Indian govt destroy Sikh homes built after 1947 partition, families left homeless

The Indian government’s destruction of for Sikh family homes has seen Sikh authorative body the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) make a global call for Sikh orgs to condemn the in-power BJP Party.

Just weeks ago (26th June) an official government empowered mob of far-right goons, Haryana police and state government representatives of the BJP Party came to the Amupur village (Karnal disctrict) of Haryana and demolished the homes of four Sikh families without prior notice.

The reason given for the demolishment was that the homes were not built with adequate permission, 77-years-ago when the family’s ancestors moved to Haryana from the side of Punjab turned into Pakistan during the partition after the British Raj. Haryana officials claim that the houses were built on encroached land which did not belong to them, despite the fact that the families have been there since partition without any issues or claims to the land.

In response to the BJP government’s actions in Haryana, which led to the demolition of houses belonging to four Sikh families, a delegation from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) visited Amupur. The affected families were met by the SGPC representatives who expressed their solidarity and commitment to supporting them.

SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami has formed a committee specifically to address the situation. This delegation visited the families to understand the situation on the ground and assured them of the SGPC’s unwavering support against the government’s actions.

Buta Singh, a member of one of the affected families, recounted their history. His family, consisting of four brothers, migrated from western Punjab after the 1947 partition and had settled in Amupur village. “Our ancestors migrated from Pakistan during the partition and settled at this place, but suddenly the government came with police to demolish the houses. No notices were served. They left us with no shelter, water, electricity or place for toilet.”

The SGPC delegation announced financial assistance for each of the four affected families and also emphasized that they would provide ongoing support to these families at all levels, whilst also appealing to human rights organisations and activists to raise their voices against the BJP government’s actions.

A spokesperson also called on all Sikh organisations to help these families and call out BJP anti-Sikh actions. The delegation also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address his party’s harassment of Sikhs in Haryana. During a press conference, spokespeople for the SGPC committee also questioned Sikh reps of the BJP, challenging them to explain why Sikh houses are being demolished under a BJP-led government.

The Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) have pledged to get the Haryana government to rebuild the homes of the four Sikh families, stating they will buy the land that was stolen form the families if necessary, and do their best to help with the rebuilding.

In the meantime, the local community have come together to support the families, providing them with langar (communal kitchen service) at local Gurdwara, Patshahi Chhevin in Kurukshetra.

The Haryana far-right BJP government has demolished the homes of other minorities in recent years too in a continuation of the bulldozer politics which Just last August (2023) they forcefully bulldozed over 300 homes in
Haryana, whilst this act of oppression has also been carried out in other states of India. These actions are in line with the rhetoric of the BJP party, and its aim to make India a Hindu nation, making it known that minorities such as Sikhs are second-class citizens in India.