A very heart-wrenching incident came to light on Friday morning due to the ongoing farmers’ agitation on the Singhu border, where a dead body was found tied to a police barricade standing upside down at the site of the protest. Along with this, his reverse hand was also chopped off, which was hanging along with the dead body and his ankle and leg were broken. As the day progressed, this news spread like fire. Now it has come to the fore that the charge of this murder is on a group of Nihang Sikhs. Nihang Sikhs, who are called “Guru ki Fauj”, whose stories of bravery were once told, are in the news these days due to controversies.
In the video and footage going viral on social media, a group of Nihang Sikhs are also taking responsibility for this murder. The United Kisan Morcha itself has also admitted that a group of Nihang Sikhs has taken responsibility for this. Now the question arises that why such a brave army of the Sikh community is now in discussion due to so many controversies and wrongdoings? For this one has to look at the past once.
Who is Nihang?
The Nihang Sikhs are a group descended from the ancient Sikh warriors. Those who wear mostly blue clothes, always carry ancient weapons like swords and spears. His turban has crescent-shaped, double-edged sword badges. They look completely different from ordinary Sikhs and lead a different kind of life.
According to Sikh historian Dr. Balwant Singh Dhillon, “The word Nihang in Persian means crocodile, sword and pen, but the characteristics of Nihangs seem to stem more from the Sanskrit word Nihshank, which means fearless, spotless, pure, carefree and of worldly gain.” and the one who renounces comfort.”
Dhillon says that this group can be traced back to the creation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. He says that the word Nihang also appears in a hymn of the Guru Granth Sahib, where it is described as a fearless person.
According to Dhillon, “Although there are some sources which link the Nihangs to the origin of Guru Gobind Singh’s younger son, Fateh Singh (1699–1705), Fateh Singh once wore a blue cloak and a blue turban with a dumala. (a piece of cloth forming a feather) appeared in the presence of the Guru… Seeing his son so majestic, the Guru said that this would be the dress of the Nihangs, the carefree soldiers of the Khalsa.
How were Nihangs different from other Sikhs?
According to Colonel James Skinner (1778–1841) of the East India Company, the Khalsa Sikhs were divided into two groups. One who wears the blue dress that Guru Gobind Singh used to wear during the war. Secondly, those who do not follow any restrictions on the color of their dress, although they are both soldiers.
Dhillon says, “Nihangs strictly follow the rules of the Khalsa. They do not owe allegiance to any worldly master. Instead of Kesari they hoist a blue Nishan Sahib (flag) above their temples.”
Nihang Shardai or Sharbati Degh name is a popular sharbat fondue, which consists of ground almonds, cardamom seeds, poppy seeds, black peppercorns, rose petals and melon seeds. When a little cannabis is added to it, it is called Sukhnidhan (treasure of comfort). The excessive amount of cannabis in this was known as Shaheedi Deg, the sacrament of martyrdom.
Role of Nihang in Sikh History
The Nihangs were instrumental in protecting the Sikh sect after the fall of the first Sikh rule (1710–15) when the Mughal governors were killing the Sikhs and during the attack of the Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Durrani (1748–65). When the Khalsa army was divided into five battalions in 1734, a Nihang or Akali battalion was led by Baba Deep Singh Shahid.
The Nihangs took control of the religious affairs of the Sikhs at the Akal Bunga (now known as the Akal Takht) in Amritsar. They did not consider themselves subordinate to any Sikh chief and thus kept themselves independent.
At the Akal Takht, he organized the grand council of the Sikhs (Sarbat Khalsa) and passed resolutions (Gurmata). His influence waned after the fall of the Sikh Empire in 1849, when the British authorities in Punjab appointed a manager (sarbra) to administer the Golden Temple in 1859.
According to Dr. Dhillon, “In recent times, the Nihang chief, Baba Santa Singh, had separated from mainstream Sikhs at the behest of the Government of India, as he rebuilt the Akal Takht damaged during Operation Bluestar in June 1984. Some of the Nihangs, Ajit Singh Poohla, also collaborated with the Punjab Police to eliminate Sikh terrorists.”
Some incidents related to Nihang Sikhs
In April last year, a group of Nihang Sikhs attacked policemen in Patiala and chopped off the hand of an ASI of Punjab Police. That too only because he stopped them and asked them to show curfew passes during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. The Nihangs rammed their car into a police barricade and came out of the vehicle carrying sharp weapons. Later, the police arrested 11 Nihangs, including a woman, from a dera premises in Balbera village.
In July this year, two Nihang Sikhs torched a statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Ludhiana and uploaded a video on social media claiming responsibility for the act. Later both were arrested.
What is the current status of Nihangs?
Nihangs today live like a small community. About a dozen bands, each led by a jathedar (leader), still carry on with the traditional arrangement. Prominent among these are the Buddha Dal, the Taruna Dal and their factions.
For the whole year they stay in their respective tents, but set out on their annual pilgrimage to Anandpur Sahib, Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo and Amritsar, participating in religious events and showcasing their martial skills and horse riding. In the ongoing peasant movement also, groups of Nihangs went to the Singhu border to show solidarity with the protesting farmers.
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