This episode argues that the decline of Sikh participation in the Indian Army after 1984 was not accidental but the result of state discrimination, betrayal, and institutional mistrust both pre-and-post-84.

Following the 1984 Sikh genocide and Operation Blue Star, Sikh soldiers and officers faced surveillance, sidelining, and humiliation despite generations of unmatched military service.

The episode examines how even highly decorated Sikh commanders such as Brigadier Pritam Singh, Lt. Gen. Harbaksh Singh, Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh, Maj. Gen. Shabeg Singh, and Major Baldev Singh Ghuman were mistreated, marginalised, or erased once they no longer fit the state narrative.

Through historical evidence and lived reality, this episode explains why many Punjabi Sikh youth consciously withdrew from military service and why the rupture between Sikh faujis and the Indian state remains unresolved.

In this episode, we examine the Wadda Ghalughara (1762) using primary historical accounts to uncover a reality often omitted from mainstream narratives.

During one of the most devastating genocidal episodes in Sikh history, Hindu and Muslim power structures, mercenary forces, and local collaborators aligned against the Sikhs, enabling Ahmad Shah Abdali’s campaign of mass violence.

This episode directly addresses the modern political claim that Sikhs should align with Hindutva, responding to the assertions of Bhagat Singh Doabi.

Through historical evidence drawn from Persian chronicles, Sikh sources, and regional records, the discussion demonstrates how religious proximity did not shield Sikhs from persecution and how survival depended on resistance rather than ideological assimilation.

Key topics explored include:

• How Hindu and Muslim forces coordinated against Sikhs during the Wadda Ghalughara

• The role of local elites, informants, and auxiliary troops

• Why Sikh persecution cannot be reduced to a Muslim-only conflict

• How history is selectively reframed to advance contemporary political agendas

• Why Sikh sovereignty, not political alignment, ensured community survival

This episode is essential listening for those interested in Sikh history, Wadda Ghalughara, Ahmad Shah Abdali, Hindutva debates, Mughal-era violence, and the politicization of historical memory.

History does not change to suit ideology. It records what happened.

A critical examination of Sikh history from 1947 to 1984 and beyond, exploring how Hindu, Muslim, and Christian political interests have often been prioritised over Sikh rights. This episode analyses Partition, state power, resistance, and the principle that Sikh political survival has historically depended on Sikhs themselves. It also examines the contested legacy of Amarjit Singh Daheru, his training under the elder generation of the Nirban Khalsa Jatha, and historical claims surrounding the early ideological and military formation of Babbar Khalsa within broader struggles over Punjab’s political future between India and Pakistan.