27 UK Sikh Orgs “stand with Nihang Singhs” after Singhu border incident

27 UK Sikh organisations led an international wave of support for the actions of a group of Nihang Singhs that caught and killed a man trying to commit beadbi (sacrilege) of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikh scriptural Guru.

The group, which includes several Gurdwaras, stated the actions of the Nihang Singhs “breaks the cycle of police inaction” regarding attackings against Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Their statement echoes the sentiments of countless other Sikh individuals and organisations that recognised the place of the actions of the Nihang Singhs in Sikh history and philosophy.

The incident took place at the Singhu border of Delhi, where thousands of farmers from all over India are camping out to protest against agricultural laws introduced by the Indian government. Lakhbir Singh was caught, captured and killed by Nihang (also spelt Nihung) Singhs, the traditional warrior sect of the Sikhs, whilst running away with the Guru from a Gurdwara set up on the border. Nihang Singhs are considered by Sikhs and many Indians as soldiers of faith, known as the Khalsa Fauj (Initiated Sikhs’ army: Army of God).

Two Nihang Singhs, Naryan Singh and Saravjit Singh, confessed to police he had cut off the left hand and right leg of Lakhbir. During his capture, Lakhbir reportedly confessed to that he was paid to commit the sacrilege by anti-Sikh forces in India, and others had been paid to do the same thing.

Attacks against Guru Granth Sahib Ji have become more prominent across India since 2015. Reasons for the attacks remain speculative but a lack of police action on perpetrators or investigations into the reasons behind them have upset much of the Sikh community. The Akal Takht, the supreme body of authority for Sikhs, said over 400 reports of beadbi have been reported in approximately six years and also attributed the act to the “failure of the Indian justice system” (see statement in full below).

Along with Saravjit Singh and Naryan Singh, two more Nihang Singhs, Bhagwant Singh and Govind Singh, later owned up to the role they played as well. There has been no attempts by Nihang Singhs to avoid any potential legal repercussions to the handling of Lakhbir’s attack.

Earlier this month, Gurdwara management group the SGPC announced plans to hire at least 200 ex-army  Amritdhari Sikh personnel to strengthen the security at historical gurdwaras, due to incidents of sacrilege.

35-year-old Lakhbir Singh, who committed the beadbi, was believed to be of Dalit caste, an “unscheduled” or lower caste who are often discriminated against in India. Indian media and anti-Sikh nationalists pushed a narrative that the incident was caste-based violence to smear the actions of the Nihang Singhs, before the discovery that the Nihang Singhs were also of the same Dalit background highlighted the absurdity of those claims.

Instead, the Indian agencies are now facing allegations that they attempted that they were in fact the ones who exploited and abused the man, due to his caste.

“Indian agencies have manipulated drug addicts and people oppressed by the Brahmin system of “caste” to carry out acts as occurred at Singh,” the statement from UK orgs reads.

“People have been coerced and bribed by true culprits like the mysterious “Sandhu Saab”, who was named by Lakhbir’s sister as a “higher up” giving Lakhbir instructions.”

“The actions taken by Nihang Singhs break the cycle of beadbi and police inaction. It serves as a clear reminder that the Khalsa Panth is awake and will respond to beadbi according to Khalsa principles.”