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Kharku (Punjabi: ਖਾੜਕੂ (Gurmukhi), کھاڑکو (Shahmukhi); khāṛakū, khaarakoo; literally meaning courageous, bold, brave, dreaded, feared, or domineering; alternatively spelt as Kharaku)^[1] is a Punjabi term used as a self-designation by Sikh militants of the Punjab insurgency who were followers of the Khalistan movement.^[2]

History

During the later years of British India and early decades following Indian independence, some slogans were coined during those times which invoked another similar sounding word to serve a political message, an example being "Khaṇḍā khaṛkū, Náirū pàjju", meaning: "When the double edged swords begin to clatter, Nehru shall run".^[3] The Kharkus fought an insurgency primarily between the years of 1978–1993, sparked by the 1978 Sikh-Nirankari clash, which led to the deaths of 13 Khalsa Sikhs.^[4]

Their ultimate goal was the establishment of a sovereign Sikh state (Khalsa Raj) based upon political justice.^[4] The movement gained further strength in the 1980's after Operation Blue Star, Operation Woodrose, and Operation Black Thunder, and fallout from the assassination of Indira Gandhi, which sparked country-wide anti-Sikh pogroms.^[4]^[5] The Kharkus of the 1980's and 1990's were associated with martyrdom and respected as shaheeds (martyrs for a religious cause).^[6] The Kharku movement was especially strong in rural areas of Punjab.^[7] The ranks of militants drew primarily from the Majha region from those belonging to a lower socio-economic status and Jat and Ramgharia background.^[8]

They were generally supported by the Sikh masses, especially during the beginning of the insurgency. Support waned during the latter years until the movement faded, eventually relegated to the underground.^[7] The reasons for their decline are a lack of common vision, lack of a commitment to a worthwhile cause, and losing trust of the common folk.^[7] Hundreds of Kharkus were killed by police and military forces during the insurgency.^[7] Many of those who survive remain in hiding or have escaped abroad.^[7]

Terminology

Etymology

Kharku is etymologically derived from the word 'kharag' (honed), which originally referred to an iron scimitar.^[9]

Other names

They were also referred to as 'Kharku Singhs' or simply as 'Mundey' (boys).^[10] Other terms for them were 'Jujharu' (hardworker), 'Jangju Sikhs' (fighter), 'freedom fighters', and even 'Khalistani mujahideens'.^[11]^[12] Controversially, the term is also used by some to describe Sikh terrorists who indiscriminately massacred local Hindus and other innocent civilians.^[13] Kharkus viewed themselves as revolutionaries rather than as terrorists.^[14] The English-language media outlets and the government referred to the militants as 'Uggarwadi' (ferocious).^[9]

Titles

Kharkus took titles and names quite seriously and it was risky for media outlets to report on individual Kharkus without using their preferred terminology and honorifics.^[11] They were against being labelled as "militants" or "terrorists" ('dehshatpasand', 'dehshatgard, or 'atankawadi') and demanded that Sikh honorifical terms, such as "Bhai", "Sant", and "Sardar", be appended as prefixes when reporting their names.^[11] Journalists and editors who dared to not heed these demands put their life in danger.^[11]

References

^ Shabdkosh.com. "ਖਾੜਕੂ - Meaning in English - ਖਾੜਕੂ Translation in English". SHABDKOSH. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
^ Stepan, Alfred C. (2011). Crafting State-Nations : India and other multinational democracies. Yogendra Yadav, Juan J. Linz. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-8018-9942-3. OCLC 793202946.
^ Narang, Gokul Chand (1960). Transformation of Sikhism (5th ed., rev. & enl ed.). New Delhi: Kalyani Publishers. p. 203. ISBN 81-7096-330-3. OCLC 221848030.
^ ^a ^b ^c Singh, Birinder Pal (September 2016). "Sikh militants' terms of discourse: Religion, Khalistan/nation and violence". Sikh Formations. 12 (2–3): 191–206. doi:10.1080/17448727.2017.1289679. ISSN 1744-8727. S2CID 151568594.
^ Grewal, Inderpal; Sabherwal, Sasha (2019-10-02). "Slow violence in post-1984 Punjab: Remembering, forgetting and refusals". Sikh Formations. 15 (3–4): 343–360. doi:10.1080/17448727.2019.1703079. ISSN 1744-8727. S2CID 214001941.
^ Migration, mobility and multiple affiliations : Punjabis in a transnational world. S. Irudaya Rajan, V. J. Varghese, A. K. Nanda. Cambridge. 2015. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-316-33795-0. OCLC 944382499.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Rise, Dynamics, and Decline of Violence in Punjab: A Critical Reassessment of Existing Explanations (PDF). Sekhon & Singh: Violence in Punjab. Jagrup Singh Sekhon & Nirmal Singh. Amritsar: Guru Nanak Dev University. 2021. p. 61.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^ Sandhu, Harmeet Singh (2016). Beyond the Land of Five Rivers: Social Inequality and Class Consciousness in the Canadian Sikh Diaspora (PDF). MA Research Paper. 9. London, Ontario, Canada: Sociology Department of the University of Western Ontario. p. 37. Whereas Bhindranwale originated from the prosperous province of Malwa, Telford (1992: 976) maintains that his band of armed militants predominantly came from large, and relatively impoverished, Jat families in the Majha region.
^ ^a ^b Chopra, Radhika (December 2010). "Commemorating Hurt: Memorializing Operation Bluestar". Sikh Formations. 6 (2): 119–152. doi:10.1080/17448727.2010.530509. ISSN 1744-8727. S2CID 144432496. Uggarwadi was the official term used freely in government statements and in the English-language media, state television and radio broadcasts. The official term stands in opposition to the more popular term Kharku, or freedom fighter. Both terms refer to masculine bodily styles – ugar or ferocious, kharag – honed; its etymological roots drawn from the weaponry – kharag – an iron scimitar.
^ Puri, Harish K. (1999). Terrorism in Punjab : understanding grassroots reality. Paramjit S. Judge, Jagrup Singh Sekhon. New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications. p. 54. ISBN 81-241-0619-3. OCLC 42780241.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Subramanyam lakshmi (2001). Culture behaviour and personality. New Delhi: Mittal Publications. pp. 150–151. ISBN 81-7099-815-8. OCLC 1113233901.
^ Contemporary Affairs: A Quarterly Journal on Contemporary Issues in India and the Third World in a Global Context, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Vol. 2. Patriot Publishers. 1988. p. 53.
^ Sinhā, Mṛdulā (2001). A home at last (1st ed.). New Delhi: Ocean Books. pp. 14–15. ISBN 81-87100-51-6. OCLC 314318584.
^ Punjab in prosperity and violence : administration, politics, and social change, 1947-1997. J. S. Grewal, Indu Banga. New Delhi: Published for K.K. Publishers for Institute of Punjab Studies, Chandigarh. 1998. p. 142. ISBN 81-86912-01-0. OCLC 39986167.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)