisoners from various jails in India.
Khalsa was born on 12 December 1965, in Kurukshetra, Haryana to father Ajit Singh and mother Mohinder Kaur. He took primary and Sikh religious education from the Gurdwara Lakhnaur Sahib and was also baptized there. In 1987, he married Jasbir Kaur and had a son.
In November 2013, Khalsa went on a 44-day hunger strike. The campaign was ended after Giani Gurbachan Singh (Akal Thakat Jathedar), said to take up the issue with the State Government. After none of the detained Sikhs was released, Bhai Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa restarted his hunger strike, one year after his 2013 hunger strike. [2] Over the course of the campaign, he got support from various other Sikh bodies. A number of Punjabi singers, actors and other artists visited him and pledged their support for his campaign.
His second campaign started on 14 November 2014 at Lakhnaur Gurdwara, Harayana. On 8 January Khalsa, who had entered day 56, had proposed to visit Akal Takht - the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, however, a police blockade just a short distance from the Gurdwara prevented him fulfilling his wishes. [3]
Details of the list of prisoners and discussion on the various options available to the Punjab government in case it wants to extend some relief to prisoners are detailed in the Tribune newspaper of India on 11 Jan. [4]
On 10 January (Day 58) he developed breathing difficulties and was taken by authorities to hospital. Khalsa continued his hunger strike whilst in hospital. Gurpiar Singh sat on hunger strike in the absence of Khalsa at Lakhnaur Gurdwara. [5]
Khalsa ended his 2nd hunger strike after 64 days on 15 January. [6]
Khalsa died on 20 March 2018 by jumping off a water tank at Thaska Ali, Kurukshetra. He killed himself seeking the release of seven Sikh prisoners, including the ones convicted for the assassination of Beant Singh in 1995. [1]
The following outline is provides an overview of Sikhism, or Sikhi.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is an organization in India responsible for the management of Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and the union territory of Chandigarh. SGPC also administers Darbar Sahib in Amritsar.
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Sarbat Khalsa, was a biannual deliberative assembly of the Sikhs held at Amritsar in Punjab during the 18th century. It literally translates to the "entire Sikh Nation" but as a political institution it refers to the meetings of the Dal Khalsa and the legislature of the Sikh Confederacy.
Amrik Singh was the President of the All India Sikh Students Federation. He was killed in the Indian Army's operation on the Golden Temple on June 6, 1984.
The All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) is a Sikh student organisation and political organisation in India. AISSF was formed in 1943. as the youth wing of the Akali Dal, which is a Sikh political party in the Indian Punjab.
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The Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, also known as the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), is an organization responsible for the upkeep of Sikh Gurdwara in Haryana, India. It was formally formed on 11 July 2014 by the bill was passed by Haryana Legislative Assembly. Before this the Gurdwaras of Haryana were officially under Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). HSGPC is headquartered at Kurukshetra.
Surat Singh Khalsa, also known as "Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa" is a civil rights and political activist, from the Indian state of Punjab. Surat Singh Khalsa has been involved with various political struggles related to Sikhs in Punjab, however he is currently in the limelight for a hunger strike as a form of peaceful protest against illegal and prolonged detention of political prisoners.
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The Sarbat Khalsa of 2015 was held on November 10, 2015, in Chabba village on the outskirts of Amritsar, with the purpose to strengthen all Sikh institutions and traditions. As many as 550,000 to over 600,000 Sikhs from around the world attended the event. A few Sikh organizations in support of the Shiromani Akali Dal did not attend the event and refused to recognize the resolutions passed. The event was also opposed by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Party Akali dal. But Few Sikh organizations supported to Sarbat Khalsa attended the event and recognized the resolutions passed. The event was called by Simranjit Singh Mann and Mohkam Singh, leaders of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and United Akali Dal respectively. The Sikh congregation passed 13 resolutions to be implemented.
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