What is being heralded as the biggest travesty of justice in modern history of Punjab, the issue of release of Bandi Singhs has once again stirred a storm of emotions in minds of Punjabis.
In recent times, Punjab has witnessed emotionally charged protests demanding the release of Bandi Singhs or Sikh Prisoners in various jails of the country. These prisoners have been languishing in these jails of the country for three decades despite having served their full sentences. Many argue that thirty years in prison is good enough time to render anyone mentally, physically and emotionally unfit and unstable. The contention among supporters of the release of Bandi Sikhs is that they had been purposely incarcerated by the Central Government. However, time and again various agencies have reiterated that the release of these prisoners would threaten the law and order of Punjab and the country as a whole.
It is important to recognize here that these Sikh prisoners were convicted for their supposed involvement in militancy in Punjab.
According to activist, Jaspal Singh Manjhpur, 20 Bandi Sikhs are still in jail. In recent times, various political parties have rattled sabres with each other on this issue. However, every party seems to be beating around the same old rhetoric of being sympathetic with the prisoners and the issue, so as to not upset the influential Sikh voter bank across Punjab and elsewhere in the country.
Not to forget that a sizeable support for the movement also seems to be trickling down from a large chunk of non-resident Indian Sikhs based in countries such as Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, US and various parts of Europe.
In November 2022, The Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee or (SGPC) launched a massive signature campaign to gather support for the release of the Bandi Sikh prisoners, which continues even to this date.
On the international arena, while Sikhs have lobbied hard to gather more support for the movement, there have also been major setbacks to the momentum and the image of Sikhs due to adverse comments made by a handful of prominent international statesmen and politicians.
Former British Home Secretary Priti Patel annoyed millions of Sikhs worldwide when she said that Sikh separatist extremism had caused considerable tensions in recent years.
The Sikh federation of UK immediately demanded an apology from Patel for her unsubstantiated statement saying Sikhs were a role model community in the UK and had made a massive positive contribution to Britain especially during the pandemic.
Moreover, the federation insisted that Patel either be sacked or resign since her fondness for India’s ruling party BJP and her connections to it, were openly known to all. The BJP and various Sikh organizations have been at loggerheads with each other on numerous issues such as the Farmer’s act introduced by the government.
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee has already pledged to take the issue of the imprisoned Bandi Sikhs to the UNO and International Court of Justice, some believe that the fight is not going to be fraught with challenges.
The release of convicted rapist and self-styled Guru and chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda, Ram Rahim Singh who has numerous criminal cases registered against him including that of murder and parole, and who has been granted parole by Indian courts, has further fueled unrest and mistrust among the Sikh community that has been labouring hard for the release of Bandi Sikh prisoners.
\For now, it seems the central government might not have the release of Bandi Sikhs as a priority matter. However, this is an issue that it cannot evade for long as more and more people have started holding it accountable for the lives and well-being of the incarcerated Bandi Sikhs.
