The separatist movement is now largely propagated from abroad
gained independence from Britain in 1947, few outside the country believed that a union of such diverse states could hold together. India has survived—but not without threats to its unity. One of the most enduring has been the Khalistan movement, which seeks to establish an independent homeland for Sikhs.
The dream of Khalistan survived. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the movement re-emerged, fuelled by growing Sikh diasporas in places like Britain and Canada. In 1980 Jagjit Singh Chauhan, a doctor in London, declared himself president of the “Republic of Khalistan”. The biggest flashpoint came in 1984. By then, Bhindranwale and a group of supporters had set up a base in the Golden Temple, Sikhism’s holiest site, in the Punjabi city of Amritsar, from where they sought to lead the insurgency. As violence spread across the state, the Indian government decided to enter the temple to evict the terrorists.
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