00:00After the takeover of Indian government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to eliminate
00:05Muslims, Sikhs, and other minorities who are living in India since decades.
00:10Apart from this, there are many separatist movements are operating in different provinces.
00:16Indian Punjab is one of them.
00:17The Khalistan movement is a separatist campaign that seeks to create an independent Sikh homeland,
00:23Khalistan, or Land of the Pure, in the Punjab region of India.
00:28Its roots can be traced back to post-independence India, but the movement gained momentum in
00:33the 1980s, following growing dissatisfaction among Sikhs over political representation,
00:39economic neglect, and the erosion of religious identity.
00:43Tensions escalated after the Anandpur-Sahib Resolution in 1973, which demanded more autonomy
00:49for Punjab and recognition of Sikh distinctiveness.
00:53The conflict intensified under the leadership of Jarnail Singh Bindranwal, a charismatic
00:58preacher who advocated for Sikh rights and criticized the Indian government.
01:02His increasing militancy led to the militarization of the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.
01:08In June 1984, the Indian Army launched Operation Blue Star to remove Bindranwal and his armed
01:14supporters from the Golden Temple.
01:16The operation resulted in heavy casualties and widespread destruction of the sacred site,
01:22deeply offending the Sikh community worldwide.
01:24In retaliation, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards later that
01:30year, sparking anti-Sikh riots across India, particularly in Delhi, where thousands were killed.
01:36The subsequent decades saw a violent insurgency in Punjab, marked by targeted killings,
01:42bombings, and heavy-handed police crackdowns.
01:45By the mid-1990s, the movement lost momentum due to internal divisions,
01:50state repression, and lack of popular support.
01:53Today, while the armed struggle has largely ended, calls for Kalistan still echo among some
01:59groups in the Sikh diaspora, particularly in Canada, the UK, and the US, keeping the issue
02:05alive in global political debates.
02:07The Kalistan movement remains one of the most complex and emotionally charged chapters in
02:12modern Indian history, symbolizing faith, identity, and the consequences of deep political
02:18political fractures.
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