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In step with martyrdom...we die before we fall
 Death at the altar of religious
commitment is a prized possession of the Sikh people. We love death
which comes in the course of fulfillment of our social and religious
duties. This is true martyrdom. This is the martyrdom envisaged by
Guru Nanak when he says, Pehla marna kabool jivan ki chad aas,
hon sabna ki renuka taan au hamare pass. This is the martyrdom
exemplified by Guru Arjan Dev, who laid down his life to uphold the
spirit of non-submission to the tyranny of the then rulers. The
unparalleled martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur for the right to
religion of people of another faith is another example of social
responsibility of religious leadership.
It
is this spirit of martyrdom of the Sikh Gurus that serves as a
beacon light for Sikhs to stand up to tyranny and subjugation of
successive governments over the last 500 years of Sikh history.
The
events of June 1984 were a culmination of a series of happenings
since 1978 and a long tryst with brown colonists since 1947. Sant
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and a host of Sikh freedom seekers
ensconced themselves in the precincts of Darbar Sahib. They
fortified the entire complex as the Indian government had
unambiguously announced its intention to storm the holy premises,
maim and kill all those who resisted the might of the state.
Martyrs of June 1984 is the result of serious research and
compilation done by young Dal Khalsa activists over the last two
years. The present edition, second in as many years, carries the
listing of 41 more martyrs whose details we were able to unearth
since the publication of the first one. It also incorporates
corrections to the previous edition.
In
compiling the listing of martyrs who laid down their lives fighting
the might of the Indian army assault on the holiest of holy of the
Sikh people, the Darbar Sahib, aka the Golden Temple, in Amritsar,
in June 1984, the Dal Khalsa goads the Sikhs and others to relive
those times. The story of each individual warrants more pages and
may be someone will write them. The martyrdom of every individual
man, woman and child, Sikh or Hindu, is a legendary story of rare
dedication and commitment.
This remembrance of martyrs provides a healing touch to the families
of martyrs and delivers to them a sense of pride and fraternity.
Our heart goes out to all family members, particularly mothers,
wives, sisters and children, who have borne the brunt of solitude,
poverty, repression and in some cases misery and ignominy too.
Dal
Khalsa gratefully acknowledges the contribution of a number of Sikh
activists who enabled us to collect the details, but for whose
assistance, this listing would not have seen the light of the day.
Despite due diligence and care, in case any reader notices any
discrepancy, we take responsibility for the same and assure that it
will be rectified in the next edition. Should any reader be aware
of more details of those who we died fighting in June 1984, please
forward it to us and it will be duly recorded in the next edition.
This listing includes the names and details of all those who fought
the battle against the Indian army. Much as we would want to, it
does not include the names of those who were innocent pilgrims to
Darbar Sahib in view of the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev, but
were killed by the brute Indian army using the army, navy and air
force. It also does not include those who were forced to flee
Darbar Sahib in June 1984, but who carried on the battle and
achieved martyrdom in the later years.
We
are conscious of the fact that our work is nowhere near that of
Simon Wiesenthal's monumental work for the Jews. What we have done
is barely the tip of the iceberg. Nonetheless, we take humble pride
that we have set the ball rolling. The work has begun. Dal Khalsa
hopes that this effort will inspire Sikh chroniclers and Sikh
activists to write contemporary history. We also hope that the Sikh
nation will accord due recognition to the families of the Sikh
martyrs. This effort should also help in initiating research to
earmark the perpetrators of injustice, tyranny and human rights
violations.
Martyrs of June 84 is a humble effort to pay respect to those who
laid down their lives to protect and preserve the unique identity of
the Sikh people. Dal Khalsa pays homage to all the martyrs and
commits itself to fulfill the unfinished task.
20 June, 2007
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