The Rise of the Khalistan Movement in Australia

Activists from various radical Sikh organisations hold placards in support of Sikh leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and Khalistan, the name given for the envisioned independent Sikh state, after prayers at Sri Akal Takht at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, in Punjab, on June 6, 2013. Narinder Nanu/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

The Sikh religion was founded in Punjab in the 15th Century by Guru Nanak and has about 25 million followers worldwide. Sikhs are a minority group in India, comprising less than two percent of the country’s 1.3 billion population, but they form a majority in Punjab.