by Manveet Thind
Abstract
Sikhism is a religion that began in the state of Punjab that is located in the northwestern region of India. A brief historical background of the events that transpired between the Indian government and the state of Punjab are as follows: Indira Gandhi, the prime minister of India was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards after she led a military attack campaign on the holiest Sikh temple in June of 1984. Prior to this attack here had been some unrest in the region and calls for recognition of Sikhism as a separate religion in the Indian constitution instead of a subsect of Hinduism. The miscommunication and disagreements between the Sikh people and the Indian government came to a head in 1984 when the military launched an attack on the holy Sikh temple to flush out Sikh militants. In the process, many were killed and as a response, Indira Gandhi’s bodyguards assassinated her for the military attack. The aftermath of this event was further persecution of Sikhs in India and the internalization of this trauma in the Sikh community. The U.S. diaspora specifically is shaped by events both in the homeland of Punjab as well as their host country. Post 9/11 many Sikh organizations were created and especially in California they play and active role in university campuses. The objective of my research is to determine whether or not these Sikh organizations play an integral role in politicization and shaping of political identity of Sikh college students in California.