Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale

He was the thirteeth jathedar or leader, of the prominent orthodox Sikh religious institution Damdami Taksal.^[15][16] An advocate of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution,^{[17][18][19][20][21]} he gained significant attention after his involvement in the 1978 Sikh-Nirankari clash. In the summer of 1982, Bhindranwale and the Akali Dal launched the Dharam Yudh Morcha ("righteous campaign"),^[22] with its stated aim being the fulfilment of a list of demands based on the Anandpur Sahib Resolution to create a largely autonomous state within India. Thousands of people joined the movement in the hope of retaining a larger share of irrigation water and the return of Chandigarh to Punjab.^[23] There was dissatisfaction in some sections of the Sikh community with prevailing economic, social, and political conditions.^[24] Over time Bhindranwale grew to be a leader of Sikh militancy.^[25][26]


In 1982, Bhindranwale and his group moved to the Golden Temple complex and made it his headquarters. Bhindranwale would establish what amounted to a "parallel government" in Punjab,^[27][28] settling cases and resolving disputes,^[27][29][30] while conducting his campaign.^[31] In 1983, he along with his militant cadre inhabited and fortified the Sikh shrine Akal Takht. Scholars hold him responsible for launching attacks on Hindus and state institutions from the complex.^{[32][33][34][35]} In June 1984, Operation Blue Star was carried out by the Indian Army to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers from the buildings of the Harmandir Sahib in the Golden Temple Complex,^[36] which resulted in hundreds to thousands of deaths according to various reports, including that of Bhindranwale.^[37]


Bhindranwale has remained a controversial figure in Indian history.^[38] While the Sikhs' highest temporal authority Akal Takht describe him a 'Martyr',^[39] with immense appeal among rural sections of the Sikh population,^[28][40] who saw him as a powerful leader,^[40] who stood up to Indian state dominance and repression,^[41][42] many Indians saw him as spearheading a "revivalist, extremist and terrorist movement".^{[40][43][44][45][46]} His stance on the creation of a separate Sikh state remains a point of contention.^{[18][19][47][48][49][50][51][52]}

From July 1977 to July 1982, he extensively toured cities and villages of Punjab to preach the Sikh faith. He also visited other states and cities in India, mostly in gurdwaras, in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.^[62] His meetings were attended by rapt "throngs of the faithful – and the curious."^[62] He advocated against decreasing religious observance, cultural changes occurring in Punjab, rising substance abuse, and use of alcohol and pornography, encouraging religious initiation by taking amrit (the administration of which had been his primary task during his tours)^[53] and fulfilling religious obligations, including wearing the outward religious symbols of the faith, like the turban and beard.^[29] He appeared at a time when leaders were not engaged in the community, traveled from city to city instead of being based in an office or gurdwara and delegating, solved domestic disputes and showed no interest in a political career, seeing himself foremost as a man of religion.^[61] People soon began to seek his intervention in addressing social grievances, and he began to hold court to settle disputes. This reflected the widespread disenchantment among the masses with expensive, time-consuming bureaucratic procedures that often did not ensure justice. Bhindranwale's verdicts were widely respected and helped to gain him enormous popularity,^[29] as well as his "remarkable ability" as a preacher and his ability to quote religious texts and evoke the relevance of historical events in the present time.^[63]


Khushwant Singh, a critic of Bhindranwale, allowed that