Melbourne’s Craigieburn Gurudwara was today and yesterday splashed with provocative ‘Khalistan Declaration Day’ and anti-India posters.
An enormous poster of the deceased terrorist – Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale adorned one section of the temple’s façade.
A Tik Tok video of Craigeburn Gurudwara on 30 April 2022
The Khalistan Referendum is a project of the banned US-based terror outfit – Sikhs For Justice (‘SFJ’).
In February 2022, AHM had received credible information that the SFJ had infiltrated the Sikh diaspora in Australia and was planning a ‘Khalistan Referendum’ here.
Craigieburn Gurudwara has been at the center of other controversies in the recent past. You can read about them here: https://www.australianhindu.com/post/four-victorian-gurudwaras-jointly-planned-the-end-hindu-fascism-poster-event and here: https://www.australianhindu.com/post/police-called-to-craigieburn-gurudwara-rebels-threaten-to-celebrate-khalistan-day
ASIO and Australian Police have been informed of the presence of radical Khalistani elements in Australia.
Prospect Gurudwara, Adeaide
In Adelaide, Prospect Gurudwara advertised a ‘Khalistan Day’ Discussion Forum on 1 May 2022.
Glenwood Gurudwara
Meanwhile, there is no sign of the ongoing dispute between different factions at Sydney’s largest gurudwara at Glenwood being resolved. Police have been repeatedly deployed to prevent members and devotees from entering the temple. You can watch videos of one of the factions here : Sydney Morcha – Sydney Morcha was live. | Facebook
Keysborough Gurudwara
Last week, a visitor to Melbourne’s Keysborough Gurudwara reported that there were massive pro-Khalistani posters hanging at the gurudwara. She observed children distributing ‘Khalistan’ posters.
‘There were six-foot posters of a map of India with a region covering Punjab, Rajasthan and other parts of India colored in yellow, named Khalistan,’ she said.
This is the map of ‘Khalistan’ released by Sikhs For Justice:
Remarkably, the map claims no part of Pakistan – despite approximately two-thirds of Punjab (and a number of iconic Sikh sites) being located in Pakistan.
Other Gurudwaras
There was no sign of Khalistani activities in other Gurudwaras across Sydney and Melbourne surveyed by AHM.
Entrance to Revesby Gurudwara in South Western Sydney on 30 April 2022.
Entrance to Tarneit Gurudwara, Melbourne on 30 April 2022
‘Khalistan Day’ billboard
Around 27 April 2022, a poster had appeared on a billboard near Sunshine Hospital in Melbourne advertising ‘Khalistan Day’ at Craigewood Gurudwara on 30 April. You can read more about the reaction of the Australian Indian community to the poster here:
Email campaign
Members of the Australian Indian community initiated an email campaign against the poster. NRI Herald reported that the man behind the campaign was Amit Singh Jadaun https://www.nriherald.com/post/bhindranwale-billboard-nriherald-australia
The campaign garnered over 600 signatures. On 28 April 2022, the company that operates the billboard – Civic Outdoor agreed to remove the offending poster.
Sikhs for Justice
On 10 July 2019, the Indian government had declared Sikhs For Justice to be an unlawful association. This is the official notification:
What is the Khalistan movement?
The Khalistani movement was spear-headed by one Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
Bhindranwale started a puritanical movement among a group of Sikhs in Punjab in the 1970s, with the professed aim of creating an autonomous state.
Bhindranwale and his supporters unleashed a campaign of terror against anyone who did not subscribe to their radical views. This included:
In 1982, Bhindranwale and his supporters moved into the Golden Temple in Amritsar and made it their headquarters. They stocked the temple with arms and converted it into a garrison. They claimed to run a parallel government from it.
In June 1984, the Indian army carried out Operation Bluestar in which they stormed the temple; and neutralized Bhindranwale and his supporters.
Later that year, the then Indian Prime Minister— Indira Gandhi was assassinated in retribution by two of her Sikh bodyguards. You can watch the reaction of some Khalistani supporters to the assassination of Mrs. Gandhi here: https://twitter.com/i/status/1479291251312652291
Following the assassination of Mrs. Gandhi, supporters of her Indian National Congress Party carried out retaliatory attacks against Sikhs in New Delhi, leading to the loss of over 2,000 Sikh lives.
More than 20,000 Indians were killed by Bhindranwale’s supporters during his reign of terror.
Between 1981 and 1991, the Hindu population in Indian Punjab declined from 48% to 38%.
Following Operation Bluestar, the Khalistani movement was virtually wiped out in India.
In the last State legislative assembly election in Punjab, the only political party which supported a separatist Khalistani ideology received 0.38% of the total vote.
International connections of Khalistanis
Because of the Indian government’s crackdown on Bhindranwale’s supporters particularly in the 1980s, a significant number of them migrated to Canada, the USA, Great Britain, and, to a lesser extent, Australia.
The remnants of Bhindranwale’s supporters re-grouped overseas. They built alliances with Pakistan’s ISI and other anti-India elements.
Air India Flight 182
On 23 June 1985, Air India Flight 182 disintegrated in mid-air en route from Montreal to London, at an altitude of 9,400 m over the Atlantic Ocean, as a result of the explosion from a bomb planted by Canadian Khalistani terrorists.
The remnants of the airliner fell into the ocean near Ireland, killing all aboard: 329 people, including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens, and 24 Indian Citizens.
The bombing of Air India Flight 182 is the largest mass killing in Canadian history, the deadliest aviation incident in the history of Air India, and was the deadliest act of aviation terrorism until the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Talwinder Singh Parmar, leader of the Sikh terrorist group – Babbar Khalsa was the mastermind behind this attack. The only person convicted for this crime was Inderjit Singh Reyat, who was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
You can read more about the Khalistani movement’s international connections here: 20200820_Khalistan_Air_India_Milewski_PAPER_FWeb.pdf (macdonaldlaurier.ca)
Farmer’s Protests
Khalistani elements were also visible and prominent in the recent anti-farming laws protests in India.
If you have any information about the activities of Khalistanis in Australia, please email us at australianhindumedia@gmail.com