Shaheed Gurbakhsh Singh (1688 - 1764)
Photo © [Courtesy Jedi Nights]
Saka Nankana Mahant Massacre (1921)
Singhs are martyred when wrestling control of Gurdwara Nankana Sahib (Pakistan), birthplace of Guru Nanak, from corrupt Mahant Narayan Das who owned an estate adjacent to the gurdwara. The Mahant took control of collecting revenue and offerings made to the Gurudwara. He used the premises for debauchery and encouraged atrocities, preying on innocent unsuspecting pilgrims who visited the gurdwara. When confronted by concerned Singhs, he pretended to cooperate all the while stockpiling men and weapons. February 19, 1921 at 10pm, a posse of Singhs from surrounding neighborhoods marched on the gurdwara arriving before dawn on the 20th. The Mahant ambushed and massacred nearly 200 Sikh men and women setting fire to bodies of the dead and wounded.
Panja Sahib Shaheed, Train Station Martyrs (1922)
The incident began August 8, 1922, with the arrest, consequent fine, and imprisonment of five Singhs who had cut wood to fuel a langar kitchen fire from fallow land neighboring Gurdwara Guru Ka Bhag. On September 13, Sikh protesters were beaten, arrested, and imprisoned. Further protest resulted in arrest and a two and a half year sentence for Subedar Amar Singh and a squadron of retired army personnel. The detainees were shipped by train from Amritsar to Attak. On October 31, Singhs in Panja Sahib prepared langar and sat on the tracks to stop the train as it passed by. Karam Singh, age 30, and Partap Singh, age 25, were hit. They requested the Singhs on board be fed before allowing anyone to attend their injuries. Both achieved martyrdom.
Darbar Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) Massacre (1984)
Operation Bluestar, June 3 - 6, 1984. Following episodes of political unrest, Indira Ghandi orders troupes and tanks to invade the sacred grounds of Harmandir Sahib, popurlarly known as the Golden Temple, to flush out Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who had taken refuge in the compound. The action resulted in the massacre of thousands of innocent Sikh worshipers, the destruction of Akal Takht, seat of religious authority, the desecration of sacred Gurbani scriptures, the defacing of the Harmandir complex and surrounding pool. Offical reports placed the death toll of devotees at 492. Families who lost loved ones report as many as 8,000 Sikhs were killed during the four day occupation of the sacred Harmandir Sahib gurdwara complex.
Delhi Massacre (1984)
No one has ever been held accountable for the deaths of thousands of innocent Sikhs slaughtered October 31, November 1, 2, and 3 of 1984, in the backlash following the assassination of Indira Gandhi after she ordered troupes and tanks to storm the Golden Temple complex in June of 1984. Mobs were allegedly led against Sikhs by several of India's members of congress. Numerous affidavits were filed by eyewitness against Jagdish Tytler, who won a seat in 2004 as a Member of Parliament, for inciting a mob to attack and burn Gurdwara Pulbangash and kill Sikhs present. In 2010 Dehli High Court agreed to hear charges for murder and rioting brought against Sajjan Kumar.
