Jaranaila Siṅgha, Santa, 1947-1984

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale (Punjabi: Jarnaila Singha Bhindrāṅvāle pronounced [d͡ʒəɾnɛːlᵊ ˈsɪ́ŋɣᵊ pɪ̀ɳɖrãːʋaːɭe]; born Jarnail Singh Brar; 2 June 1947– 6 June 1984) was a Sikh militant. After Operation Bluestar, he posthumously became the leading figure for the Khalistan movement.: 156–157  He was the thirteenth jathedar or leader, of the prominent orthodox Sikh religious institution Damdami Taksal. An advocate of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution, he gained significant attention after his involvement in the 1978 Sikh-Nirankari clash. In the summer of 1982, Bhindranwale and the Akali Dal launched the Dharam Yudh Morcha ("righteous campaign"), with its stated aim being the fulfilment of a list of demands based on the Anandpur Sahib Resolution to create a largely autonomous state within India. Thousands of people joined the movement in the hope of retaining a larger share of irrigation water and the return of Chandigarh to Punjab. There was dissatisfaction in some sections of the Sikh community with prevailing economic, social, and political conditions. Over time Bhindranwale grew to be a leader of Sikh militancy, organizing killer squads to eliminate those he perceived as enemies of Sikhism. In 1982, Bhindranwale and his group moved to the Golden Temple complex and made it his headquarters. Bhindranwale would establish what amounted to a "parallel government" in Punjab, settling cases and resolving disputes, while conducting his campaign. In 1983, he along with his militant cadre inhabited and fortified the Sikh shrine Akal Takht. Scholars hold him responsible for launching attacks on Hindus and state institutions from the complex; his targeting of Hindus was intended to drive them out of Punjab. Bhindranwale's relocation to the Harmandir Sahib complex was to strategically preempt his arrest by the government, as attacks on Hindus by his cohort escalated. In June 1984, Operation Blue Star was carried out by the Indian Army to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers from the buildings of the Harmandir Sahib in the Golden Temple Complex, which resulted in hundreds to thousands of deaths according to various reports, including that of Bhindranwale. Bhindranwale has remained a controversial figure in Indian history. While the Sikhs' highest temporal authority Akal Takht describe him a 'martyr', with immense appeal among rural sections of the Sikh population, who saw him as a powerful leader, who stood up to Indian state dominance and repression, many Indians and academic critics saw him as spearheading a "revivalist, extremist and terrorist movement". His stance on the creation of a separate Sikh state remains a point of contention.