![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/why-are-some-sikhs-calling-for-a-separate-homeland-in-india/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/131127147_gettyimages-1515202570.jpg&description=Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Pro-Khalistan supporters protesting in front of the Indian Consulate in Toronto in July Diplomatic tensions over calls for a separate homeland for Sikhs in India have escalated, after Canada said it was looking at "credible allegations potentially linking" the Indian state to the murder of a separatist leader in British Columbia. India has denied the allegations, describing them as "absurd". For anyone new to this long-running controversy, here's an at-a-glance look at the history and current context: Sikhism is one of the world's major religions, founded in the 16th Century in the Punjab region of what is now India and Pakistan - which was divided between the two countries after the end of British rule in 1947. There are around 25 million Sikhs worldwide, making it the fifth largest faith group. The vast majority live in India, where they make up around 2% of the country's 1.4bn people. But significant diaspora populations exist as well. Canada is home to the largest population outside India, with around 780,000 Sikh people - more than 2% of the country's population - while both the US and UK are home to around 500,000 and Australia around 200,000. The Khalistan movement calls for an independent homeland for Sikhs in India. The movement was at its peak in the 1980s in the Indian state of Punjab, when the area experienced a series of violent attacks and deaths. It lost steam after Indian armed forces ran special operations against the movement. Politics in modern Punjab have shifted away from the movement and calls for independence are not a majority position, according to Prof Shruti Kapila from the University of Cambridge. But supporters in the Sikh diaspora have continued to advocate for a separate state, with calls for independence intensifying in recent years. India has strongly opposed the Khalistan movement. All mainstream political parties, including in Punjab, have denounced violence and separatism. The long-running){kind=link}
Diplomatic tensions over calls for a separate homeland for Sikhs in India have escalated, after Canada said it was looking at “credible allegations potentially linking” the Indian state to the murder of a separatist leader in British Columbia.
India has denied the allegations, describing them as “absurd”.
For anyone new to this long-running controversy, here’s an at-a-glance look at the history and current context:
Sikhism is one of the world’s major religions, founded in the 16th Century in the Punjab region of what is now India and Pakistan – which was divided between the two countries after the end of British rule in 1947.
There are around 25 million Sikhs worldwide, making it the fifth largest faith group.