List of Khalistani separatist organizations

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The Khalistan movement is an independence movement seeking to create a separate homeland for Sikhs by establishing a Sikh state called Khalistan ("land of the Khalsa") in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. The proposed boundaries of Khalistan is entirety of the Sikh-majority state of Punjab and Punjabi‐speaking areas of neighboring Indian states, and this is a page that depicts the list of Khalistani separatist organizations. [1]

Contents

Khalistani separatist organizations

  1. All India Sikh Students Federation [2]
  2. Council of Khalistan
  3. Dal Khalsa
  4. Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)
  5. Sikh Federation (UK)
  6. Sikhs for Justice
  7. Waris Punjab De
  8. World Sikh Organization
  9. Akali Dal
  10. All India Shiromani Akali Dal
  11. Azad Khalistan
  12. Bhindranwale Militant Group
  13. Khalistan Affairs Center
  14. Khalistan Center
  15. Khalistan Guerilla Force
  16. Khalistan Liberation Front
  17. Khalistan Liberation Organisation
  18. Khalistan National Army
  19. Khalistan Security Force
  20. Khalsa Party
  21. Malwa Kesri Commando Force
  22. National Sikh Youth Federation
  23. Panthic Committee
  24. Pure Tigers
  25. Royal Army of Khalistan [3]
  26. Sikh International Organization
  27. Sikh Youth Federation
  28. Sikh Youth UK
  29. Tat Khalsa
  30. World Sikh Parliament

Khalistani paramilitary organizations

Sr. No.NameFounder + yearFamous Actions
1. Babbar Khalsa [4] Bhai Talwinder Singh Parmar, Bhai Sukhdev Singh Babbar (1979)See: List of actions by Babbar Khalsa
2. Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal (1984)Major encounter at Rataul village.
3. Dashmesh Regiment Bhai Seetal Singh Matewal, (1990)Major encounter at Bolowali village.
4. International Sikh Youth Federation [4] Singh Sahib Jasbir Singh Rode, (23 September 1984)based in the United Kingdom
5. Khalistan Commando Force [4] Manbir Singh Chaheru, (1986)Assassination of Rtd Chief General of Indian army and an architect of Operation Blue Star Arun Vaidya, assassinations of leading culprits of 1984 Anti-Sikh riots Congress(I) Member of Parliament Lalit Maken, Arjan Dass and several other high-profile battles with Indian security forces.
6. Khalistan Liberation Army 1990sThe Khalistan Liberation Army (KLA) is reputed to have been a wing of, or possibly a breakaway group from, the KLF.
7. Khalistan Liberation Force [4] Bhai Aroor Singh (1986)Killing of SSP Gobind Ram, SSP A.S Brar, SP K.R.S Gill, Lt. Col. Satnam Singh, Ramkat Jatola, SP RS Tiwara, DSP Tara Chand, Major General B.N Kumar, Treasurer Balwant Singh, Lala Bhagwan Das, MLA Sat Pal Parashar, and others
8. Khalistan Tiger Force Jagtar Singh Tara (1990s)Assassination of the former Chief Minister of Punjab Beant Singh in 1995.
9. Khalistan Zindabad Force [4] Bhai Ranjit Singh NeetaBomb blasts on trains and buses in Jammu, killing of DSP Devinder Sharma.
10. Shaheed Khalsa Force 1997SKF claimed credit for marketplace bombings in New Delhi in 1997.

Babbar Khalsa is listed as a terrorist organisation by the United Kingdom, [5] the EU, [6] Canada, [7] India, and the United States.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalistan movement</span> Sikh separatist movement in the Punjab region

The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno-religious sovereign state called Khalistan in the Punjab region. The proposed boundaries of Khalistan vary between different groups; some suggest the entirety of the Sikh-majority Indian state of Punjab, while larger claims include Pakistani Punjab and other parts of North India such as Chandigarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Shimla and Lahore have been proposed as the capital of Khalistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale</span> Figure in the Sikh Khalistan movement (1947–1984)

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was a militant. After Operation Bluestar, he posthumously became the leading figure for the Khalistan movement.although he did not personally advocate for a separate Sikh nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babbar Khalsa</span> Khalistani militant organisation

Babbar Khalsa, officially Babbar Khalsa International, is a Khalistani militant organisation that aims to create an independent nation-state of Khalistan in the Punjab region. It has used armed attacks, assassinations and bombings in aid of that goal, and is deemed to be a terrorist entity by various governments. Besides India, it operates in North America and Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)</span> Indian political party

Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) is a hard-line Sikh nationalist political party led by Simranjit Singh Mann, it is a splinter group of the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab, India. They use 'Balti', the Punjabi term for bucket as their official election symbol. Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) was formed on 1 May 1994. The party has seen a resurgence in support after the deaths of Deep Sidhu and Sidhu Moose Wala who were supporters and seen as sympathetic to the cause of Simranjit Singh Mann. Their 2022 Lok Sabha victory after more than two decades has been viewed as a resurgence in a political vacuum due to collapse of other traditional political parties in Punjab. The last major victory for Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) was in the 1989 Lok Sabha elections, where the party and their allies won 10 out of 13 seats from Punjab.

Talwinder Singh Parmar Indian militant and Sikh separatist (1944–1992)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dal Khalsa (organization)</span> Radical Sikh outfit

Dal Khalsa is a Sikh organisation, based in the city of Amritsar. The outfit was formed in 1978 by Gajinder Singh, the hijacker of Indian Airlines Flight 423. It came to prominence during Insurgency in Punjab along with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in 1981. Members of the Dal Khalsa have also been accused of the assassination of Lala Jagat Narain. The primary aim of Dal Khalsa is to form a Punjabi Sikh nation state called Khalistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalistan Commando Force</span> Sikh Khalistani organisation

The Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) is a Sikh Khalistani militant organisation operating in the state of Punjab, India with prominent members based in Canada, United Kingdom and Pakistan. Its objective is the creation of a Sikh independent state of Khalistan through armed struggle. KCF is also responsible for many assassinations in India, including the 1995 assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. It is designated as a terrorist organisation by the Government of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Punjab, India</span> 1984–1995 Sikh-nationalist militant uprising in Punjab, India

The Insurgency in Punjab was an armed campaign by the separatists of the Khalistan movement from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Economic and social pressures driven by the Green Revolution prompted calls for Sikh autonomy and separatism. This movement was initially peaceful, but foreign involvement and political pressures drove a heavy handed response from Indian authorities. The demand for a separate Sikh state gained momentum after the Indian Army's Operation Blue Star in 1984 aimed to flush out militants residing in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a holy site for Sikhs. Terrorism, police brutality and corruption of the authorities greatly exacerbated a tense situation. By the mid-1980s, the movement had evolved into a militant secessionist crisis due to the perceived indifference of the Indian state in regards to mutual negotiations. Eventually, more effective police and military operations, combined with a policy of rapprochement by the Indian government and the election loss of separatist sympathizers in the 1992 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, largely quelled the rebellion by the mid-1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simranjit Singh Mann</span> Indian politician (born 1955)

Simranjit Singh Mann is a former Indian Police Service officer and a former Member of the Parliament in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, representing the constituency of Sangrur since 2022. He lost elections in 2024 and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer became new member of parliament. He is the president of the political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). Mann has served three-times as an MP; once from Taran Tarn between 1989 and 1991, and twice from Sangrur between 1999-2004 and since 2022. He is a known Khalistani supporter and his party is known for their pro-Khalistan stances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalistan Liberation Force</span> Sikh militant group

The Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) is a Khalistani militant organisation operating in the Punjab state of India, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhdev Singh Babbar</span> Founding leader of Babbar Khalsa

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harchand Singh Longowal</span> Indian politician (1932–1985)

Harchand Singh Longowal was the President of the Akali Dal political party during the Punjab insurgency of the 1980s. He had signed the Punjab accord, also known as the Rajiv-Longowal Accord with Rajiv Gandhi on 24 July 1985. The government accepted most of the Akali Dal demands, who in turn agreed to withdraw their activism. Less than a month after signing the accord, Longowal was assassinated.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labh Singh</span> Leader of Khalistan Commando Force

Sukhdev Singh Dhillon, also known as General Labh Singh and Sukha Sipahi was an Indian militant, police officer, and Sikh separatist who took command of the Khalistan Commando Force after its first leader, Manbir Singh Chaheru, was arrested in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manbir Singh Chaheru</span> Indian Khalistan Commando Force leader

Bhai Manbir Singh Chaheru, also known as General Hari Singh was an Indian militant, Sikh separatist, and the first leader of the Khalistan Commando Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala</span> Sikh militant from India (1966–1992)

Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala was a Sikh militant and the third Jathedar of the Khalistan Liberation Force. Budhsinghwala's organization, KLF, was one of the most active and main Sikh militant groups during the insurgency in Punjab, India. Budhsinghwala had KLF join the Sohan Singh Panthic Committee and partnered with Khalistan Commando Force (Panjwar), Babbar Khalsa, Bhindranwale Tiger Force (Sangha), and Sikh Student Federation (Bittu) in militant actions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Sikh–Nirankari clash</span> Violent conflict in Amritsar, India

The 1978 Sikh–Nirankari clash occurred between the Sant Nirankari Mission and Sikhs of Damdami Taksal and Akhand Kirtani Jatha on 13 April 1978 at Amritsar, Punjab, India. Sixteen people—thirteen traditional Sikhs and three Nirankari followers—were killed in the ensuing violence, occurring when some Akhand Kirtani Jatha and Damdami Taksal members led by Fauja Singh protested against and tried to stop a convention of Sant Nirankari Mission followers. This incident is considered to be a starting point in the events leading to Operation Blue Star and the 1980s Insurgency in Punjab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarbat Khalsa (1986)</span> Sikh community, as well as a special group of initiated Sikhs

The Sarbat Khalsa of 1986 was one congregation of the Guru Khalsa Panth, including the Damdami Taksal, Akal Takht, Panthic Committee (Manochahal), Panthic Committee (Zaffarwal), Kharku Sikhs, Tarna Dal (Hariabelan), Tarna Dal, Bidhi Chand Dal and the Shiromani Budha Dal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhwinder Singh Sangha</span> Sikh militant in India (1965–1990)

Sukhwinder Singh Sangha was a Sikh militant (kharku), the head of a faction of Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan during the insurgency in Punjab, India.

On 3 October 1986, militants from the Khalistan Commando Force, led by Labh Singh, made an attempt on the life of Director General of Police in Punjab, India, Julio Ribeiro in Jalandhar within the Punjab Armored Police headquarters. Ribeiro was wounded in the attack along with his wife. Ribeiro's wounds were minor, but his wife was hospitalized. 2 officers were killed and 2 were seriously wounded in the attack. All the attackers escaped unhurt.

References

  1. Minahan, James (2002). Encyclopedia of the stateless nations. 4: S - Z. Westport, Conn. London: Greenwood Press. p. 2151. ISBN   978-0-313-32384-3. SIKHS: All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSE); Babbar Khalsa International (BKI); Khalistan Liberation Army; Khalsa Dal; Sikh Youth Federation; Panthic Committee; Pure Tigers; Khalistan Liberation Front (KLF); Council of Khalistan; Eternal Party (Akali Dal); All-India Shiromani Akali Dal; Panthic Committee; Khalistan Commando Force (KCF); Bhindranwale Militant Group; Sikh International Organization (SIO); Shaheed Khalsa Force (SKF); Sikh Youth Federation (SYF); Bhinderanwala Tiger Force; Saheed Khalsa Force; Khalistan Liberation Tiger Force; Khalistan National Army (KNA); Saheed Khalsa Force; Azad Khalistan
  2. Minahan, James (2002). Encyclopedia of the stateless nations. 4: S - Z. Westpsort, Conn. London: Greenwood Press. p. 2151. ISBN   978-0-313-32384-3. SIKHS: All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSE); Babbar Khalsa International (BKI); Khalistan Liberation Army; Khalsa Dal; Sikh Youth Federation; Panthic Committee; Pure Tigers; Khalistan Liberation Front (KLF); Council of Khalistan; Eternal Party (Akali Dal); All-India Shiromani Akali Dal; Panthic Committee; Khalistan Commando Force (KCF); Bhindranwale Militant Group; Sikh International Organization (SIO); Shaheed Khalsa Force (SKF); Sikh Youth Federation (SYF); Bhinderanwala Tiger Force; Saheed Khalsa Force; Khalistan Liberation Tiger Force; Khalistan National Army (KNA); Saheed Khalsa Force; Azad Khalistan
  3. Manochahal, Baba Gurlachan Singh. "ROYAL ARMY OF KHALISTAN". rattibha.com. Head office: Sri Akal Takhat Sahib, Sri Amritsar. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Fair 2005, p. 128.
  5. Home Office - Proscribed terrorist groups in the UK Archived 2007-03-01 at the Wayback Machine
  6. EU list of terrorist groups
  7. Canadian listing of terrorist groups Archived 2006-11-19 at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography