Writing or speaking about bloody, violent events is among the most challenging tasks. Nevertheless, it is necessary; without such engagement, forgiveness and reconciliation remain unattainable. I draw on Guru Nanak Sahib's teachings in Babarvani, which emphasize approaching this task with wisdom.

Nanak sings the virtues of the Sovereign,
in the town filled with corpses, utters this statement and proposition.
The Sovereign who has created this world and has imbued it with transient color,
observes it while remaining seated alone and detached.
That Sovereign by Own-Self is eternal; the justice is also eternal;
the Sovereign will deliver eternal justice in every matter.
Whenever the body-outfit will be torn into pieces,
Hindustan will recall my utterance.

     Guru Granth Sahib 722

On 31^st October 1984, the Indian Prime Minister (PM) Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two bodyguards.

I read the 1984 Citizens' Commission Report (headed by the former Chief Justice of India, Sarv Mittra Sikri) in 1986, which concluded that the assassination of the PM was in fact the catalyst for a planned onslaught against the Sikh community and that the idea of this onslaught being a spontaneous outburst in reaction to the assassination was entirely without foundation.

I read Dr. Sangat Singh’s The Sikhs in History in 1995; he was a former Indian defense and intelligence official. He documented that another operation of genocidal proportions was planned by the Indian state on for Guru Nanak Sahib’s Prakash Purab (Illumination Day) on 8^th November 1984: “Indira drew a diabolical plan, named Operation Shanti, to carry out a general massacre of the Sikhs” (415).

The systematic and widespread violence recognized as a genocide and more is known as the 1984 Ghallughara. It includes, but is not limited to, 'Operation Bluestar' (June 1984) on Guru Arjan Sahib's Shahidi Purab (Martyrdom Day), which was planned in 1982; ‘Operation Woodrose’ (July 1984) throughout Panjab; and the anti-Sikh violence beginning on 31^st October 1984 across India. Over the past four decades, Indian courts, ministers, and legislatures have documented and acknowledged this.

Beant Singh and Satwant Singh were the two assassins of PM Gandhi; both served in her security detail, which numbered over 400. Kehar Singh was a Clerk at Directorate General of Supplies & Disposals, charged with conspiracy. Beant was killed that day; Satwant and Kehar were hanged on 6^th January 1989. Kehar Singh’s conviction violated due process and the Indian Constitution.

Beyond the established facts, competing narratives exist between the State and the Sikhs.

I read Assassination of a Prime Minister as it Happened by Srinivas Anandaram in 1995. He was the Police Chief of Andhra Pradesh and headed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the assassination. His firsthand insider account concluded that it resulted from a highly localized religious conspiracy triggered by 'Operation Bluestar.'

I read The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane by Bahukutumbi Raman in 2007; he headed the counter-terrorism division of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s foreign intelligence agency. RAW concluded that the primary motivation for the assassination was direct retaliation for 'Operation Blue Star' and not some elaborate foreign plot by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The Intelligence Bureau (IB), India's primary internal security and counter-intelligence agency, suffered a complete breakdown of intelligence and security. There was subversion of justice in the aftermath of the assassination in that Beant and Satwant had both surrendered their weapons, yet they were both shot by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) guards on the premises. Beant Singh died immediately, and Satwant survived to stand trial.

Regarding the three Singhs, the Sikh narrative has remained consistent since 31^st October 1984: Badla. The term Badla derives from the Persian/Arabic badal, signifying change, exchange, substitution, return, revenge, or retribution. In Sikh understanding, this aligns with Sodha, meaning assessment and correction. The Sikh narrative, rooted in the Guru Granth Sahib, frames retribution as part of correction. Court records, legal professionals, songs, films, books, poems, lectures, family accounts, and associates' testimonies support this interpretation of the three Singhs' actions as Badla or Sodha.

Sikhs draw parallels between 1764 and 1984.

In 1764, Jathedar Gurbaksh Singh Nihang and his associates embraced martyrdom, defending the Harimandar Sahib and Akal Takht complex when the Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Durrani (aka Abdali) attacked.

In 1984, Jathedar Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala and his associates embraced martyrdom at the complex when the Indian ruler Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi ordered the attack.

I read The Golden Temple by Patwant Singh in 1990, where he captures the Sikh psyche in the introduction: “[I]t took the industry, passion, perseverance and sacrifices of whole generations to build, adorn and defend it.”

Sikhs also draw parallels between 1740 and 1984.

In 1740, as Commandant of Amritsar under the Governor of Lahore (Zakariya Khan Bahadur), Musalal Khan (Massa Ranghar) desecrated the complex. Mehtab Singh and Sukha Singh came from Bikaner (Rajasthan) to Amritsar (Panjab) to avenge the desecration, and they assassinated Massa Ranghar. That is how they became the Bhais (the brothers) of the Panth (Sikh collective).

In 1984, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh traveled from Delhi to Amritsar to witness the desecrated complex, made a vow to the Guru at Akal Takht, and then returned to Delhi to fulfill it. After multiple failed plans for badla or sodha, they sought initiation into the Panth via Khande-ki-Pahul Amrit (immortal nectar from the double-edged sword) in October 1984. Khalsa is sovereign, answerable only to the Guru. A Sikh is born in the Guru's house as the Khalsa. From that day on, they lived the Nash doctrine, eliminating past tyranny. They lived 1-Ness fearlessly. This is how they became members of the Panth. They delivered justice to PM Gandhi on 31^st October and immediately and quietly laid down their weapons. Beant Singh remarked: “I've done what I had to. You do what you want to.”

The warrior narrative spread quickly in the Sikh world; their code dictated no collateral damage. Around mid-November 1984, I went back to the Central School in Jhansi, U.P. As an eighth grader, a Sikh schoolmate from a military family shared a Panjabi poem that his father received from Panjab. The All India Sikh Student Federation (AISSF) released it. I recall two lines vividly; it loosely translates to: “Both Singh warriors left a legendary mark; they let twenty bullets pass through the belly" (doven singh surme chha gae, vih golian dhidh chon langha gae).

On 3^rd August 1988, before the Supreme Court’s decision, Satwant Singh made the following statement: “I have no hatred for any Hindu, Muslim, Christian; neither hatred for any religion. After my Shahidi, let no Sikh throw any rock at any Hindu. I am not in favor of any retaliation or bloodshed over my Shahidi. If we do create bloodshed, then there is no difference between us and Rajiv Gandhi.”

On 6^th of January 1989, before Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh kissed the hangman’s noose, they responded with the Sikh war cry: "Jo Bole, So Nihal! Sati Sri Akal (Whoever answers the call is exhilarated. Eternal Revered Timeless/Deathless)"! As these words left their mouths, the rain started to shower!

In 1995, I read Harinder Singh Mehboob’s Jhana di Rat (Night of Chenab); in its Shahid di Ardas (Supplication of the Martyr) collection, three poems left deep impressions: Khuni Sakian Pichhon (After the Bloody Massacres), Tinn Duavan (Three Blessings), and Nindan da Katal ate Shahid da Gazab (Murder of Sleep and Awe of the Martyr). The book received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1991 for its epic poetry. In 1997, ‘Mehboob’ (beloved) told me that he was targeted for murder once the powers-that-be realized that the final poem was a deliberate political statement within the Sikh narrative. Dr. Manmohan Singh, then Indian Finance Minister, intervened to stop the poet’s murder.

On 6^th January 2008, the Akal Takht formally declared Beant Singh, Satwant Singh, and Kehar Singh as Quami Shahid (Nation’s Martyrs).

This is how they became Bhais of the Panth!

Anyone at all interested in the Sikhs and the Panjab has to get to grips with the Sikh narrative in some form or another, regardless of their own religious or political leanings. They must understand how these three Singhs became the Bhais of the Panth. 

What’s in a name? Beant means limitless, Satwant means truth-possessor, and Kehar means lion. The three virtues that Sikh ethos upholds dearly. 

Why did the state's 'loyal subjects' switch their allegiance to the Guru and the Akal Takht in October 1984?

The answer isn't simply in who is a Sikh; it's in what it means to be a Sikh. Sikhi(sm) begins with IkOankar, the 1 Creative and All-Pervading Force. Sikhi is about Nam; it is about Identification with the 1. Sikh wisdom is in Sabad, in the words and sounds of the Guru Granth Sahib. A Sikh cannot be a Sikh without the Guru. The Akal Takht is the Guru's Timeless-Deathless Throne. From birth, every Sikh prepares to receive the Guru’s grace to be only of the Guru. When that happens, allegiance is only to the Guru, and to the Guru alone.

I read Baljit Singh’s The Assassination of Indira Gandhi in 2026, which attempts to examine the available resources with a focus on the assassins’ perspectives: “It provided an in-depth examination of their early lives, aiming to identify any characteristics that may have indicated their eventual roles as the individuals who sought retribution on behalf of the Khalsa Panth.”

I read ‘The Golden Temple: Its Theo-Political Status’ by Sirdar Kapur Singh in 1986, which examines the foundational Sikh principle of Miri-Piri, the union of Political-Spiritual sovereignty: “[T]he Golden Temple, and by analogy, the other Sikh places of worship, have a theo-political status which is not a matter of concession by a political state, but is a right, sui generis.” Every ruler of Hindustan or South Asia must understand this if they want to keep their Sikh citizens as their biggest assets.

Ironically, Panjab’s voters elected Bhai Beant Singh's family to represent them. In 1989, his wife, Bimal Kaur Khalsa, and his father, Baba Sucha Singh, were elected as Members of Parliament (MPs) from Rupnagar and Bathinda, respectively. His son, Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, has been an independent MP from Faridkot since 2024 and serves on the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) executive committee. His daughter, Amrit Kaur Maloya, is running as an independent in the 2027 MLA elections from Bassi Pathana.

Bhai Kehar Singh's son, also named Satwant Singh, is contesting the Bassi Pathana MLA seat from the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) in the 2027 MLA elections.

Over the past weekend, I observed the following:

• The ruling party’s Member of Parliament in India referenced Guru Gobind Singh Sahib's Kirpan at a rally in New Delhi. Sikh and secular parties invoke Kirpan, but typically only when it aligns with their interests. When the Sikh-Khalsa does so for the Panth, however, they are either demonized or met with silence.

• No leader from any marginalized community has advocated for the three Singhs, despite two of them belonging to marginalized backgrounds. Political leaders continue to engage in electoral caste politics, already intensified ahead of the February 2027 Panjab elections. As the 650^th birth anniversary of Bhagat (as per Guru Granth Sahib, though Guru or Sant to many) Ravidas ji approaches, who is regarded as the builder of Begampura, Sorrow-less-ville? The devoted Bhagat observed with sarcasm that people are dancing to the play, the players, or the playbook:

See how the clay puppet-like being dances!
Looks repeatedly, listens, speaks, and runs around…
Ravidas states: Fellows, the world is a play!
I’m in love with the Creator of the play.

     Guru Granth Sahib 487 
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• Justice Rupinder Singh Sodhi, who served as Bhai Satwant Singh’s lawyer from 1984 onward, observed that "the failure of successive governments compounded by the deafening silence of the Indian people in the face of this tragedy has left an indelible mark on the conscience and history of India."

• Sikhs worldwide commemorated Shahidi (martyrdom) Day for Bhai Beant Singh, Bhai Satwant Singh, and Bhai Kehar Singh. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) at Sri Amritsar Ji also participated in these observances.

I will continue to engage with poems, songs, films, exhibitions, commemorations, and presentations that explore the multifaceted dimensions of the 1984 Ghallughara.

I continue to prepare for a meaningful dialogue with the grandsons of PM Indira Gandhi and Bhai Beant Singh, specifically Rahul Gandhi and Ranfateh Singh.

I have been reciting Guru Nanak Sahib’s Japu ji since 1980. In that spirit, I cannot determine who is punni (virtuous) or papi (sinner); both exist and depart according to the 1’s Command.

I am still learning to forgive more readily and to judge less hastily. To an extent, I have learned to present the Sikh narrative without reservation.

On 5^th November 2026, as I watched Bir Singh’s Bandi Chhor (Captivity Liberator), I asked myself: Which imprisonments have I released within me and around me in the last year?

On 8^th November 2026, many South Asians will celebrate Divali, the festival of lights. On this date in 1984, the Indian state planned ‘Operation Shanti’ on Guru Nanak Sahib's Prakash Purab. Sikh memory commemorates Divali as Bandi Chhor, the liberation of political captives. In 1619, the founder of Akal Takht, Guru Harigobind Sahib, emancipated fifty-two subjects of Mughal emperor Jahangir imprisoned in Gwalior Fort.

On 21^st October 1984, Bhai Beant Singh and Bhai Kehar Singh did Ardas at Akal Takht. On 22^nd October, Bhai Satwant Singh did Ardas at Akal Takht; he missed the bus a day earlier. On 24^th October 1984 was Divali; PM Gandhi distributed sweets and Rs. 100 to her staff and security, though Sikhs were terming it kali-black Divali that year due to ‘Operation Bluestar,’ aka ‘Battle of Amritsar.’ The same evening all three Bhais met and did Ardas together at a Delhi gurduara. The Baj-Goshawk descended! 

I long for the connection, love, and devotion to the 1 Who is “Lost-Restorer, Captivity-Liberator, Without-Form, and Pain-Destroyer” (Guru Granth Sahib, 624).