
Pro-Khalistan outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) has threatened to “shut down” Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh’s upcoming concert in Australia on November 1 — Sikh Genocide Remembrance Day, observed by the Akal Takht Sahib. The controversy erupted after Dosanjh was recently seen touching the feet of Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, a gesture that ignited outrage among SFJ members. The organization accuses Bachchan of having “incited mobs” during the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, one of India’s darkest chapters.
SFJ’s general counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun condemned Dosanjh’s act in a scathing statement, saying the singer had “insulted every victim, widow and orphan of the 1984 Sikh Genocide” by paying respect to Bachchan.
According to SFJ, on October 31, 1984, Bachchan had “publicly incited Hindustani mobs” with the genocidal slogan “Khoon Ka Badla Khoon” (Blood for Blood) that allegedly triggered violent death squads leading to the killing of more than 30,000 Sikh men, women, and children across India.
Labeling Dosanjh’s upcoming concert a “mockery of remembrance”, the group has urged Sikh organizations and artists around the globe to boycott the event. SFJ announced it will hold a ‘Panthic Shutdown Rally’ outside the concert venue on November 1, and has written to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, demanding that Dosanjh be summoned to explain his actions.
The Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikh authority, had in 2010 officially declared the 1984 massacres as a “genocide” and designated November 1 as Sikh Genocide Remembrance Day.
“Remembrance is not for sale, and genocide cannot be normalized for applause,” SFJ asserted, accusing the singer of commercializing a sacred month of mourning. Dosanjh, who is currently on an international tour with several performances lined up through November, has not yet commented publicly on the controversy.
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