Kids Corner

1984

Sikhs Banned from Haridwar

NAVJEEVAN GOPAL

 

 

 

Sikhs heading to Haridwar for the three-day birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak, beginning November 27, at a spot near Har ki Pauri -- where the 450-year-old Gurdwara Gian Godhri Sahib was demolished in the 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms -- may lead to a standoff with the Uttarakhand Police deploying forces in and around Haridwar to prevent the protest march to take place.

Yatris who have left for Haridwar in what they call “Fateh Yatra’ after ardaas at the Akal Takht on Tuesday, November 28, 2012, alleged that Uttarakhand Police had banned the entry of Sikhs in the state, particularly in Haridwar.

Claiming that due to the historic importance of Gian Godhri Sahib near Har ki Pauri, Sikhs wanted to celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the group leader said: “But Sikhs are being prevented from even entering Uttarakhand. Those Sikhs who live in Uttarakhand are being told not to enter Haridwar on November 27, 28 and 29.”

Another leader also said that the Uttarakhand government was being “unjust by putting such restrictions on the movement of Sikhs ... As far as the gurdwara is concerned, the revenue record shows that the land is in the name of Gurdwara Gian Godhri Sahib. But the government is not handing over the land for the re-construction of the gurdwara,” he added.

Uttarkhand DGP Satyavrat, however, said: “No restrictions had been imposed on the entry of Sikhs by the Uttarakhand Police. Security has been beefed up to avoid any untoward incident, as a large number of people will gather on November 28 in Haridwar for a holy dip in the Ganga.”

Maintaining that the issue of the gurdwara was being looked into, he added: “As far as my knowledge goes, there were no "riots" in 1984 in Haridwar. I was the Tehri SP at that time. Though there were "riots" in Dehradun, no "riots" were reported in Haridwar. Even then, we are looking into the issue following the allegations that the gurdwara was demolished in the "riots".

The minomer "riots" refers to the pogroms directed against Sikhs across India in November 1984.  

Haridwar SSP Arun Mohan Joshi claimed the police were not preventing the Sikhs, but “identifying and stopping such persons who could pose a threat to communal harmony ... Only a dialogue can solve the issue of the gurdwara and it is underway with a committee looking into the case,” he added.

When contacted, the SGPC spokesperson said that the SGPC had been “repeatedly” writing to the Uttarakhand government to declare the historical site near Har ki Pauri as a memorial and provide land for the re-construction of the gurdwara.

"The Uttarakhand government should have responded to our requests by now ...," he said.

 

[Courtesy: Indian Express. Edited for sikhchic.com]

November 28, 2012

 

Conversation about this article

1: H. Kaur (Canada), November 28, 2012, 2:18 PM.

I just wonder how many gurdwaras were attacked in 1984. At least 38 were by the Indian army during 'Operation Bluestar'. I read that at least 70 were attacked by the mobs in Delhi during the pogroms of November, 1984. I never knew this gurdwara was destroyed in Haridwar as well. It makes me wonder what the total count would be. For a secular country, it is amazing how many houses of worship belonging to minorities have been destroyed by mobs from the majority community in India since 'independence', but particularly after 1984. I know mosques have been destroyed and hundreds of Christian churches as well. I'm also curious about how many people have been convicted for destroying the houses of worship of these three minority faiths. My guess is zero, but I hope I am wrong.

2: Gurteg Singh (New York, USA), November 28, 2012, 3:26 PM.

As per the latest reports, 700 Sikhs have been arrested at Himachal/Uttarakhand border under the imaginary and manufactured threat of communal violence. The Indian Government and its agencies have time and again conveyed to Sikhs that they do cannot enjoy basic rights and freedoms, but unfortunately we have lost our sense of history, we just don't get it. Sikhs should finally realize that they must free themselves from the yoke of an oppressive government.

3: Sunny Grewal (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada), November 28, 2012, 4:07 PM.

@2 Gurteg Singh. I agree that the Sikhs have lost their sense of history. There are many striking similarities to the administration of modern India and the Mughal Empire. Under both of these regimes, the Sikhs have been single-handedly selected for discrimination and oppression. What is the difference between preventing these Sikhs from coming to their historical gurdwara site in Haridwar and the Mughal proclamations which prevented the Sikhs from bathing at Harmandar Sahib on Vaisakhi?

4: Hitpal Singh (New Zealand), November 29, 2012, 10:36 AM.

The only difference between the Mughal period and present day Hindustan is at least the Mughals were warriors and preferred to fight the Sikhs but the Indian Government is happy pussyfooting and shadow-boxing - the perennial brahmin sports. An entire belt of border districts is flooded with drugs to weaken Punjab and the Sikhs so that they cannot raise their voice. Shame on India. Shame on us for letting this happen.

5: Gurmeet Kaur (Atlanta, Georgia, USA), November 29, 2012, 11:11 AM.

Can you blame the Indian Government? Don't we know by now that it will only try to take advantage of our every weakness? Ask DGMC or SGPC (the two wealthiest Sikh bodies closest to Haridwar) - if Gurdwara Gian Godhri is on their agenda. O wait - they are too busy waving swords at each other and now perhaps dragging each other to courts.

6: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, USA), November 30, 2012, 9:46 AM.

I lived in Ranipur, Haridwar and often visited this Gyan Godhri Gurdawara, mostly on weekends. This is very surprising that both DGMC and SGPC were silent for 28 years after 1984, on this issue. We Sikhs and our organizations have failed to live up to the teachings of Guru Nanak who brought Hindus and Muslims and others together under the same roof. We only believe in show-off (nagar kirtans, e.g.) without truly living in Sikhi.

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