I have been reading the explanations and narrations by some Sikhs in the Dalit Voice. Our Editor may be an intellectual giant, but he has not correctly understood the contradictions in the Sikh society:
(1) In Punjab, the “Sikh” means the ruling upper caste Sikhs. That is Jats or Arora, Khatris. Though all other “lower castes” comprise over 58% of Punjab population (according to the census), they are denied any position in the present Sikh society. The upper caste Sikhs may refute my statement but here lies the truth. These upper castes control both villages and cities, power of the Shiromani committee, power of Akal Takht and other Takhts, power of politics, through the Congress or Akalis, power of land, power of govt., education and power of Culture.
(2) Punjab University is taken over by the Hindus, but the other three universities (Punjabi University, Guru Nanak Dev University and Agriculture University, Ludhiana) are all directly under the control of these two upper castes.
Shiromani committee: After the last Akali Govt. even to this day, the administration is under the control of these two upper castes. Punjab politics means Jat Sikh politics who control all the gurdwaras. If other “low castes”” like the Chamars, Mazbhis or Tarkhans have built their separate gurdwaras in Punjab or abroad, they go and sit there to sing bhajans and worship their gods and nothing else. More Sikh saints belong to the upper castes. But everywhere low caste people are in the majority to serve their upper caste bosses. They may be the 3nief of Shiromani committee or Akal Takhat or any well-known gurdwara. But it is their duty to serve their master’s, and they are expected to obey their masters. All the “low caste” Sikhs are expected to add to the number of the Sikh society.
When a Sikh problem is raised by its intellectual class that problem pertains to the upper caste Sikhs. Our people (lower caste Sikhs) are meant to be beaten up, humiliated, insulted, killed, raped, boycotted, banned. This is so in the whole Punjab — though this problem (racism) is not as serious as in other Hindu states.
(3) But in this Sikh state, the society is neatly divided into two or three separate caste groups. No doubt all the people live together. The SCs alone are 33% in Punjab. Backward Castes are equal to the Jat Sikh population. Many Backward Castes own the lands, but they do not own equal rights in any fields of life.
(4) The low caste Sikhs are beaten up by the upper caste Hindus because the upper caste Sikhs don’t have a healthy feeling for the 60% population of SCs and BCs in Punjab.
Anti-Sikh riots: The Sikhs massacred (1984) in anti- Sikh riots in Delhi and other cities mostly belonged to the SC/ST Sikh category. The Arora Sikhs and Jat Sikhs were rarely the target of Hindu violence.
But inside Punjab the Jat Sikhs were the targets of Sikh and Hindu police forces. Low caste Sikhs killed were in small numbers. Because it was the Jat Sikhs who demanded more rights. Low castes, except very few, don’t support Jat Sikh demands because upper caste Sikhs never give any equal rights to low caste Sikhs.
(5) If reservations have given some equal rights in politics or in govt. services, it is not liked by these upper castes. The Punjabi Sikhs, who pose themselves as the protectors of human rights today, had cut the reservation to pieces when they were in power.
Sarpanch as slave: The people who want free water, free vehicles, free electricity, free bus passes, don’t allow reservations to those oppressed, exploited and degraded for centuries. Now we have at least 40% reserved sarpanchs. But these are mostly slaves of upper castes.
(6) If these upper caste Sikhs fight for more rights for themselves, we have no complaint. But our complaint is that we the SC/BCs don’t get any share from them. “We are totally outcaste Sikhs in real life. Our human rights are denied by both Sikhs and Hindus.
Whenever Hindus attack the Dalits, these upper caste Sikhs will be with the enemy. History proves this fact.
(7) The Akali Sikhs belong to the “Sacred Brahmin” category and the Congress Sikhs to the “Socialist Brahmin” camp. And both kicked, killed, raped, massacred, insulted, exploited, oppressed, looted these very low caste Sikhs. Both never stood by the “low caste” Sikhs who fought for Sikhism and made Sikh history at international levels.
(8) Not even a single SC/BC Sikh deceived any Sikh guru or Sikhism. But upper caste Sikhs have a very long history of deceiving and going against Sikh gurus and the faith. When the upper caste Sikhs want SC/BC Sikhs to add to their population strength, whenever they demand a “homeland for Sikhs”, how can we support such a homeland where our rights are not going to be protected as in Hindu society? We want our own rule, we want our own India. We want an India of Budha, Kabir, Nanak, Phule and Dr. Ambedkar. We know Punjabi is a real sister of Hindi, and granddaughter of our original language, Pali. We know that India belongs to us. We know the Sikhs who belong to upper castes also behave like the upper castes (Hindu).
(9) We know the Sikh dharam belongs to the Dalit/ oppressed masters of India. It was constructed to liberate the oppressed.
| request the Editor of Dalit Voice to correctly understand the desires and demands of the three different sections of Sikh society which was never united. One belongs to the upper caste (Hindu) converted Sikhs in cities. Second, the Jat Sikhs and the third SC/BC Sikhs.
These three sections have no common ground to meet. If any person tries to unite these three sections he will meet with sure failure.
The Editor should know it.
