Certain events are simply unavoidable. It is difficult to tell why they happen. They happen because they are destined to. Sikhs have contributed immensely during the indian freedom struggle and names like Shahid Bhagat singh come directly to our minds when we discuss that. There have been so many brave Sikhs in the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. Who then, in their wildest dreams would have ever thought that Sikhs would get misguided for some time, be stranded from mainstream "indianism" in just 7 years from 1977 to 1984 and then eventually start demanding a separate country Khalistan? But they did!!
The guy who led them in that unsuccessful effort, Jarnail singh Bhindranwale, believed that Sikhs were not a part of this country and had such a different religious identity that they deserved a "separate nation" status. His followers and lots of other sikhs may call him as a saint but clearly he was misled and supported by some unknown force, most probably the then pakistani regime of Zia-ul-haque or the chinese communist govt. of those days. He underestimated the consequences of challenging the ruling establishment of the country and paid a heavy price, not just for himself and his men but for all those sikhs that got killed on 1st and 2nd November 1984 in New Delhi riots, after the assassination of Mrs.Gandhi.
Religious fanaticism of an extreme kind always leads towards violence. History has been a witness to this ugly fact so many times and has also kept warning the human race regularly about it, but in futile. The humans have kept on repeating the same mistake again and again. The point that one starts believing that his/her faith is the best and others should be "forced" to concede to its dominance "anyhow", is the very point where all trouble actually begins. Had Bhindranwale not been allowed to become an extreme fanatic of sikhism and had not his bizarre idea of a separate state of Khalistan not been supported by the enemies of this great country, all the gruesome events of 1984, could certainly have been avoided.
Lesson learnt :- Any government of any nation should be very cautious 24x7 to see to it that no religious minority suddenly starts nurturing such unwanted fanaticism and weird passion of the kind of "only my religion" asking its followers to force people from other religions to "anyhow" accept the dominance of its religion. Else another Operation Blue Star, another assassination of an iconic national leader and another massacre of thousands can be on the cards.
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