Sikh history is almost wholly, a history of Morchas [fight for survival and rights ] ever since Sikhism evolved. It has been a struggle for survival fighting against the Mughals,then fighting against foreign invaders, to get them out of the country.
It was not too long ago, Sikh morchas were active against the colonial power, Britain who ruled the indian sub continent.
According to Maulana Azad 'Sikh community's share amounts' 70% in the struggle to free India from the yoke of the British rule.'Despite this lion's share the Sikh Panth continually was put into a position where it had to launch continual Morchas for its own rights and freedom. In these instances, the community was always led by the Shiromani Akali Dal, since 1920.
The Shiromani Akali Dal was launched on the 14th of December 1920. Just a month before that, on the 16th of November, 1920, the Shiromani Gurduara Committee had been established. Corrupted mahants [self appointed "holy" men], supported by the colonial British administration controlled and managed almost all the major Gurduaras of the Panth.The Gurduaras were in a poor state in terms of spiritual practice, maryada, and management of their local resources and donations from the sangat.Some of these mahants coming from a hindu background also began to mislead the sangats with practices contrary to the Sikh religion.
As such, the Sikhs decided to take care of their Gurduaras.It was in this climate the Akalis and the first morchas came into being for the Sikh sangats to wrest control of Gurduaras from the mahants.But the British Government was not in favour of the Sikhs taking control of their own Gurduaras,and decided to arrest some of the peaceful agitators and supported the mahants and their henchmen into employing heavy handed tactics with the Sikhs.
To enlist Sikh volunteers for the Morchas the Akali Dal was set up. With the advent of the Akali Dal the British Government was forced into passing the Gurduara Act.
When analysed closely, two phases of the Akali morchas can be identified and are apparent. The first of this is the phase between its inception in 1920 to 1926. The second phase of the Akali lehar[movement] The second phase is after 1926 when the Akalis became involved in the freedom struggle of the country.
In 1943, the AZAD PUNJAB manifesto was put forward. Before and during the partition, Jinnah and Pakistan supporters offered the Akalis some very attractive terms, including an autonomous and independent area for Sikhs within Pakistan. The British too tried to persuade the Akalis to go independent, but the Akali leadership felt the interests of the Sikh lay in the support of a united india and and believing the Congress leadership with no concrete guarantee, decided against the offers from Jinnah and the British! They sealed the Sikh fate with India.
In this period, the Akalis concentrated in trying to resolve the religious issues, Sikh rights and the independence of India, and contributed heavily with human sacrifices, pain and loss of life to the community.
But then since 1947, after the Congress party and its leadership denied the promises made to the Sikhs, it got embroiled into more morchas.The congress party failed to convince and offer the Sikhs the security and rights they demanded with the sacher formula, regional formula etc. ... The Aakali party's morchas have continued to this day from then.This is the second phase.
Next, I will examine the different stages and morcha scenes of the first phase of these Akali morchas! I will commence with the Gurduara Reform Morchas in the next write up.
The British authorities supported and recognised all those mahants who controlled the Gurduaras and practised rituals and acts contrary to the Sikh religious edicts and code or maryada. In 1881, the British devolved the amritdhari parbandhak Committee of Harmander sahib and implemented Government control, as a result by the turn of the 20th century, there was pooja being conducted in Harmander Sahib to hindu deities and hindu goddess's statues.
In 1912, Kartar Singh Chabbal rose against such abuse and voiced to liberate the Gurduaras from the control of the mahants, thus taking the first steps towards the Gurdauara Reform Morcha -or Gurduara Sudhaar Moracha.This created new vigour among the Akalis. On 14th January 1914, a wall belonging to Gurduara Rakab Ganj,Delhi was destroyed deliberately.Teja Singh Samundri and other Sikh leaders protested strongly against this provocative act,but it also dawned upon Sikhs that they needed to unite to liberate the Sikh Gurduaras and prevent further abuse and destruction within the Gurduaras.
By 1920, when the SGPC and the SAD came into being it was realised to reform the Gurduaras Sikhs would need to conduct an organised movement.Towards this they found a volunteer Force of 5000 Akalis willing to be martyrs for the Sikh cause, and soon that developed into the Morchas.
By this time, the state of the Gurduaras and Sikh practices according to gurmat was so poor within the Gurduaras,that a board was put up the main entrance to Harmander Sahib..which read..."Low caste individuals cannot enter the premises of Harmander Sahib before 11 am"
Acts of hooliganism and gangsterism were carried out from within the Gurduara Sahib of Taran Taran. Opposite the Darshani Deorri,paid transvestites would gather openly to conduct their business. The mahant of Nanakana sahib was an alcoholic who entertained visitors with alcohol within the premises. He had honoured the murderous british General O'Dyer who was responsible for the killings in cold blood of thousands of innocent people at Jallian Wala Bagh on 13th of April 1913, by giving him a sirpao.The mentioned abuses and anti Sikh practices were just the tip of iceberg.
The Akali Singhs launched their first morcha at Sialkot's Babe di ber Gurduara, which was succesful.In july 1920 the Pujaris of Darbar sahib were chased out and control taken by the Sikh sangats.
In November 1920 Kartar Singh Chabbal and his Akali Jatha liberated Gurduara Panja Sahib from the mahants.On 25th of January 1921,Teja Singh Bhuchar with a jatha of 40 Sikhs left for Taran Taran, but the mahant there attacked them and martyred two Akalis.As result a case was registered after which the Sikhs took control of the Gurduara at Taran Taran.
But the most deadly and bloody murderous morcha was that of Nankana sahib.The mahant,Narain Dass,had gathered weapons including kerosene and amassed them in the Gurduara.His first clash took place with Lashman Singh ji.Then on the 12th of December 1920,the mahants got together and decided they will fight the Sikh Panth.The mahant also enlisted many Pathan employees for his defense. The mahants also embarked upon other sinister schemes, like to invite the akali leaders for talks and mass murder them, in order to defeat the Sikh sangats.
Seeing the morchas taking a bloody turn,Master Tara Singh and Teja Singh Samundri sent for Bhai Dalip Singh and Jaswant Singh Chabbaal to stop Kartar Singh Chabber and others taking the Sikh Jathas out. In Bhai Lashman Singh's jatha,a Bhai Tehal Singh said that he had taken Ardas ,and will not pull back from going on.Other Singhs echoed in the same.
All Sikhs in the jatha left for Nankana sahib and arriving there on the 20th of february 1921.The mahant had prepared for a violent killing field.The mahant's men started firing upon the peaceful jatha, killimg 150 Akali Sikhs, were later burnt by the mahant's goondas using kerosene to hide evidence of his extremely violent and murderous actions agaisnt peacefully gathered Sikhs.Mahant Narain Dass and 26 of his men were arrested.
The next day Master Tara Singh, Sardar Bahadur Mehtab Singh,Teja Singh Samundri and other Sikh leaders arrived in Nankana sahib to take stock of the tragedy and declare further action.Sr Kartar Chabber's Jatha with 2200 Singhs also arrived at Nankana Sahib.The police backed down from the Gurduara and the Sikhs took control of the Gurduara at Nankana Sahib.
After the Sikhs had chased the Poojari Mahants out of the Darbar Sahib,and taken control of the Harmander sahib, they sat up a 25 member committee to oversee the Akal Takhat.But the deputy Commissioner of Amritsar on the 13th of October 1920, sat up another 9 member committee under Sardar Sunder Singh Ji Ramgarhia to oversea the Darbar sahib.
A year later, on the 19th of October 1921, when Baba Kharak Singh became the president of the Shiromani Gurduara Parbandhak Committee, calls were made by the Sikh sangats to Sundar Singh Ramgarhia to hand over the control and keys of the Darbar Sahib to Baba Kharak Singh ji.
But instead ,the deputy commissioner and the Police head of Police took the keys into their own custody.as they planned to rob the toshakhana, the place where histiorical artefacts, and other valuable items like birs and Guru related memorabilia were kept in storage.
After having removed some very expensive rubies, diamonds and other items, they now decided to hand over the keys to the Sikhs.
In the meantime the SGPC was arranging to start an agitation to force the authorities to hand over the keys.On11/11 1921, the SGPC passed a resolution where they called on the people to offer the government no coperation.As a result, a collision between the government and the Akalis was inevitable.
The Akalis decided that a hartal[strike] should be held during the Prince of Wales's impending visit to Amritsar to protest against the refusal of the authorities to hand over the keys of Darbar sahib.
The british authorities removed Sundar Singh Ramgarhia,and declared to appoint another Sikh Captain Bahadur Singh as the Controller of the Darbar sahib, but that did not pacify the Sikhs who ignored Captain Bahadur Singh.
Then the DC of Amritsar decided to hold community rallies to explain the situation of the keys to the sangats, but when the Akalis in a counter move declared to hold similar rallies, the government issued a blanket ban on such meetings!
The authorities arrested Teja Singh Samundri,Harnam Singh,Dina Nath,Jaswant Singh Chabbaal, Daan Singh Vashoa and many other Sikhs for holding one such rally in Ajnala.
In another rally held in Ajnala ,protesting against the arrest of the Sikh leaders in the first rally,more leaders like Baba Kharak Singh,Bhag Singh Lawyer,Sardar Bahadur Mehtab Singh,Master Sunder Singh Lyalpuri and others were also arrested,and a case was registered against them.They were fined and jailed.It was in this morcha other Sikh leaders like Master Tara singh Sarmukh Singh Jhabaal, Amar Singh Jhabaal and many other prominent Sikh leaders were arrested.
On the 6th of December 1921 the professors of Khalsa College Amritsar passed a resolution that the keys are related to a religious centre, and the SGPC is the elected supreme Religious authority of Sikhism, therefore the keys should be handed over to it.
By now as the morcha was fast gaining ground and wide support, the british government found itself in a dilemna.On 5th of january, 1922,was the gurprab of Guru Gobind Singh Ji,the DC of Amritsar offered to hand over the keys to the Sikhs, but the Sikh sangats refused to accept the keys until all the leaders were released. On the 11th Of January, the government was forced to announce the release of all Sikhs arrested, and by the 17th of January 1922 all the Sikh leaders arrested were released. Through a government representative all the keys were handed over to Baba Kharak Singh.
This was the first morcha of the Shiromani Akali Dal, and had ended in victory for the Akali Dal and the Sikh sangats.
Mohanchand karamdas Gandhi speaking upon the victory of the SAD and Sikh sangats said."..this morcha is the first victory in the battle for independance of Hindustan..".
Sikhs, little knew it was actually their FIRST step towards de-enfranchisement of their religion and identity within the future constitution of the hindustan gandhi spoke about!!
As the Sikhs succeeded in taking control of their Gurduaras, the Guru ka Bagh Gurduara too came into the Sikh hands and maryadic practice.The mahant there agreed to the Sikh conditions and accepted to run the Gurduara as per agreed Sikh rehat maryada.
On the 8th of february 1921, the Mahant took amrit and joined the Order of the Khalsa.But within two months of the agreement he began to disregard the conditions for his continued management of the Gurduara Sahib.
Five Akali Singh sewadaars cut some wood from the orchard of the Gurduara sahib, the mahant accused them of stealing and had them arrested after making police reports against them.
By the 22 of Augaust 1921 many more Akali workers were arrested, and the English DC of the area began taking a tough and unecessarily aggressively punitive action against the Sikhs.
The Sikhs responded by holding a large divan and sent one jatha to the guru ka bagh orchard to cut some wood.The police responded by being cruel and heavy handed , often using horse mounted officers to stampede their horses upon the injured and fallen Sikhs, causing untold injuries upon the peacefully gathered Sikhs.
On the 26th of August 1921 when a senior SGPC meeting was in progress, the arrest warrants were issued and sent for Master Tara Singh,Professor sahib Singh,Mehtab Singh Barrister Narain Singh, ravel singh and many others.
A 100 strong Sikh jatha began offering arrest daily.Untold cruelty was being committed upon the peaceful Sikh jathas.Even the hindu and muslim leaders and communities rose to speak against the atrocities being committed by the authorities upon the Sikhs.The government came under heavy criticism.
On 12th of September 1921, an English academic, a Principal CF Andrews wrote an eye account of the tragedies and cruelity being committed upon Sikhs ..he says"I saw 500 hundered sons of God being martyred like Jesus.We speak of one Jesus and his martydom, but here I saw five hundereds being martyred with my own eyes".
By 14th of september, the daily arrests gained momentum and the numberscourting arrest increased.
By now the situation was turning grave for the Punjab.Sardar Dasaundha Singh demanded in the Punjab council that the arrests by stopped and all released.By the 17th of November 5605 Sikhs had been arrested.
Sir Ganga Ram interverned to end this morcha.An agreement was reached where all the land belonging to the mahant was taken away and leased to Sir Ganga Ram.The Sikhs were happy the mahant was stripped off the land, and the Gurduara came under their control.
In this morcha over 1600 Sikhs were injured badly.Hundereds were martyred by beatings and police shooting and torture.The police committed such evil toture that it was common to see each Sikh with up to 50 injuries on the body, if he had not passed away!
An account given by a Harjindar Singh in his book The Shiromani Akali Dal states that in one report from those days is written .."there were in the hospitals 369 Sikhs who had head injuries, 300 Sikhs with chest injuries, 75 Sikhs were mentally vegetabled,159 had injuries from lathi beatings, and hundereds more with other multiple injuries, and many more with life long injuries."
The congress Party set up a committe to investigate the inhuman tortures and beatings conducted upon the peacfully gathered Sikhs, and this investisgation laid the blame squarely upon the government!
Despite grave provocations by the authorities and police the Sikh jathas remained peaceful and did not in a single instance retaliate.They followed the guidlines that had been laid by the SAD for the morchas.
In 1923, the Sikh Maharaja Of Nabha state was removed from his throne.The Sikhs felt strongly upset over thiosaction of the government.The SGPC and the Shiromani Akali dal decied to hold a protest day.
Also around that period a decison was taken to hold a religious divan at Gurduara Gangsar , Jaito.A jatha was sent to carry out this function, but the police arrested that jatha.On 11 th Of September, a 110 member Sikh jatha arrived at Jaito.On the 14th of september another 102 member Akali jatha arrived at Gurduara gangsar and held a divan where speeches demanding the re-instatemnt of the maharaja were made.
The Akhand Path was in progress when the police arrived and arrested 60 Sikhs from the Darbar sahib.This instigated the emotions of the Sikh sangats which fuelled over into anger.Daily for seven months a jatha of at least 25 sikhs or more would court arrest.
On the 13 of October the government declared the SGPC and Akali Dal illegal, and started arresting any new committee the SGPC and SAD formed.
On 21 of February a jatha of 500 Sikhs arrived at Jaito, where they were fired upon blindly and without mercy, leaving 100 dead Sikhs and about 200 injured.This act was condemned by all parties throughout India.However despite these vicious atrocities the Sikh jathas continued arriving into Jaito.
Finally the government lifted its ban on Akhand paths and dharmic smagams on 31st of July 1925, and the Sikhs concluded the Morcha with open air akhand paths.However, the Sikhs cocntinued their Morchas against the ban of SGPC and SAD.Many hundereds and thousands of Sikhs were arrested in Amritsar and other cities throughout the Punjab.
But again on the 13th of September the orders banning SGPC and SAD were withdrawn, and all Akali leaders were released.IThe morchas were again concluded in victory for the Sikhs.
When the Indian constitution was framed, the government not only forgot about the promises made to the Sikh community, it treated the so called backward classes of the Sikhs equally badly when compared to hindu backward classes.The Sikh backward classes were not offfered the same opportunities as the other backward classes.
Instead the Sikhs were branded as a society of criminals, and even conmen and robbers.In the light of such attitude of the government the SAD called a conferance in Anandpur sahib, where up to 50,000 Sikhs attended the conferance.
A decision was taken for Master Tara Singh to lead a jatha of Sikhs to delhi and confront the government ministers, who issued such statements against the Sikhs.
The jatha was to take the route to Delhi through villages, where it would do parchar and reach delhi where it would carry out its task.It was to reach delhi in November.
Unfortunately on route Master Ji fell ill, but the jatha carried on marching towards delhi.
By now many hindu leaders as well declare their support for the morcha.The government was worried, and forced through its Home minister Sri Kaanttju to declare that the demands of the the morcha will be acceptable , and declared openly.
In the light of this, the SAD withdrew this Morcha.
It looks like Sikhs were too used to believing verbal assurances and the heresay of any minister ...and launching and withdrawing morchas like one heats the two sides of a roti on a tava , iron pan!
This has been passed on to this day !
After 1947,the central government began to backtrack from promises made to the Sikh community.It refused to offer the Punjabi language it's rightful status within Punjab and other areas where Punjabis formed at least 25% of the population.There were many such areas, for example parts of Himachal,Northern Uttra Pardesh, Northern Rajasthan,Bhopal/Indore,Delhi and some parts of Kashmir.
Instead hindu fanaticism and extremism was encouraged while , often disregarding and suppressing rightful Sikh aspirations and values.
The Punjab government, encouraged and instigated by the central authorities went to the extreme of banning pro Punjabi Suba slogans.
The SAD realised unless a Punjabi language state was established Sikhism and Punjabi culture was in danger of erosion,and decided that a stand needs to be taken.
In 1954, the Shiromani Akali Dal had a comfortable and overwhelming victory in the Gurduara elections,and this boosted its image and base position.
The following year, in April 1955 the All India State Languages Conferance was held in Ambala, where Dr Lanka Sundram and many other leaders asked for the creation of Punjabi suba on the basis of language.The Hindus in Punjab responded by demanding a Maha Punjab- almagamation of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab with some areas around Delhi included.
On the 24th of April 1955, during a meeting of the Akali Dal a decison was taken tolaunch a peacefulMorcha, and a notice was issued to the government to with draw the ban on Pro Punjabi Suba slogans.
To move the morcha forward into action ,on the 10th of May 1955, Master Tara Singh ji offered to be arrested,and was arrested by the government.The morcha commenced into action.The Akali Jathas started to court arrest while shouting out loud and clearly pro Punjabi suba slogans daily.Also in another place on the 10th of May, leaders like Giani Kartar Singh ji,Bhai Parmanand Jhansi,Ajit Singh Sarhadi and many other leaders were arrested too.
The ex speaker of Indian Parliament Sardar Hukam Singh was the president of the Akali dal at that time, but as he had disagreement with some akali policies, Principal Ikbal Singh was appointed the acting President of the Dal.
On the 7th of June many national leaders of the opposition parties at a meeting in Delhi called on the government to lift the ban on pro Punjabi suba slogans.But the congress government stuckto it's misinformed decision to continue the ban.In Delhi too,the large Sikh population started to court arrest in favour of Punjabi suba.
During the course of this morcha the worst and most shameful moment came when police officers in uniform, shsoes and armed to their teeth with weapons raided and took conntrol of the Shiromani Akali dal and SGPC offices within the Darbar Sahib complex.Then they went on to abuse and beat innocent vistors and yaatris to the Harmander sahib who were caught in this inhuman and cruel action of the heavy handed pro congress police force.
A number of other shameful and very anti Punjabi and anti Sikh acts took place in some other areas where the anti punjabi activists dominated.A Sikh child aged 14, caught in the clashes between pro Punjabi suba supporters and anti Punjabi suba crowds was thrown into a well in Bathinda, where he drowned.The Sikhs were angered by these unncessary and very provocative acts and police inaction against the anti suba activists.A sectarian divide was emerging in the Punjab.
The hindu population despite speaking Punjabi in the homes and families for generations was instigated communally to oppose the righst of punjab and Punjabi language for Punjab.A wrong picture of the punjabi language was being put out by the pro hindi communal forces..that punjabi language was associated only with Sikhs and sikh religion.This created the frist signs of divide among post 1947 Punjabis, on the basis of hindu, hindi and hindustan, deliberately by hindu extremists.
The Sikhs responded by courting more arrests throughout Punjab and Delhi in larger numbers.Within days 13,000 Akali Sikhs- both male and female had filled up the prisons.The morcha spread and gained more sympathy from people, seeing this movement spreading, the government lifetd the ban on the pro Punjabi sloganering onnthe 12th of July 1955.The morcha ran for 64 days.
On the 4th of July 1955, the SAD demanded a constitutional investigation of these shameful communal acts,committed by some fanatic hindus and the division being created on sectarian basis by these groups.
In resposne to this , the Chief Minister of Punjab Bhim Sen Sacher came to the Harmander Sahib and apologised openly to the Sikh community for the over reaction and police abuse and anti national communalistic acts in the state.
Though, this agitation simmered down,as the government webbbed an intricate web of promises and lies to calm the pro punjabi suba demand and legitimates rights of the Sikhs,it by no means ended the morcha nor offered a victory or a compromise upon the issue of Punjabi suba.The situation continued to slowly boil...and it moved on to the next phase ...of the Morchas.
One of the most important and controversially active Morchas was that of 1960-1961 Punjabi Suba .The SAD won the the SGPC Gurduara elections with a very comfortable majority on the 17th of January.
The regional Formula had been introduced in the Punjab but it was not working.The implementation of the punjabi language under this formula was non existent anywhere in the state.The Sikhs were very disturbed that Punjabi again was sidelined and no chnace of developing a the state language.
Another develpment was alo taking place in the Terai region of Utter Pardesh where 200,000 Sikh farmers who had created rich farm lands out of jungles were being harrased and up rooted.This made the Sikh community more unsettled and feel insecure.
On the 24th of July the Akalis gathered at the Akal Takhat and vowed that they would sacrifice whatever it takes to create a Punjabi Suba.
Following this on the 22nd of May, a Punjbai Suba convention took place in Amritsarwhich was attended by Pandit Sundar Dass, Saif Uddin Kitchloo,Maulana Selamat Ulkhan, Zahir Qureshi,Partap Singh Daulat MP, and many other top leaders across the religious divide.They demanded the creation of Punjbai Suba as soon as practically possible.In this conference the Demand for Vishal Himachal (expanded Himachal) and a state of Hariana for those hindi speakers mainly in the south of old Punjab.
A decision was taken that master Tara Singh ji would lead one jatha to delhi on the 24th of May 1960,while doing parchar enroute.Reaching Dehli, they will take out a large procession in on the 12th of Jne 1960.
But on the night of 24 th/25th of may 1960, Master tara Singh and 4000 Akali workers from Punjab, Hariana and elswhere were arrested by the police.
A number of newspapers called Parbhat and Akali run by Master Tara Singh were closed down and sealed by the government.The staff of these papers were arrested and taken into custody.
Other Akali leaders like Sant Fateh Singh,Harcharan Singh Hudiara,Pritam Singh Sarinh,Professor Bharpur Singh,Mohan Singh Turr,Jiwan Singh Umranangal and many others had by now reached the sanctity of the Harmander sahib.They began the preparation to sent the jathas to Delhi on the 24th of May 1960.However this jatha under the leadership of Principal Ikbal singh was arrested in Amritsar itself, and that triggered off full scale agitation or morchabandi.Every day a jatha would offer arrest.The dishonoured central government and Punjab police treated these political prisoners with the greatest contempt , by beating,torturing and registering false cases of robbery, theft etc upon them.
Actually , the Morcha was not yet officially announced, the Akalis were only starting to prepare to travel to Delhi , but the government panicked and triggered off unwarranted illegal over -reaction against the lawful citizens about to travel to excercise their rights to protest within the realms of the law.The situation go so tense that any Sikh buying a ticket to travel to Delhi from Amritsar was arrested.The government introduced prohibatary laws upon any demonstrations in Delhi.Despite that 5000 Sikhs managed to reach delhi and participate din a procession.Not only these thousands were arrested ,they were beaten,tortured and fired upon with gas and bullets.The result at the end of the day was about 9 Sikhs were shot dead, while the casualties reached to over 2000..
THe morcha climaxed to a situation where not only jathas were going from Amritsar or delhi , but from Patiala,Ludhiana,Jalandher, Moga ,Faridkot and elsewhere in the Punjab.The arrests ran into thousands by now.On the 24th of july 1960,120 members of the 144 SGPC executive committee were arrested too.The governor of Punjab issued a new ordinance that any one supporting or helping any Akali will be arrested too.
To counter this the akalis began to offer on masse the name of Guru Gobind Singh as their father and place of origin Anandpur sahib, upon their arrest.
On 1st of August 10,000 Sikhs gathered at Gurduara Rakab Ganj to present the parliament a memorandom for Punjabi Suba.They came out in small groups or jathas and offered arrest.On the 15th of August hundereds of Aakalis protesting near the Red fort were also arrested.
Again cruleity was being heaped upon the arrested Aakali workers in the jails of the Punjab.53 Sikhs were injured by firing in the bathinda jail.
To press on the Akali demands on the 29th of October Haracharan Singh Hudiara offered to go on hunger strike, but this as acepted by the Akali leadership.However, on the 18th of December 1960 sant fateh Singh was given the green light to carry out a fast to death strike..
A few days into sant Fateh Singh's hunger strike, master Tara Singh ji was relased on the night of 3/4 of January.Then Nehru wrote a letter to the SAD inviting them to talks.The Morcha Control committe asked sant fateh Singh ji abandon the fast to death plan, but sant ji refused to heed to that.Meanwhile Master Tara Singh , Letchuman singh Gill and Harbans Singh Gujeral met with Nehru.But Nehru did not concede to any of the demands, and Master Ji anounced that after Sant Fateh Singh ji's fast to death , he will also embark on fast to death strike.
Upon this Nehru responded by anouncing that the whole of Punjab is Punjabi Suba, and its premier language is Punjabi.Amazingly upon this ,Master Tara Singh too agreed that Sant Fateh Singh ji should stop his fast.But the Sikh sangats did not fully accept this move.As a result on the 11th of january 1961 in an Amritsar Divan some Sikhs shouted anti Master Tara Singh slogans.The same people also shouted slogans in favour of Sant Fateh Singh ji, and this was seen as a move by some anti panthic and pro government elements to create friction and divisions in the Akali Dal.
Talks to discuss the Akali demands started on the 8th of January 1961,with Pandit Nehru.Sant Fateh Singh, Master Tara Singh, Harbans Singh Gujeral,Dr Gurbaksh Singh 'Singh' participated in this talks.The next meeting was held on the 1st of March 1961.In this meeting a complaints listing against Partap Singh Kairon was also handed to Nehru.
The third Nehru -Sant Fateh singh meeting took place on the 12th of may 1961,where Nehru decline to accept the demand for a Punjabi Suba.Master ji responded by anouncing that depite 60,000 Sikhs courting arrest, and Sant Fatehs Singh's fast to death, the issue remains at where it started from;therefore now he will go on fast to death strike or it may be carried by both of them at the same time, i.e. Master ji and sant Fateh Singh fasting to death together.
They sought permission to do this from the SAD.sant Fateh Singh ji too asked for permission.The committees that had been sat up to consider such issues accepted Master Tara Singh's request for the fast.But as soon as this deciosn was taken the arrests of the akalis began again.
On the 15th of August master Tara singh made an ardas at the Akal Takhat, and commenced his fast.Maharaja Yadwinder Singh ji of Patiala State interverned with a Formula that would declare the Punjabi language as the language of the whole of Punjab.But the Akalis taking into consideration some issues around the bounaries of the stte refused to accept it.The Muslim Nawab Of Malerkotla suggested the creation of the PEPSU state unit.But this was not acceptable to the government.
On the 22nd of August Nehru again invited sant Fateh Singh ji for talks.On 28th of August, 1961 master Tara Singh Ji anounced that even if the demand for Punjabi Suba was accepted provisonally by the government he would abandon his fast for the sake of peace.
Giani Gurmukh Singh Ji Musafir too met with Master ji on the 12th of September.Malik Hardit Singh Ji and maharaja Yadvinder Singh even suggested that should the government set up a High Powered Comission, Master ji should abandon the fast.The working Committee of the Akali dal discussed the issue, and recommended that should a high powered commission be set up, then master ji should come off the fast.It is also suggested that master ji's Iranian relatives together with his daughter Bibi Rajinder kaur played a major role in getting master Ji off the fast.
In October 1961 Master Tara Singh ji withdrew from the fast to death action.The government announced that it was setting a up Commisson to resolve the Sikh demands.
But on the 31st October when the names of the commison members were anounced as Das Shagla and Ramaswamy Aiyer , Sikhs remained very shocked and surpirsed.All the members were pro Government and worked for the government.Sikhs decided to boycot the Dass commision.
But some Sikhs like Dr Gopal Singh on the instigation of Partap Singh Kairon presented themselves to the commission and gave statements in support of the government.The commission concluded that there was no hint of discrimination against the Sikhs in India.
As such, both attempts to fast to death and the morcha could not produce any positive gain for the community or the Akalis.Instead cracks of disunity appeared within the SAD.Two thoughts came to light and that was followed by two factions within the Akali party. Again the Sikhs began to argue among themselves...succumbing to the heavy government back stabbing and political manipulations ...
The next Morcha the Akalis launched was the Morcha against the the emergency of Indira Gandhi.Many events took place in this morcha, and 43,000 sikhs went to jail.
This was followed by the Talwandi Akali dal Morcha.This morcha commenced from Gurduara Rakab Ganj on the 13th of April 1981.This morcha's aims were based upon the Anandpur sahib resolution.However this morcha remained on a minor scale unlike the other morchas.
The next was the Kapuri Morcha,This was to do with the Satluj yamuna link canal water divisions- where the interests of the Punjab were set aside.In this morcha some of the jathas were not arrested while others were.Basically, this morcha 's enthusiam evaporated , and the Akali dal decied to make this issue part of a larger morcha.
After the destructions of the Chowk mehta Headquarters of sant bhindarwala, another morcha was launched by himself.However sant harchand Singh intervenrend with proposal to launch a greater morcha .Three Sikhs died in this morcha while agitating peacefully in Delhi.
The next and final phase of the morcha commenced in July 1982,by Sant jarnail suingh Bhindrawala.However agaiin sant Harchand Singh called for a mass meeting and set up a different strategy from Bhidrawala .harchand Suingh was appointed as the dictator of the pending morcha.This caused some split in the strategy and thinking of the morcha activists and leaders.The anandpur sahib resolution featured prominently , however due to fast changing power struggle between Sikh groups and the state government and the centre, issues got out of hand , culminatintg in the attack upon the harmander sahib.
More intersting episodes took place, which are mentioned in the forth comming book in detail by myself.
Gurcharan Singh KK Hills