Sikh Federation UK raises equality concerns in India at international conference in Baku

The Executive Director of the Sikh Federation (UK) has highlighted concerns about equality, religious rights and historical injustices faced by Sikhs since the partition in 1947. He made the comments during Azerbaijan's first international conference that's dedicated to India.

The event in Baku titled “Racism and violence against Sikhs and other national minorities in India: contemporary realities,” has been organised by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), and is focused on what speakers say is the Indian government’s repressive policies against ethnic minorities.

Singh Dabinderjit Singh described the partition of India, and particularly the division of Punjab, as a devastating moment for the Sikh community. He said millions of Sikhs were forced to flee their homes amid widespread violence, while hundreds of thousands were killed or displaced during the upheaval that accompanied the creation of India and Pakistan.

According to Singh, successive Indian governments have failed to address this issue, leaving long-standing Sikh demands for recognition and equal treatment unresolved. He said these concerns continue to shape Sikh perspectives on equality, minority rights and religious freedom in India today.

During the conference, Singh said Sikh teachings promotes principles of equality, social justice and religious freedom.

Singh traced these Sikh values back to the founding of Sikhism more than 550 years ago by Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He said the first Sikh Guru openly challenged social inequality, rejected the caste system and spoke out against practices such as sati, in which widows were forced to die on their husbands’ funeral pyres.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji also advocated equal rights for women at a time when such views were uncommon in much of the world, Singh said.

He argued that Sikh principles of equality were well ahead of their time, noting that women in many Western countries gained the right to vote only in the early 20th century. According to Singh, Sikh teachings placed men and women on an equal footing centuries earlier, both spiritually and socially.

Singh also drew attention to the role played by Sikhs in India’s struggle for independence from British rule. Although Sikhs make up less than 2% of India’s population, he said they made a significant contribution to the independence movement, with large numbers participating in protests, political campaigns and armed resistance.

India and Pakistan became states in 1947 when the British Empire granted independence, but it created mass migration and ethnic violence between Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. The partition meant people found themselves on the wrong side of the borders. There were ten million people who became refugees. More than 200,000 people were murdered according to the National Army Museum. 

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