Jagjit Singh Chauhan
Encyclopedia
Dr. Jagjit Singh Chauhan (or Chohan) was the original founder of the Khalistan movement
Khalistan movement
Khalistan refers to a global political secessionist movement to create a separate Sikh state, called Khālistān , carved out of parts mostly consisting of the Punjab region of India, depending on definition....

 that sought to create an independent Sikh state.

Chohan, a Sikh Rajput from the Chauhan
Chauhan
Chauhan, Chouhan or Chohan , , - is a clan who ruled parts of northern India in the Middle Ages. The clan is most famous for Rajput King Maharaja Prithviraj Chauhan...

 clan, grew up in Tanda in Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...

's Hoshiarpur
Hoshiarpur
Hoshiarpur is a city and a municipal council in Hoshiarpur district in the Indian state of Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the fourth century. In 1809 it was occupied by the forces of Maharaja Karanvir Singh and was united into the greater state of Punjab....

 district, about 180 km from Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...

. A medical practitioner, Dr. Chauhan was first elected to the Punjab Assembly from the Tanda as a candidate of the Republican Party of India in 1967. He became Deputy Speaker when the Akali Dal-led coalition Government took office in Punjab. When Mr. Lachhman Singh Gill became Chief Minister, Chauhan was made Finance Minister. In 1969, he lost the Assembly election.

In Exile

In 1971 he moved to the United Kingdom. In 1971, he went to Nankana Sahib
Nankana Sahib
Nankana Sahib , earlier known as Rai-Bhoi-Di-Talwandi, is a city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is named after the first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev, the central figure in Sikhism who was born here, so it is a city of high historic and religious value and is a popular pilgrimage site...

 in Pakistan to attempt to set up a Sikh government. He then visited USA at the invitation of some supporters. On Oct 13, 1971, he placed an advertisement in the New York Times proclaiming an Independent Sikh state. In 1977, he returned to India.

He migrated again to Britain in 1979. In London, Chauhan created an organization "Khalistan National Council"
and ran its operation from a building termed "Khalistan House". He remained in contact with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was the leader of the Damdami Taksal, a Sikh religious group based in India, who supported implementation of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution. In 1981, Bhindranwale was arrested for his suspected involvement in the murder of Jagat Narain, the proprietor of the Hind...

. Chauhan also maintained contacts among various groups in Canada, the USA and Germany. He visited Pakistan as a guest of leaders like Chaudhuri Zahoor Elahi. Chauhan declared himself president of the "Republic of Khalistan", named a Cabinet, and issued Khalistan "passports", "postage stamps" and "Khalistan dollars". It is reported that with the assistance of a wealthy Californian supporter, a peach magnate, he opened an Ecuadorean bank account to support his operation.

Operation Blue Star and later

On 19 July 1982, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was the leader of the Damdami Taksal, a Sikh religious group based in India, who supported implementation of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution. In 1981, Bhindranwale was arrested for his suspected involvement in the murder of Jagat Narain, the proprietor of the Hind...

, who was accused of the murders of Lala Jagat Narain
Lala Jagat Narain
Lala Jagat Narain was the founder of the Hind Samachar group.Lala Jagat Narain, a Chopra Khatri and Congress Party leader, was born at Wazirabad, Gujranwala District in 1889. He graduated from D.A.V. College, Lahore in 1919, and joined the Law College, Lahore...

 and Baba Gurbachan Singh
Gurbachan Singh
Baba Gurbachan Singh was the leader of the Sant Nirankari sect, considered to be heterodox by mainstream Sikh. He was declared Satguru by his predecessor Baba Avtar Singh in 1962.He should not be confused with Gurbachan Singh Manochahal.-Events of 1978-1980:...

 Nirankari, moved into the sanctuary of the Harimandir Sahib (Golden Temple) complex. According to reports he fortified the complex and began to stockpile weapons. In June 1983, Bhindranwale was asked: "If Jagjit Singh Chauhan attacks India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 with assistance from England, America, and Canada, whom will you help?" Bhindranwale hedged and did not indicate his support.

To flush out Bhindranwale and his supporters from the Harimandir Sahib, a government operation codenamed Operation Blue Star
Operation Blue Star
Operation Blue Star ) 3– 6 June 1984 was an Indian military operation, ordered by Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, to remove Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar...

 was undertaken on June 5–6, 1984 in which Bhindranwale was killed.

On June 12, 1984 in London Chauhan was interviewed for his reaction in a BBC interview. The interviewer asked: "Do you actually want to see the downfall of Mrs. Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...

's Government?" Chauhan answered: "..within a few days you will have the news that Mrs. Gandhi and her family has been beheaded. That is what the Sikhs will do..". After this interview, Thatcher government curtailed Chauhan's activities. The British government had also instructed him to confine his activities within the bounds of democracy and the laws of the land.

On June 13, 1984, Chauhan announced a government in exile. On 31 October 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated.

Chauhan's Indian passport was cancelled on April 24, 1989 by the Indian High Commission after he visited India and hoisted the flag of Khalistan at a gurdwara at Anandpur Sahib
Anandpur Sahib
Anandpur Sahib is a city in Rupnagar district in the state of Punjab, India. Known as "the holy City of Bliss," it is a holy city of the Sikhs and is one of their most important sacred places, closely linked with their religious traditions and history...

. India raised a storm when he was allowed to enter USA using the canceled passport.

Vancouver fundamentalists Talwinder Singh Parmar
Talwinder Singh Parmar
Talwinder Singh Parmar , born in village Panshta , district Kapurthala, Punjab, India, was a highranking member of the Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa. He belonged to the Sikh Rajput community....

 and Surjan Singh Gill
Surjan Singh Gill
Surjan Singh Gill was a suspect in the Air India bombing, and has been alleged to have been a possible Canadian Security Intelligence Service mole....

 were at one time aligned with Chauhan.

Softening and return

Chauhan gradually softened his stance. He supported India's attempts to defuse the tension by accepting surrenders by the militants. Other organizations, mainly in UK and North America, continue to work for a Khalistan.

India government first permitted his wife to return. Chauhan himself returned to India in June 2001, after an exile of 21 years. The government decided to overlook his past activities.

After his return, in an interview Chauhan said he would keep the Khalistan movement alive "democratically" and claimed that he has always been against violence.

Chauhan is said to have suggested that he is a descendant of the legendary king Prithviraj Chauhan of Delhi and he can assist in getting the remains of Prithviraj Chauhan back to India from Afghanistan.

Death

Soon after Chauhan returned to India, he started a political party named the Khalsa Raj Party
Khalsa Raj Party
The Khalsa Raj Party is a political party in Punjab. It was formed by Dr. Jagjit Singh Chohan . Dr. Chohan says that he returned to achieve the goal of Khalistan...

, apparently with the aim of propagating the cause of Khalistan through peaceful means. In a 2004 interview he claimed that Khalistan will be formed in 2007. When asked, "Has the recognition by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation [U.N.P.O.] at the Hague given a boost to the movement?", he said, "Yes. Apart from that we already have three-four MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

s in the British Parliament. Kashmir has four-five MPs. Our movement is coordinating with the Kashmiris."

He died on April 4, 2007, aged 78 at his native village Tanda in Hoshiarpur District of Punjab, where he ran a charity hospital.

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