Father didn’t care and laid down his life, Sikh community pulled family through troubled times: Sarabjit Singh Khalsa

As 1984’s Operation Bluestar completes 40 years, it has been a long and hard initiation into active politics for 46-year-old Sarabjit Singh Khalsa, who contested as an independent candidate and won the Faridkot parliamentary seat.

After completing his matriculation in 1995, the leader elected to the Lower House of the Parliament on re-emergence of Panthic politics in Punjab along with Amritpal Singh, who is currently in jail. The victory of these two independent candidates came in the 40th anniversary week of 1984’s Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple that had led to Indira Gandhi’s assassination.

Turning point for Sarabjit
Six-year-old Sarabjit when his father Beant Singh, a Delhi police SI who was part of the PM’s security detail, along with another of her bodyguards, Satwant Singh, assassinated Indira Gandhi in October 1984. The rest of the PM’s security killed Singh and the Sikh community later declared him a ‘qaumi shaheed (martyr of community).’


“My father didn’t care for the family and laid down his life... Sikh community support pulled my family through troubled times and elected my mother and grandfather to Parliament," reported ToI quoting Sarabjit. The leader rememebered the time when he had no money for school.

Sarabjit Singh, who unsuccessfully contested three elections, wasn’t a serious challenger until Amritpal entered the poll fray. That brought a procession of Sikh preachers, ragis, and dhadis to his campaign and changed Faridkot’s opinion.

Soon, his campaign became a Sikh movement for repaying the “debt” owed to his father for “avenging” 1984’s terrorist-flush-out military raid on Harmandir Sahib, holiest of the faith’s shrines.

“Now that I have won, my priority will be to raise my voice in Parliament to ensure legally there is provision of death penalty for the heinous crime of sacrilege... we will field Panthic candidates in byelections and upcoming SGPC election,” he said.

(with ToI inputs)