India is a secular Country and within this here every caste, community and religion has
every right to live. Despite being a secular country, minorities has always been under
attack in India. Within India the struggle of the people has been crushed in the name of
caste and religion.
And struggles have always been crushed by leaders in the name of caste and religion
and those who struggle are put behind bars. Within India, voice of people of other
religions except Hinduism is heard nowhere. The number of atheists in our country is
increasing. Yet within our country, apart from atheists and rationalists, people of
religions other than Hinduism are hated.
India is still lagging far behind in the gap between high and low and caste and within
India Dalits and Sikhs have always been targeted by the governments of the time. Inside
the country, since the Modi-led BJP government at the Center came to power, there has
been so much talk of Dalits that there is no limit. Sikhs and dalits are being attacked
inside the secular country, but they are not being heard anywhere.
Abroad, where Sikhs were previously banned from wearing kirpans and wearing
bracelet (kara) and turbans. At the same time, the struggle of the Sikhs has proved
fruitful from time to time. The governments of foreign countries, while legitimizing the
demand of Sikhs, have given full permission to Sikhs to wear kirpan and also to wear
bracelets and turbans. But within our secular India, Sikhs are being persecuted so much
that there is no limit to what can be said. In India, where Sikhs have been termed as
terrorists by the governments of the time, Dalits have been called separatists and many
other names and are still being called. Recently, a Sikh youth had put a bracelet in his
hand inside Delhi was not allowed to take the exam. The Delhi-based Services Selection
Board has ruled that the Sikh child is wearing a bracelet. Therefore, he cannot take the
test. In a secular country, even wearing a bracelet (kara) is a crime, then why do
governments handcuff the people. Hindutva has taken over India. This can be gauged,
judged from the examination conducted by the Services Selection Board under Delhi
Although Hindutva refuses to accept this, the angry Sikh community alleges Delhi has
always been hostile to Sikhs and that Hindutva has always targeted Sikhs so that Sikhs
are not able to grow. Demonstrations by Sikhs continue inside Delhi, but so far the Sikh
child has not received justice.
Pritpal Kaur
