The restive boys of Simbal Camp

Located 15 km from Jammu and the same distance from the international border with Pakistan, the Simbal Camp township in  Ranbir Singh Pura tehsil is so predominantly Sikh that just a couple of hundred of the 20,000 or so residents belong to other communities. Most inhabitants trace their origins to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, from where they had fled after the post-Partition violent events.

Simbal Camp had gained notoriety after it became a fertile ground for terror activities during the height of militancy in Punjab, its most infamous son being Ranjeet Singh Neeta. A small-time criminal who founded the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), his name figures in the list of India’s 20 most wanted terrorists submitted to Pakistan and he is believed to be living in Lahore.

There’s a perception that no outsider is welcome in the area, though residents try hard to dispel such notions. They claim a drastic change in the social setup of Simbal Camp during the past 20 years, pointing to how Neeta’s younger brother, Ravinder Singh, was elected as the sarpanch of Nehalpur Simbal lower panchayat halqa in 2011. Ravinder, according to them, played a significant role in bringing about a positive change in the area.

The literacy rate, it is claimed, has gone up to 95 per cent in the area and a sizeable population is employed in government service. The transport sector is another most common occupation. A good number of youth from Simbal Camp have also gone abroad in search of jobs and studies. Even 24-year-old Jashjeet Singh, who was killed in the police firing on June 4, was scheduled to fly out to Australia on a work visa on June 14.

“We have a Kashmir Administrative Service officer from our area, while a good number of youth have gone abroad,” says Iqbal Singh, chairman of the Sikh Naujawan Sabha (SNS), Simbal Camp, which has been organising functions to observe the anniversary of Operation Bluestar for the past 30 years.

He gives the sequence of events beginning June 3. A hoarding of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was installed by SNS in Rani Bagh area near Jammu airport, asking members of the Sikh community to attend the event.

The SNS comprises the youth of Simbal Camp and enjoys support in other Sikh-dominated areas of Jammu, Kathua, Poonch and Kashmir valley. They also have support at the international level, with liberal donations pouring in. “The hoarding was installed eight days before the June 6 event and the police played a game by pulling it down on June 3, which led to instantaneous protests. We smelt some mischief and the behaviour of senior police officers present at the site was proof of that,” claims SNS president Ajmeet Singh.

He says his organisation has been putting up such hoardings and posters of Bhindranwale for 22 years and the annual event dates back to 1985. “There is nothing anti-national in it,” he adds.

The protests that followed, he says, were a manifestation of genuine angst. “We didn’t do it to get attention of the Sikh bodies or international organisations and we don’t have any association with KZF militants like Neeta and others. These are all false and motivated allegations being levelled against us. Our youth are being unnecessarily targeted,” he says, adding, “But one thing is sure, even if we have to give more sacrifices to hold this function in future, we will not hold back.”

Another member of SNS, Surinder Singh, who lives in Simbal Camp, says he was on the spot when the youth was shot at in Gaddi Garh area. “After the police removed the hoarding, it led to some unrest. The following day, the then SSP of Jammu Uttam Chand got a phone call and he ordered firing of teargas shells. Later, they opened fire on protesters without any provocation. Unfortunately, service revolvers were used to quell the protest. Policemen entered the houses of local people, ransacking their property.”

SNS leaders say the issue was a “planned creation” of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, a charge stoutly denied. 

Ashkoor Wani, DIG (Jammu-Samba-Kathua Range), says that whatever decisions were taken are being looked into by the Divisional Commissioner of Jammu. "Some people have objected to constitution of a Special Investigation Team but they must understand that this is not for the first time that an SIT has been constituted. The decision has been taken to ensure that no injustice is done with any one,” he adds.

On June 5, the state government had ordered the transfer of the SSP after representatives of the Sikh community alleged that he was working under the pressure of his “political bosses”.

Surinder Singh, meanwhile, says that  “as far as the Khalistan movement is concerned, we are not part of it... if pro-Khalistan slogans were raised by the youth, it was because they were emotional”. He also points to how each and every boy was out on the streets voluntarily to protest the “police suppression”. “There has been a new awakening among youth but this incident has given a new impulsion to the sentiments for Bhindranwale, who was a sant (preacher) after all,” he adds.

Ajmeet Singh emphasises that he is a true Indian and so are the other Sikhs. “We have sacrificed more than any other community for our country.”

There is also a perception that the recent trouble could have its roots in the July 8 elections to the District Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (DGPC) and some groups of Sikhs ignited passions for supremacy. SS Wazir, former president of the State Gurdwara Parbandhak Board, rubbishes the idea. “Shaheedi Diwas is observed to commemorate the martyrs of 1984 every year on June 6. If the government had any such apprehension, it should have postponed the elections scheduled for July 8. The BJP has failed to come up to the expectations of the people — whether it is AIIMS, the artificial lake or any other development project. The government is responsible for making an attempt to create a divide among the people on communal lines,” he says.

Ramneek Singh, 26, who runs a small business establishment in Gaddi Garh area, says the incident was a case of sheer mishandling on the part of the administration. “There were other ways and means to remove the hoarding but they preferred the use of force over dialogue. The youth admire Bhindranwale. He fought for the rights of the community. We don’t endorse the demand for a separate homeland like Khalistan, but we want our rights.”

Charanjeet Singh, 31, a law graduate from Ajeet Nagar, close to Simbal Camp, says there are no government jobs and other opportunities for Sikh youth. “I have six friends who cracked the KAS exams but could not make it in the interviews. All of them were part of the protests against the police highhandedness.” He reiterates that the Sikh youth are least concerned about the demand for Khalistan.

Deceased 24-year-old Jashjeet Singh would have been on a flight to Australia today

JASHJEET Singh, 24, was a popular figure in his village Chouhla, a dusty hamlet just a few kilometres away from the international border with Pakistan in RS Pura.

Deeply religious, he would often take part in turban-tying events and was considered an expert, leading to his popularity even among Hindu and Muslim friends. “Everyone used to treat him like a brother,” says Manjeet Singh, Jashjeet Singh’s uncle.

He had an interest in cricket, riding bikes and performing stunts. “He loved touring different states and countries and had recently visited Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore and now wanted to work in Australia,” says Manjeet Singh, adding that all travel documents were ready for his flight on June 14.

Jashjeet’s father Narvinder Singh says “all of Jashjeet’s ambitions have been overcome by his thirst of dying for the greater cause of the Sikh community”. The deceased’s elder brother, Mandeep Singh, had gone missing a few years ago after he had left home to visit Delhi.

Jashjeet, who had done his schooling in RS Pura, had joined a telecom company in Jammu and was performing well. 

His family was looking for a girl for him but nothing had been finalised. “Before his marriage, his parents wanted his sister to get married. Despite that, the search for a bride was on,” says Manjeet Singh.

The family has refused any government compensation and the job offer to one of its members. 

“We just demand strict punishment for the then SSP and the constable who fired at Jashjeet without provocation,” says his uncle.

We don’t know why the government insisted on removal of a hoarding that is put up every year since 1985. We still don’t know who ordered the firing on the protesters. After the protest on June 3, the District Magistrate declared that the Bhindranwale hoarding would remain but the people got agitated as it was removed. There were no magisterial orders for firing on the youth. The government clearly violated the Standard Operating Procedure as the Supreme Court has stated that only rubber bullets should be used in such circumstances — SS Wazir, ex-president, State gurdwara parbandhak board 

Some elements are trying to sabotage peace and communal harmony. A well-planned conspiracy was hatched so the situation flares up and to give it a different colour. We want a CBI probe. A news channel projected that the ISI had backed the recent protests, which is nonsense. A deliberate attempt is being made to tarnish the image of Sikhs. — Tarlochan Singh Wazir, former SGPB president

There were other ways to remove the hoarding but they preferred the use of force over dialogue. The local youth admire Bhindranwale for his philosophy and teachings. He fought for the rights of the community. We don’t endorse the demand for a separate homeland, but we want our rights. — Ramneek Singh, businessman, Gaddi Garh area

Bhindranwale is admired because he fought for social issues. We are Indians first and the whole country is ours because Sikhs have made the most sacrifices for it. We don’t want Khalistan but Sikhs should be given their rights. — Charanjeet Singh, law graduate, Ajeet Nagar

As far as the Khalistan movement is concerned, we are not part of it... if pro-Khalistan slogans were raised by the youth, it was because they were emotional. Each and every boy was out on the streets voluntarily to protest the police suppression. — Surinder Singh, member, Sikh Naujawan Sabha