Jagjit Singh Chohan

Jagjit Singh grew up in Tanda in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district, about 180 km from Chandigarh. He was a dentist. Chohan 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 Lachhman Singh Gill became Chief Minister, Chohan was made Finance Minister. In 1969, he lost the Assembly election.

Two years after losing the Punjab Assembly elections in 1969, Chohan moved to the United Kingdom to start his campaign for creation of Khalistan. In 1971, he went to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan to attempt to set up a Sikh government.[1] Chohan was invited by Pakistani army dictator Yahya Khan and was proclaimed as a Sikh leader. Certain Sikh relics that were in Pakistan were handed down to him and taken to UK. The relics had helped Chohan to gather Sikh supporters and followers. He then visited the United States at the invitation of his supporters among the Sikh diaspora.[2]

On 13 October 1971, he placed an advertisement in the New York Times proclaiming an Independent Sikh state. Advertisement of Khalistan enabled him to collect millions of dollars from the Sikh diaspora.[1] He was charged with sedition and other crimes in connection with his separatist activities in India.

In later part of 1970s, Chohan was in touch with the Pakistani diplomatic mission in Pakistan with objective of encouraging Sikh youths to travel to Pakistan for pilgrimage and indoctrination for separatist propaganda.[3]

On 12 April 1980, he declared the formation of a "National Council of Khalistan", at Anandpur Sahib.[4] He declared himself the President of the Council and Balbir Singh Sandhu as its Secretary General.

In 1977, he returned to India. Chohan travelled to Britain in 1979, and established the Khalistan National Council.[5][6]

In May 1980, Jagjit Singh Chohan travelled to London and announced the formation of Khalistan. A similar announcement was made by Balbir Singh Sandhu, in Amritsar, who released stamps and currency of Khalistan. Operating from a building termed "Khalistan House", he remained in contact with the Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who was campaigning for a Sikh theocratic homeland. Chohan also maintained contacts among various groups in Canada, the USA, and Germany. He visited Pakistan as a guest of leaders like Chaudhuri Zahoor Elahi. Chohan declared himself president of the "Republic of Khalistan", named a Cabinet, and issued symbolic Khalistan "passports", "postage stamps", and "Khalistan dollars". Embassies in Britain and other European countries were opened by Chohan.[1]

It is reported that with the assistance of a wealthy Californian supporter, a peach magnate, he opened an Ecuadorian bank account to support his operation.

In June 1983, Bhindranwale was asked: "If Jagjit Singh Chohan attacks India with assistance from England, America, and Canada, whom will you help?" Bhindranwale hedged and did not indicate his support.

On 12 June 1984, in London Chohan was interviewed by BBC. The interviewer asked: "Do you actually want to see the downfall of Mrs Gandhi's Government?" Chohan answered: "..within a few days you will have the news that Mrs Gandhi and her family have been beheaded. That is what Sikhs will do..". After this interview, the Thatcher government curtailed Chohan's activities. The British government also instructed him to confine his activities within the bounds of democracy and laws of the land.

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

Chohan visited Punjab in 1989 and hoisted the flag of Khalistan at a gurdwara in Anandpur Sahib. Chohan's Indian passport was cancelled on 24 April 1989. India protested when he was allowed to enter USA using the canceled passport.[1] Vancouver fundamentalists Talwinder Singh Parmar and Surjan Singh Gill were at one time aligned with Chohan.

The Khalistan movement gradually lost the popular support. By the early 1990s the Sikhs' separatist campaign was crushed.[1]

Chohan 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. Indian government first permitted his wife to return. He was pardoned by the Atal Bihari government, and was allowed to return to India in June 2001, after an exile of 21 years. The government decided to overlook his past activities.[7]

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

After Chohan returned to India, he started a political party in 2002 named the Khalsa Raj Party and became its president.[8] The stated aim of the political party was to continue his campaign for Khalistan.[9][10] Chohan could not attract the support from the new generation of Sikhs.[1] The Pioneer (newspaper) stated that his party was a 'Letterhead organization'.[8]

The office of the “Khalsa Raj Party” was located in the premises of the Chohan Charitable Hospital being run by him in Tanda.

On 9 March 2006, the police booked Chohan in a case of creating lawlessness and pulled down 'controversial flag' hoisted on the building. The police also sealed the office and took into possession some objectionable documents, certain flags, some pamphlets and a computer into possession. Chohan's wife disclosed that the currency notes, passports and other documents related to Khalistan were stored in England. Police claimed that Chohan was booked for creating lawlessness by making anti-national statements on Khalistan. A case under Sections 121, 124-A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against Chohan. Police also investigated Chohan's links with other Khalistani outfits in the World.[11]

Chohan withdrew himself from the public life in his later years. He died on 4 April 2007, aged 78 due to heart attack at his native village Tanda in Hoshiarpur District of Punjab.[1][12][13]

• Gurmit Singh Aulakh
• Separationist
• Separation of church and state

• http://www.ceri-sciencespo.com/archive/mai02/artlg.pdf The globalization of identity politics : the Sikh experience, International Journal of Punjab Studies, 7 (2), July–December 2000 (page 29).
• THE KHALISTAN MOVEMENT IN PUNJAB, Meredith Weiss, Yale, 25 June 2002.

• Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale's Speech June 1983
• HC allows Sikh separatist to return after 21 years
• Return of the Khalistan protagonist
• Childhood Chum