Jagjit Singh Chohan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1stPresident of the Council of Khalistan | |
| In office 12 April 1980 – 7 October 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Gurmit Singh Aulakh |
| Member of Punjab Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 8 March 1967 – 22 August 1968 | |
| Constituency | Tanda |
| Deputy speaker of Punjab Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 27 March 1967 – 27 November 1967 | |
| Preceded by | Shanno Devi |
| Succeeded by | Baldev Singh |
| Minister of Finance, Punjab | |
| In office 25 November 1967 – 22 August 1968 | |
| President of Khalsa Raj Party | |
| In office 2 August 2002 – 4 April 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1929 Urmar Tanda,Punjab,British India |
| Died | 4 April 2007(2007-04-04) (aged 77–78) Urmar Tanda,Punjab,India |
| Occupation | |
Jagjit Singh Chohan (1929–4 April 2007) was an Indian political activist who was a leader of the SikhKhalistan movement[1] that sought to create a sovereign Sikh state in thePunjab region of the Indian subcontinent.[2] Chohan established theCouncil of Khalistan atAnandpur Sahib on 12 April 1980 and became its first self‐styled president.
Jagjit Singh grew up in Tanda inPunjab'sHoshiarpur district, about 180 km fromChandigarh into a SikhRajput family. 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 theAkali Dal-led coalition Government took office in Punjab. WhenLachhman 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 theUnited Kingdom to start his campaign for creation of Khalistan. In 1971, he went toNankana Sahib inPakistan to attempt to set up a Sikh government.[3] Chohan was invited by Pakistani army dictatorYahya 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.[4]
On 13 October 1971, he paid for an ad in theNew York Times claiming an Independent Sikh state. Advertisement of Khalistan enabled him to collect millions of dollars from theSikh diaspora.[3]
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.[5]
On 12 April 1980, he declared the formation of a "National Council of Khalistan", atAnandpur Sahib.[6] 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 theKhalistan National Council.[7][8]
In May 1980, Jagjit Singh Chohan travelled toLondon and announced the formation of Khalistan. A similar announcement was made by Balbir Singh Sandhu, inAmritsar, who released stamps and currency of Khalistan. Operating from a building termed "Khalistan House", he remained in contact with the Sikh leaderJarnail Singh Bhindranwale who was campaigning for a Sikh theocratic homeland. Chohan also maintained contacts among various groups in Canada, the US, 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".[3]
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 attacksIndia 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 ofIndira 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, theThatcher government curtailed Chohan's activities.
On 13 June 1984, Chohan announced a government in exile. On 31 October 1984,Indira Gandhi wasassassinated by her twoSikh bodyguards in revenge forOperation Blue Star.
Chohan visitedPunjab in 1989 and hoisted the flag ofKhalistan at agurdwara inAnandpur Sahib. Chohan's Indian passport was cancelled on 24 April 1989. India protested when he was allowed to enter USA using the canceled passport.[3] Vancouver fundamentalistsTalwinder Singh Parmar andSurjan Singh Gill were at one time aligned with Chohan.
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. The Indian government first permitted his wife to return and after he was pardoned by the Atal Bihari government, he was allowed to return to India in June 2001, after having been exiled for 21 years. The government decided to overlook his past activities.[9]
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.[10] The stated aim of the political party was to continue his campaign for Khalistan.[11][12] Chohan could not attract the support from the new generation of Sikhs.[3]The Pioneer (newspaper) stated that his party was a 'Letterhead organization'.[10]
Chohan withdrew himself from the public life in his later years. He died on 4 April 2007, aged 78 due toheart attack at his native village Tanda in Hoshiarpur District of Punjab.[3][13][14]
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