REPORT SHOWS KHALISTANIS GROWING UNDER THE NOSE OF UK GOVERNMENT

In what is likely to come as a watershed event as far as UK's soft-spot for Khalistani elements is concerned, a recently released investigative report by the United Kingdom has brought out the dangers that the country is facing from Khalistani groups and how these "tiny minority" attracts disproportionate amounts of attention and stokes divisive sentiments in the more than five lakh strong Sikh community in the UK.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

The said report, titled "Does government do God" was written by Colin Bloom, who is the "faith advisor" to the Government of UK after it was commissioned in October 2019.

The 165-page report, which is being described as the most sweeping review of the government's relationship with religion in a generation, took three years to publish. It saw five Faith Ministers, four Secretaries of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and three Prime Ministers.

The report, which has mentioned "Khalistan" 33 times, has stated that along with other such entities, proKhalistan extremist groups have grown under the nose of the UK authorities. According to official sources, the report was "watered down" from its original findings on the extent of Khalistani penetration in society so as not to enrage the pressure groups that support the Khalistani groups. Despite this, it is the first such report that has spoken in detail about how Khalistani groups and sentiments are being "inadvertently legitimized through government and parliamentary engagements" by successive governments in London.

During his investigation, Bloom recorded the testimony of a witness who stated that these groups were trying to brainwash the youth to cause divisions and hate in India. "Some Sikh extremist groups are using places of worship to fund or getting funds under the name of faith and spearheading hate," the report quotes the witness. Another witness spoke about how "Some Sikh organisations (are) openly glorifying hate and terror and posing threat and putting our freedom under risk." Bloom has said that the government should now "clearly define and investigate extremist activity and identify where this exists within the Sikh community, take steps to develop a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of subversive and sectarian Sikh extremist activity."