AJ111

So you are not condemning the Taliban style bullying and violence, just that it should not be videoed and shown to the world ! Can you understand why you don't get outside support for your "right" to carry swords. You also forfeit your right to complain about others treating you like this.

How will it be practical for anyone to vet and licence the select few from millions of Sikhs ? Since we all live in mixed secular societies, the only right for Sikhs should be to carry a blunt and small mock kirpan that cannot hurt anyone. We are not living in medieval times. A relative of mine (non-Sikh) was involved in a traffic incident with a kirpan wielding Sikh in a rage. He managed to escape alive from that incident but why should he have had to face such danger. It is grossly unfair that a section of the population should be allowed to carry dangerous weapons.

What is the source of these photos ? Are you satisfied they are real?

Imagine if J.S.Bhindranwale had allowed the innocent pilgrims to leave before the battle commenced or better still curtailed his ego and surrendered to the army. All the bloodshed and carnage could have been avoided.

The whole world knows who committed this atrocity.....many here have a problem accepting that Sikhs can do such things and want to wish it away by clutching at straws and conspiracy theories.

Is it because so many Sikhs themselves insist on being identified as Sikhs and reject being called Indians ?

The lesson of the 1947 partition has not been learnt. The majority on this forum still seek another partition of India based on religion as if the violence of 1947 and 1984 wasn't enough.

It is heart warming and inspiring to see so many on this forum caring about the welfare of animals and avoiding meat.

I think you will find the Sikh Kingdom died long before independence. At 1947 there was a muslim dominated Punjab and democracy had arrived.

Mocking Hindus like this is not a trait worthy of a noble Sardar ji.

When the sangat thought he might be hanged, their humanitarian sympathy created a mass wave. But since it does not look like he is ever going to be hanged, the sangat have moved on. They were never actually interested in his political views.

That would work in a place like Scotland - where the population is all Scottish. But in the current Punjab half the population is not Sikh. Even the Sikhs have the opportunity to vote for independence parties like Simranjeet Mann's party. Instead they reject them completely and end up voting for Badal's Akalis, BJP and Congress instead. So a plebiscite will not achieve Khalistan. It has to be violent and bloody fight for independence against impossible odds.

Yes having your own country can be a great benefit and this view is a regularly expressed and a cherished hope for all on the forum. The problem for Sikhs that want their own country is that half the population in the designated territory is non-Sikh (assuming all the Sikhs wanted it). Without a violent partition and ethnic cleansing bigger then 1947 how can this be achieved? How many innocents will get massacred to achieve it ? What type of country will it be - like a Taliban Afghanistan ? There are many questions like this that are never answered. Therefore it is dishonest to keep propagating this sentiment without offering a practical route map.

When you look at how fiercely the Tamil Tigers or Japanese fought you can realise that athletic build is not enough. The motivation for their cause and organisation were more important. If athletic build was the most important factor then Sikhs, Pathans and blacks would be having great power. Such groups can not succeed in building modern empires on the basis of their physiques. You need to have brains, modern technology, etc. like the Israelies.

I don't know if these protests will achieve anything. The prisoners they want released are what Indians see as terrorists who tried to violently partition India. It's like asking turkeys to vote for Christmas. My view is if they have completed their sentences they should be vetted and released if they pose no further risk. The authorities may be fearing that once released they will re-start their activities and risk the hard won peace.