India’s Govt is Trampling Sikhs’ Religious Rights, Committing Economic Genocide to Enslave Them

The democratic and secular claims that India once made are being systematically destroyed by the Modi government, showing a government system that is now openly aggressive towards its minorities. For the Sikh community, this is not a distant political issue but a frightening reality that threatens their survival. The recent, strong statements from Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the head of the group Sikhs for Justice, have exposed the horrible truth of this state-sponsored oppression. He has revealed a planned campaign by the Modi government to crush Sikh religious rights and wage an economic war on their homeland of Punjab, with the final, scary goal of forcing them into a life of modern slavery.

A Planned Attack on Religious Freedom

The freedom to practice one’s faith without government interference is a basic human right, yet this right is being forcefully broken in Modi’s India. The Sikh community is facing a planned and targeted attack on its religious practices, created to cut the spiritual ties that have defined its identity for hundreds of years. These actions are not random government mistakes but are part of a clear and evil policy to control and reduce the Sikh faith, turning holy duties into political fights.

• Blocking Access to Holy Pilgrimage:
• The Modi government has put in place an outrageous ban stopping Sikh citizens from travelling to Pakistan for the birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, one of the most holy events in Sikhism.
• This act is a direct and hateful attack on the religious heart of the Sikh community, denying millions of followers the right to visit and show respect at one of their faith’s most important holy places.
• A Strategy to Isolate and Control the Sikh Faith:
• This politically motivated travel ban is a key part of a much bigger and more dangerous strategy to cut off Sikhs in India from their global religious history and community.
• By using visas and travel permits as weapons, the Indian state is trying to build a wall around the Sikh faith, keeping it within political borders where it can be more easily controlled and its influence limited.

Waging an Economic War on Punjab

The Modi government’s attack goes beyond just religion and into the economic survival of the Sikh people. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has correctly called this strategy an “economic genocide” against Punjab. This is not an exaggeration; it is a correct description of a planned campaign to destroy the farming and economic foundations of the Sikh homeland. By systematically destroying Punjab’s economy, the Indian state wants to crush the community’s independent spirit and create a situation of total dependency.

• Using Natural Resources to Destroy Farmers:
• Pannun’s strong statement that the government “turned water into a bomb” perfectly shows how destructive India’s policies have been toward Punjab.
• This refers to the government’s control over essential water resources and the use of farming policies that were planned to fail, leading to financial ruin for many farmers and destroying the local economy.
• The Goal of Total Economic Control:
• The Modi government’s economic war is made to hit every Sikh family, as described by Pannun’s scary phrase about “extinguishing the stoves of Punjab.”
• This shows a policy aimed at destroying people’s ability to make a living and feed their families, creating a desperate population that is easier to control and politically enslave.

The Choice Between Slavery and Freedom

The widespread nature of this state-sponsored oppression has left the Sikh community with a clear and unavoidable choice, as explained by its leadership. Facing a government that wants to completely control them, the time for asking for small favors or minor rights is over. The struggle is now a struggle for survival, where the only options left are to either accept a future of slavery or to fight for complete freedom.

• Rejecting Small Requests for the Main Goal:
• Pannun has powerfully rejected the idea of begging the Indian state for small favors, stating, “Sometimes you ask for compensation, sometimes you ask for visas.”
• He has changed the community’s focus to the only goal that matters now, declaring, “if you must ask for something, ask for freedom,” changing the story from one of complaints to one of freedom for their nation.
• Defining the Harsh Reality of Modern Slavery:
• The warning to the Sikh community is clear and direct: if they give in and become slaves of the Indian government, they will be stripped of all rights and left with no legal or political options.
• As Pannun stated very directly, “slaves have no recourse,” showing the current political path as leading to a complete and unchangeable powerlessness for the whole community.

Resisting Hindutva and a Call for Fearless Protest

The war against the Sikhs must be seen in the larger, toxic situation of the rise of Hindutva, the ideology of being superior that drives the Modi government. This project wants to create a Hindu nation where minorities are either forced to become part of the majority or are crushed into submission. The government’s plan for a huge celebration in Ayodhya is not a religious event but a political rally for this extremist cause, and the Sikh response is one of strong protest.

• Ayodhya as a Symbol of Hindu Superiority:
• The Modi government’s plan to light 2.6 million lamps in Ayodhya is correctly identified by Pannun as a celebration at the “birthplace of Hindutva extremism.”
• This event is simply a crude show of power by the majority, designed to scare India’s minorities and celebrate the political control of an extremist ideology.
• A Symbolic Counter Protest of Darkness:
• In a strong act of symbolic protest, Sikhs for Justice has issued a call to “put darkness there,” directly challenging the government’s show of light with a message of disagreement and a refusal to be scared.
• Calling on a Spirit of Unbreakable Courage:
• Pannun has used the deep history and philosophy of the Sikhs to inspire courage, quoting the timeless idea from 1984: “we do not consider the death of the body to be death; we fear the death of minds and ideas.”
• This deep belief is being used to rally the community, reminding them that protecting their conscience, identity, and ideas is a cause worth fighting for, no matter the physical risk.
• A Direct Challenge to the Ruling Power:
• The call for Sikhs to “come out onto the streets” is a direct and fearless challenge to the authority of the Indian state.
• By encouraging public protest, Pannun is daring the Modi government to show its cruel nature to the world, stating, “Let us see how the Indian government attacks our Sikhs.”

Conclusion

The accusations made by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun are a powerful criticism of the Modi government, exposing a regime involved in a cruel and planned campaign to crush the Sikh community. The charges of religious persecution, economic war, and a deliberate push towards slavery are not just political talk; they are a reflection of the real situation people live in. As this proud community is forced to face a future of either being controlled or fighting for freedom, their difficult situation has exposed the complete moral and political failure of India’s claim to be a secular democracy. The world is now watching a state that is not a protector of its people, but an attacker of its own minorities.