Extremist Chauhan’s activities had UK govt worried, reveal documents

Shyam Bhatia in London

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The late Dr Jagjit Singh Chauhan was of major concern to the British authorities in 1984 and 1985, newly released UK government documents have revealed.
Before he was forgiven and allowed to return to India in 2001, London-based Chauhan declared himself president of the newly formed Khalistan National Council.
In June 1984, according to the then British Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, Chauhan “used language amounting to incitement to murder Mrs (Indira) Gandhi”. Sir Geoffrey’s comments are contained in the latest batch of government records released under the 30-year rule by Britain’s National Archives.
References to Chauhan are contained in cabinet papers dated June 14, 1984, June 21, 1984, November 8, 1984, November 15, 1984, and April 25, 1985.
It is clear from these secret documents that attention was repeatedly drawn to Chauhan’s activities in bilateral contacts between New Delhi and London.
On November 1, 1984, a day after Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Sir Geoffrey commented during a cabinet discussion on how the BBC had broadcast two interviews with Chauhan “which could provoke the Asian community…
On November 8, the British Foreign Secretary commented on the possibility of taking legal action against Chauhan, including his deportation. “The fact that Dr Chauhan had already been a resident of the United Kingdom for 11 years could be an obstacle to his possible deportation. Although the Internationally Protected Persons Act of 1978 created the possibility of prosecution for incitement to murder and the law would be applied as rigorously as possible, it remained to be seen whether the evidence against Dr Chauhan was adequate for the purpose..”
On November 15, 1984, the British Attorney general was still “considering…the grounds for instituting legal proceedings against the extremist Sikh leader, Dr Chauhan” and on April 25, 1985, the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary commented during that day’s cabinet discussions, “A close study of the statements made by the Sikh leader, Dr Chauhan, prior to the assassination of the former Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, tended to confirm that the strong and continuing Indian reaction to his activities was entirely understandable.”

Underlying all these concerns about Chauhan and other Sikh extremists are UK government worries about how they could adversely affect bilateral ties, including British political and commercial interests.

Hence the intense interest shown by British ministers in a Sikh march through central London planned for November 18, 1984 to mark Gurunanak Jayanti. In the event, the march was banned.

Although resentment against the UK lingered on, assurances were given to the British Nigh Commissioner in early 1985 “that there was no embargo on visits to India by British ministers or on commercial negotiations between the two countries.”

As for Chauhan, he returned to India in June 2001 after a 21 year exile. He started the Khalsa Raj Party to propagate the cause of Khalistan by peaceful means before dying at the age of 78 in Tanda village, district Hoshiarpur.