Banned Sikh objects reappear in Punjab

[Guest mehtab]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asi...sia/1904217.stm

Banned Sikh objects reappear in Punjab

Stall-holder sells pictures of militants killed in action

Sant Jee's pic? militants killed?

Weapons remain popular although militancy is dead

What does militancy have to do with a Sikh keeping weapons?

By Asit Jolly

BBC correspondent in Chandigarh

Militant memorabilia, banned by the government in the northern Indian state of Punjab since the mid-1980s, is once again on sale in rural fairs.

Calendars and posters bearing pictures of slain militant leaders sold briskly at the recently concluded Sikh festival of Hola Mohalla.

Over three million devotees visited the historic birthplace of the Khalsa or modern Sikhism at Anandpur during the recent three-day Hola Mohalla festival.

The festi

val is best known for the colourful display of martial arts by the Nihangs, who pride themselves as direct descendants of the Sikh Army raised by a Sikh saint, Guru Gobind Singh.

Separatist memories

Hola Mohalla coincides with the Hindu festival of colours, Holi, and is an occasion for religious discussions and devotional music.

But this year's festival was different from its predecessors.

Dozens of little stalls were openly selling printed calendars and posters bearing pictures of Sikh militants killed by Indian security forces during the 1980s and 1990s.

As part of its efforts to combat an armed separatist movement in the mid-1980's, the Punjab Government had imposed a blanket ban on the sale of such merchandise.

Other militant memorabilia including audio cassette recordings of speeches made by separatist leaders too were banned.

The most popular among these were recorded speeches and calendars bearing pictures of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale - a leader of the Sikh separatist movement.

Light enforcement

Bhindranwale died fighting Indian Army soldiers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984.

Dharmender Singh, who purchased a set of calendars from one of the shops at the Hola Mohalla fair said he intended to display these in his village home.

He said these carried memories of great Sikh warriors.

State officials at Anandpur told the BBC the official ban was still in place and that the calendars and posters were being sold despite this.

They said a decision had been taken not to enforce the ban too strictly.

[Balwinder Singh]

Its gr8 that these things are sellin again.People will get to know about speeches of grt saint and soldier Sant ji.But media will always pose umm as "millitants". This is pathetic that nobdy talk abt Sant ji in India.nobdy talks abt 84 events.people look at umm (who talks abt 84)differently as if they r "terrorists".I myself was very very ignorant abt all this (84 thing). My grand maa beleives in sant ji a lot.She is his gr8 admirer. So she gave me a book abt him which helped to understand sant ji's great service to panth.

[smartsingh24]

I say it's all just another part of the Indian govt's plan to demoralize us and destroy any evidence of '84.

[ms514]

Sat Sri Akal:

In India...you talk, you die. Under this pressure, Punjab is "peaceful" aka. heavily suppressed. But those same grievances and some more new ones (post-84) still boil in the minds of Sikhs there.

[Simran9]

Militants for Indian gov't, GREAT SIKH HEROES for us

[hajara]

what incites militancy? a countries police force and army officers raping torturing maiming countless thousands of sikhs families? or a simple speech saying we want peace we want to live in hindustan in peace its upto indra to tell us, but we are not eunuchs either where we will not respond.

why are these speeches then banned by the gov?

can the community challange this ban order in court? and why not? surely affluent sikhs in india can combine with rural sikhs blending numerical strentgh with financial power hire top lawyers fight this unjust case.

this is curtailing religious freedom like who will know 2 generations from now in india what happened in the 70s 80s if vital info is banned?

[DhadiMania]

they r no militants. the rss r, but the government dont consider them as militants/terroists. even if the rss wants 2 convert all countries frm burma 2 iraq 2 hinduism (goodluck facin countries hu hav chemicals like syria, n hit mecca all muslims will b killin them) then u got china, hu is tuff. na rss wont stand a chance!

[hajara]

excellent point kandola ji, a sudden change of tone with this media menace on sikhs then its "terrorist" or "militant" but when its the rss (now) or indian national heroes (past) throwing bombs on parliements under british and assasinating prominent british leaders, then their " indian freedom fighters".

what did sant jarnail singh do? extolled sikhs to take amrit and fight back only oppression where it occurs where is the "terrorism" in that??

miltancy has two sides the gorment is tryna portray a mantra like "these sikhs get inspired by militancy then become militants". what it doesnt say and omits vital data is why militancy? whats the cause of the 80s and 90s punjab prob?

a whole nation doesnt just become militant by listening to a speech of a man telling an oppressed audience to defend their life with whatever they can because the police and courts will give you NO justice or appeal. the sikhs at the time must have been subdued into a position to defend their lives against state brutality and the causes of militancy are not addressed by the media which lie solely responsible with the gov of the time and heavy handedness of the arm of law.

the arya samajis, bajrang dals, shiv sena ( even hidden with the new rss image) groups previously have stated "kach karra kirpan ena nu pejo pakistan sikha nu rehen ni dena" others in various state positions have made comments like "wel kill 10 000 sikhs the world will not know". this is inciting terrorism one it states ethnic cleansing two its insinuating holocausts to provoke. so why are these groups and men not banned or cencored?

why are these speeches not banned?

rss are m

assacring christians and muslims in india is that not terrorist? jah militant? why are there no pictures of pavan kumar with his 10 000 grenades in the papers?

why are there no pictures of trishul wielding rss thugs slaughtering pregnant muslim women in gujrat? wheres the real terror or militancy?

[hajara]

weird terms "sikh militant" as if the shaheeds were militants rather than taking up arms as a last resort to defend their property lives and families against torture and humiliation. thats common sense , they didnt just pick up a gun they were driven to it.

"indian security forces" - as if the army really was a security force whos it securing? the first army circular ordered the army to kill as many amritdharis as possible as they are percieved to be a threat. responsible for the mass murder of sikhs so what exactly they securing?

There is no armed movement in punjab today so why is this ban on calenders or photos in place? why is it not lifted in indias democracy?

was subash chandra bose a militant? why is his photo hanging in indian courts and police stations as a " figure of freedom"? where is the expression of freedom?

sant jarnail singh was no leader of any sikh seperatist movement all he did was preach sikhi. The ignorance of the indian media is unbeliebale khalistan was not even declared until 1986 from Akhal Takhat. What seperatism are they then babbling out of their mustard oil laced dhotis about?