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Kandu Khera Incident
| Kandu Khera Incident | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Insurgency in Punjab, India | |||
| Date | November 22, 1986 - February 6, 1987 | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by | Plan by the Centre to give 55 villages of Punjab to Haryana. | ||
| Goals | Stop the villages from leaving Punjab. | ||
| Methods | Armed threats. | ||
| Parties to the civil conflict | |||
| Lead figures | |||
| |||
| Casualties | |||
| Death(s) | None | ||
The Kandu Khera Incident was an armed stalemate between the forces of Captain Amarinder Singh and the Central Government in relation to the transfer of 55 villages into Haryana from Punjab.[1] Captain Amarinder Singh was sent by Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala to restore the people's faith in Punjabi and stop being brainwashed by outsiders to learn Hindi.[1][2]
During the 1985 census, the Haryana Government decided to flood 55 villages with immigrants so that it could be transferred to Haryana. This greatly shocked Punjabis as their demands were to give the Punjabi speaking villages in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to Punjab, along with Chandigarh.[2][3] The Shiromani Akali Dal saw this as a major threat to the state as it could have led to a deeper rift between Punjabis and the centre,[4] and could have led to further support for the Khalistan Liberation War.[2][5] He also mentioned that he wanted to "teach the Bajrang Bali Brigade a lesson" as they tried to declare a nation-wide Genocide against Sikhs in the same year, and stated that they should come and challenge an equal force for once.[1][6] Two journalists (Sondeep Shankar and Seema Mustafa) were sent to agree with the data that the Centre wanted, although they both disagreed and stated that it was clearly Punjabi speaking, they were kidnapped by the Punjab Police who threatened to break their bones and torture them; Captain Amarinder Singh's entourage saved them when they were reaching the border.[7]
In order to save Fazilka, Abohar and many other neighbouring villages from being shifted to Haryana in 1986, Captain spent many sleepless nights standing guard with the residents of Kandu Khera to protect Punjabi speaking areas, which were prone to infiltration by non-Punjabis from across the state boundary.[1][8] Captain and his Sikh forces were armed with many guns and ammunition, challenging to Centre to try and take it by force,[2] Captain himself stayed at the Sarpanch's house with a licensed .12 bore gun.[1] None of the Bajrang Dal members arrived and the plan to transfer the villages was given up by the government. Harcharan Singh Bains stated "Sent to Kandu Khera as a Captain, and came back as a General."[1]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Singh, Khushwant. Captain Amarinder Singh: The People's Maharaja: An Authorized Biography. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-93-85827-44-0.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Captain Amarinder Singh - 1986 ਕੰਦੂ ਖੇੜਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਈ ਰਾਤਾਂ ਕੱਟ ਕੇ ਫਾਜ਼ਿਲਕਾ, ਅਬੋਹਰ ਅਤੇ 100 ਤੋਂ ਵਧ ਪਿੰਡ ਹਰਿਆਣਾ 'ਚ ਜਾਣ ਤੋਂ ਬਚਾਏ In order to save Fazilka, Abohar and many other neighbouring villages from being shifted to Haryana in 1986, I spent many sleepless nights standing guard with the residents of Kandu Khera to protect Punjabi speaking areas, which were prone to infiltration by non Punjabis from across the state boundary. | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ↑ "https://theprint.in/politics/full-text-of-amarinder-singhs-resignation-letter-to-congress-chief-sonia-gandhi/760984/".
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ↑ "Sitrep | Things that Amarinder Singh learnt as soldier". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ↑ "Punjab's claim on Chandigarh: Capt Amarinder has betrayed interests of Punjab: Bhagwant Mann - Yes Punjab - Latest News from Punjab, India & World". Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ↑ "Capt defends aggressive style of campaigning". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ↑ MUSTAFA, SEEMA. "When Amarinder Singh Saved Us From the Punjab Police". www.thecitizen.in. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ↑ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab". m.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 13 July 2023.