Dharamyudh (Sikhism)

Sikhism, founded in the late 15th century by Guru Nanak in the Punjab region, which was conquered by the Mughal Empire in the early 16th century, is generally considered to have been pacifist until the early 17th century.[5] Perceiving the growth of the Sikhs as a threat, the Mughal authorities began to persecute them, and in 1606 Sikh leader Guru Arjan was executed by Mughal emperor Jahangir, apparently for refusing to convert to Islam, though this remains disputed.[5] Sikhism split into two movements: one led by Guru Arjan's son Guru Hargobind began to regard Guru Arjan as a martyr, became more political and militaristic, and started organising armed rebellions against the Mughals; the other led by Guru Arjan's older brother Prithi Chand focused on peace and nonviolence, and rejected uprisings.[5] The radicalised Sikhs justified violence as 'self-defence' against Mughal oppression,[7] trained themselves to become warriors or nihang, and organised themselves in jathas. In 1621, the first acts of open rebellion led to the eruption of the Mughal-Sikh Wars.

19th-century Akali Sikh warriors.

Over the course of several decades, small Sikh states known as misls combined to form the Sikh Confederacy in 1716, that jointly fought against Mughal power. Professionalisation of combat led the last Guru Gobind Singh to create the Khalsa, a special class of Sikh warriors, in 1699.[8] In 1735, the jathas would be merged into a single army, the Dal Khalsa. During the Afghan–Sikh Wars, the Sikhs expanded even further and in 1799 the Sikh Empire was founded, which would last until 1849, when it was defeated and annexed by the British East India Company.[9] Sikh warriors would continue to serve in the British Indian army.

In the second half of the 20th century, the separatist Khalistan movement emerged, demanding an independent Sikh state in Indian Punjab. The main political party, Akali Dal, used the term Dharam Yudh Morcha (morcha meaning 'agitation'[3]) to rally Sikh nationalists in their campaigning, especially in 1982.[3][2] Hereafter, several years of violence committed by Sikh militants to achieve their demands followed.[10] In June 1984, the conflict reached its zenith during Operation Blue Star, when Indian security forces stormed the holiest Sikh site, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, where Khalistan militants had set up their headquarters.[11] In retaliation, the two Sikh bodyguards of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi assassinated her in October 1984.[12] The killing was followed by many anti-Sikh riots as well as more Sikh militant attacks which cost dozens of lives.[13] In the end, Sikh militancy did not bring about a separate state, and the Indian Government achieved victory in 1995.[14]