‘An Invisible Minority’: Alienation, solidarity, inter-communal cooperation among Sikhs in Kashmir

Sikhs constitute the largest minority community in contemporary Kashmir, and their presence is therefore indispensable to any comprehensive understanding of the region. However, the community has remained on the margins, largely invisible in both historical and contemporary political discourse. This invisibility does not imply that Kashmiri Sikhs were absent from the tragedies of a region which has been scarred by political instability for decades (or centuries) now. There has been a tremendous lag in understanding the community’s presence and praxis from an academic perspective until now, with no serious work addressing the negotiation of identities of Sikh micro-minority at the intersections of regions, religions and nations.

A recent work, An Invisible Minority: The History, Society and Politics of Sikhs in Kashmir by Komal JB Singh, published by Routledge, offers an initial promise in this way and bridges the gaps in knowledge about the struggles of the community. Singh is a researcher and writer with a PhD from the Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her research reaffirms that the history of Kashmir is incomplete without the voices of Sikhs and reconciling their travails and tragedies.

Minorities within minorities

The diverse and plural society of Jammu and Kashmir today is often reduced to a simplistic representation of Kashmir as Muslim, Jammu as Hindu, and Leh as Buddhist. The representation of micro-minority Sikhs in such a framework tends to remain skewed, leading to a sense of disillusionment within the community. The Sikh religious injunction of Chardi Kala (be always in high spirits) forbids the community from living with a sense of victimhood, thereby imposing and perpetuating a culture of silence.

The book draws on both ethnographic engagement and historical analysis to situate Kashmir beyond the dominant binary narratives by foregrounding an alternate discourse. These otherwise sidelined alternate discourses examine how majority-minority relations unfold in a politically volatile region and what bearing they can have on “minorities within minorities”. Exploring the evolution of Sikh identity in Kashmir at the macro level (pan-Indian Sikh movements) and micro level (local Kashmiri context), the book offers a groundbreaking study on how Sikhism developed outside Punjab, stressing the variety of localised adaptations and responses, and breaking the homogeneous Punjab-centric narrative of Sikh history. It engages with themes of alienation, solidarity, and inter-communal cooperation, and traces the rich yet often overlooked history of Sikhs in Kashmir. The book also addresses the traumatic legacies of the Partition, the violence of 1984, and the Chittisinghpora Massacre, narrating a journey of faith, reform, and resilience.

The book begins with the origins of Sikhism in Kashmir and the travels of Guru Nanak to Srinagar. Sikhism in Kashmir developed in three phases: first, the original inhabitants since Guru Nanak’s visit; second, those who converted to Sikhism from Kashmiri Pandits and Punjab Khatris; and third, Sikhs who arrived as part of the Sikh army or administration. The author refers to the Puratan Janamsakhi for this information and discusses the earliest converts to Sikhism, as well as the visits of subsequent Gurus to Kashmir. There is detailed information about the history of major Gurdwaras of the valley and the efforts to build, rebuild and reclaim them from time to time.

There was substantial localisation of Sikhism during Sikh rule. Gurdwaras were constructed and land estates (jagirs) were granted to Sikhs. However, much of the legacy of Sikh rule was destroyed during Dogra rule, as land jagirs in many places were confiscated. The book acknowledges positive impacts of Sikh rule, such as the abolition of begaar (forced labour) under some Sikh governors, but it overlooks the negatives. The condition of Muslim peasantry worsened, there was minimal tax relief, and the government’s anti-Muslim measures, such as the ban on congregations at the Jamia Masjid, are not adequately addressed. European travellers documented the suffering of Kashmiri Muslims under Sikh rule. They observed that only about one-sixteenth of cultivable land was farmed due to harsh taxation and forced labour. William Moorcroft and Baron Charles von Hügel described the extreme poverty and depopulation, while Jacquemont called the Sikhs “rapacious masters.” Despite these accounts, the author dismisses them as lacking objectivity, arguing instead for a more balanced interpretation.

After the 1920s, under Dogra rule, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a wave of socio-religious reform and political awakening across its communities, in which the Sikh minority actively participated. Organizations such as the Khalsa Young Men’s Association (established in 1917 in Jammu) worked to improve education, economic conditions, and social awareness among Sikhs. Similarly, the Chief Khalsa Diwan advocated for political rights and community welfare. Influenced by reform movements like the Akali Movement in Punjab, these institutions pushed for equal representation in state services, recognition of Punjabi in schools, and expanded educational opportunities.

Taking control of Gurdwaras from Mahants was one of the community’s early struggles. Historical records reveal friction between the Hindu Khatri community and Sikhs over Gurdwara management. Inspired by reformist movements in Punjab, opposition to the Mahant system grew in Kashmir, culminating in the Sopore Morcha of 1933, one of the first Sikh agitations in Kashmir to assert control over a gurudwara. The 1920s marked a critical moment – while Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah began his struggle against Dogra rule, the Akali Movement and the formation of the SGPC (1920) served as models for Kashmiri Sikhs asserting their own religious and political rights.

It engages topics such as the Glancy Commission, which are usually seen from a purely Hindu-Muslim binary perspective, from a Sikh perspective. With a deep historical depth it profiles the effects of the commission on the community, the efforts held to address and assuage them, meetings to include Sikh representatives and their objections to various adjuncts like censuses that categorised them as Hindus. References are made to Sikh participation in political movements, highlighting leaders such as Bush Singh Tyagi, twice elected president of the National Conference, Akali Kaur Singh, founder of Sikh Kashmiri Samachar, as well as Jathedar Singh. These individuals, often overshadowed in mainstream historiography, are given their due recognition.

The ruptures

The book also examines Sikhs in the aftermath of the Partition and the 1947 tribal invasion, capturing the profound rupture that the community experienced. Partition is associated with deep trauma, as many people across borders were rendered homeless. Sikhs were displaced from Mirpur and Muzaffarabad to the Jammu region. The book documents the testimonies of the few surviving Sikh witnesses of 1947, focusing on how memory and remembrance shape the community today. Through rituals such as the Akhand Path and annual commemorations in October, the Sikhs of Kashmir preserve sacred spaces of remembrance that act as living archives for future generations.

From an extensive fieldwork conducted between 2017 to 2019 collecting firsthand testimonies from survivors in Jammu and Kashmir the author extends the study to include the 1984 anti-Sikh violence in Jammu and Kashmir.

On the fateful night of March 20, 2000, 35 Sikhs were gunned down outside their homes in Chittisinghpora, a prominent Sikh village in Anantnag district. Known as the Chittisinghpora Massacre, it was one of the deadliest attacks on a minority group since the armed insurgency began. Following the massacre, The Kashmir Times reported that 100 Sikh families had migrated, but locals denied this. Officials confirmed only a few applications for migration, while community leaders insisted the Sikhs would stay in Kashmir and rejected any calls to arm themselves. In 2008, former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah alleged that the investigation into the massacre was obstructed through political interference. To this day, the massacre remains un-investigated, and the Sikh community continues to seek justice and recognition. Numerous accounts are narrated from the witnesses and survivors in the aftermath of this tragedy which is experienced as collective trauma and not individual loss.

The book could additionally provide an insight into the day to day lives and traditions of the Kashmiri Sikhs but unfortunately it ignores this vital aspect of cultural continuity. There are no references to religious festivities, linguistic nuances and social interactions of Sikhs with Muslims, something that would have beautifully increased the academic scope of the work beyond political marginality, illuminating how shared practices can shape as sense of belonging in a larger Kashmiri social fabric.

The author concludes that Sikh studies have been dominated by Punjab and diaspora perspectives. The must recognise the distinct regional identity of Kashmiri Sikhs, whose sense of home is tied to Kashmir’s landscape rather than Punjab. While their faith connects them to Sikhism’s origins, their cultural roots and historical experiences are uniquely Kashmiri. The book stresses that peace in Kashmir depends on inclusion and dialogue among all communities. The Sikh community, with its history of resilience, solidarity, and moral strength, can play a crucial role in peace-building.

The book is essentially silent about post 2019 developments and their impact on the Sikh community. Could it be because author’s research predated those changes, and her focus was on historical memory and not on contemporary political restructuring or is the silence a deliberate scholarly omission, one stemming from political caution or is the silence simply a thematic continuation of her research on trauma and erasure. Whatever be the case may be, with nearly seven years since the abrogation, the silence leaves the book open ended and incomplete.

An Invisible Minority: The History, Society and Politics of Sikhs in Kashmir, Komal JB Singh, Routledge.