Some stories never go away. This is the story of February 10, 2002.This is the story of a Hindu family that had two exodus in one lifetime. First exodus happened in 1947 when India was partitioned on religious basis. Durga Das (then 17) had very reluctantly decided to leave his family home and hearth in Narowal (now in Pakistan) to migrate to Hindustan (India) to save his Dharma (not converting to Islam), and hoping to migrate back once peace returns, that never happened). His new home was in Batala, Punjab.

In 1990, he again had very reluctantly decided to leave his home and hearth in Batala to migrate to Delhi (and hoping to migrate back once peace returns; that peace partially returned, thanks to Kanwar Pal Singh Gill; but he could never). In 1990, migration was due to Khalistan terrorism in Punjab.

In 1990, exodus of Hindus happened both from Kashmir and Punjab. Exodus of Hindus in Kashmir was virtually lifetime. Now, after 30 years, a hope is returning.  But in 30 years, a generation has been decimated. Was it a sheer coincidence that exodus of Hindus happened in Kashmir and Punjab in 1990?

Baba Durga Das, as he was lovingly known in later years,  had once said, “No, It was not coincidence. it was the game of Pakistan in collaboration with some anti-nationals. He said, when in 1971,  Bangladesh was separated from Pakistan, Pakistan vowed, ‘India has broken our one, we shall break India’s two. And those two were Kashmir and Punjab.”

“Territories are not won by weapons. Those are won by information and intelligence. In Kashmir, many Muslims joined hands with Pakistan. In Punjab, some Sikhs (pro Khalistan) joined hands with them. Most pro- Khalistan elements were located outside the country, in Canada and elsewhere. Sikhs have many sects like Naamdhari Sikhs, Ramgardia Sikhs, Nirankari Sikhs, Jat Sikh and many others. Those who joined hands with Pakistan were largely Jat Sikhs located abroad. Hindu- Sikh divide and chaos in Punjab served well to justify applications for Asylum on account of made-up persecution in India.”

In an article in 2019, Ajai Sahni, Executive Director, Institute of Conflict Management, wrote, “ The Khalistani ire against (KPS) Gill is not because more people were killed under his leadership, it is because he exposed, shamed and comprehensively defeated the Khalistanis. The surviving leadership fled to skulk in Pakistani havens, or fulfilled their dream of asylum in Western states, from where they continue to froth against the ignominy of their humiliating failure.”

To know more about KPS Gill, one may see ‘ KPS Gill- The Paramount Cop’ by Rahul Chandan (2014). Also a book by KPS Gill himself, ‘The Knights of Falsehood’ (1997), highly criticizing the role of political parties like Congress and Akali dal.

Some of the members of the extended family of Durga Das had returned back to Batala, Amritsar, Jandiala and Kartarpur. Those were relatively younger and decided to fight and die (if it comes to that) instead of dying of hunger in Delhi. Baba Durga Das said that was possible because of KPS Gill, who dealt with Khalistan terrorism squarely. “KPS Gill was a true lion and son of India.”

In 2019, a book was published by the same title, wherein KPS Gill has been characterized, ‘The Butcher of Punjab’.

Baba Durga Das’ nephew said, “The book should have been titled, ‘The Butcher of the Butchers of Punjab”.

Ajai Sahni in his comments in 2019 in The Tribune wrote, “For long, Khalistani formations alleging ‘genocide’ have claimed, with not a shred of evidence, that between 1 lakh and 2.5 lakh Sikhs were killed in the counterterrorism campaign in the state. The reality is, a total of 21,532 persons were killed between 1981 and 1995 in connection with Khalistani terror, including 8,090 categorised as terrorists; 11,696 civilians, almost all killed by the Khalistanis, but including some who lost their lives in ‘crossfire’; and 1,746 security force personnel (1,415 of the Punjab Police alone) killed by the terrorists.”

Baba Durga Das was 17 when he migrated from Narowal and was 60 when migrated from Batala. He breathed his last on February 10, 2002. Two exoduses in one life, how could you survive? No way. The most shameful, two exoduses within your own country, your homeland, due to shameless politics.

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