Afzal Ahsan Randhawa (1937-2017) was an eminent Pakistani Punjabi poet and novelist, a towering figure in modern Punjabi literature. Born in Amritsar, he considered himself a sehajdhari Sikh, and sought to promote Punjab’s cultural heritage (one he was born into and molded by, + and continued to cherish) through his work.
He chose to write in Punjabi at a time when the language was deemed ‘coarse’ & ‘seditious’ in Pakistan’s literary circles. His works & interviews reveal a worldview shot through with the layered idioms and archetypes of Punjabi society.

News footage from November 1984, from refugee camps in Delhi where survivors display raw wounds, search for missing loved ones, and share accounts of the killings. The reporter discusses how Sikhs themselves had to arrange for food provisions, and were living in squalor,+ +bathing in gutters, and lacking medical care at the camps.
"We are homeless. We are family-less. And moreover, above all, no safety. We can't imagine how we'll survive ourselves in this India," recounts one survivor to reporter Ken Rees.

A Congress (I) poster from the December 1984 Indian general election from Andhra Pradesh depicting the assassination of Indira Gandhi by Sikh bodyguards. Many similar posters were seen during that election, with slogans “to rally the Indian nation” to “teach Sikhs a lesson.” A dead Sikh clubbed to death after his hair were shaved, Delhi, November 1984

The Congress Party had made no bones about the “lesson” taught to Sikhs. Rajiv’s December 1984 election rallies resounded with slogans celebrating the violence- Jeeten gay to looten gay, haaren gay to maaren gay- If we win we will loot you, if we lose we will beat you. Delhi Sikhs remember the shock of posters with barely veiled threats and castigations of Sikhs as treacherous separatists: “Will the country’s border finally be moved to your doorsteps?” and “Should you be afraid of your cabdriver?”30 Sikh cabdrivers, auto drivers, truck drivers+

On the 1st of November, 1966, Punjab was redrawn on the basis of language, bringing the Punjabi Suba movement to an end. This was celebrated by the Akali Dal under Fateh Singh by a joyous celebration of Diwali. Footage from 1/11/1966 "ਸੁਣੋ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਜੀ ! ਸਾਡੇ ਕੂਚ ਡੇਰੇ,
ਅਸੀਂ ਆਖਰੀ ਫਤੇਹ ਬੁਲਾ ਚੱਲੇ।
ਪਾਓ ਬੀ ਤੇ ਸਾਂਭ ਕੇ ਫਸਲ ਵੱਢੋ,
ਅਸੀਂ ਡੋਲ੍ਹ ਕੇ ਰੱਤ ਪਿਆ ਚੱਲੇ।
ਚੌਬਦਾਰ ਦੇ ਵਾਂਙ ਅਵਾਜ਼ ਦੇ ਕੇ,
ਧੌਂਸੇ ਕੂਚ ਦੇ ਅਸੀਂ ਬਜਾ ਚੱਲੇ।
ਤੁਸਾਂ ਆਪਣੀ ਅਕਲ ਦਾ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਨਾ
ਅਸੀਂ ਆਪਣੀ ਤੋੜ ਨਿਭਾ ਚੱਲੇ।
ਬੇੜਾ ਜੁਲਮ ਦਾ ਅੰਤ ਨੂੰ ਗਰਕ ਹੋਸੀ,
ਹੰਝੂ ਖੂਨ ਦੇ ਅਸੀਂ ਵਹਾ ਚੱਲੇ।

In 1937, Bagh Singh, a Sikh tenant of Ghulam Hussain, in Jandiala Sher Khan in Sheikhupura, slaughtered an animal by jhatka and for this he was insulted and turned out of his land by Muslims of the village. (thread/6) This news was dispatched to Kartar Singh Jhabbar, a Jathedar of the Akali Movement, who organised a 2 day "Jhatka Conference" and requested that 50 goats be presented at the conference, for 25 goats each day were to be slaughtered with the jhatka method. (2/6)

ਕਬਿੱਤ।
ਸਿੱਖਨ ਮੈਂ ਸਿੱਖ ਊਚੋ, ਭਗਤਨ ਮੈਂ ਭਗਤ ਮੂਚੋ, ਸਿੱਖੀ ਕੀ ਨੀਆਈ ਕਹੀਏ, ਭਾਈ ਮਨੀ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ।

Bhai Mani Singh, among the Sikhs was the most elevated and among saints he was the greatest. He was known as The Standard of Sikhi itself. ਜਗਤ ਮੈਂ ਜੈ‌ ਕਾਰ ਭਯੋ, ਧਰਮ ਅਰਥ ਦੇਹ ਦਯੋ, ਸਿਦਕ ਸੋ ਕਟਾਯੋ ਹੀਯੋ, ਨ ਮਾਨੀ ਕਛੂ ਸੰਕ ਜੀ।

He sacrificed his body for his faith and was applauded throughout the world. For his faith he suffered dismemberment, but did not entertain doubt in his heart.

To avenge his father, Suraj Mal's death, Jawahar Mal/Singh Jat prepared to fight Najib-ud-daula in 1765. To ensure his success he decided to recruit more soldiers into his army. He decided to enlist the support of the Dal Khalsa and sent two vakils (envoys) named Brindaban and Mathuradas, with elephants and carts full of gold coins.
According to Shahid Bhai Rattan Singh Bhanguwala, they addressed the Khalsa, emphasizing the common caste +

In his work titled Parsnath Avatar in the Dasam Granth, Guru Gobind Singh delves into the obscure 'grey' areas of the real world by recounting a personified description of two armies engaged in an endless eternal battle on the battlefield that is the human mind. The subduing of this violent conflict in the human psyche is achieved through the mastery of one's mind, as taught by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak:

ਮਨਿ ਜੀਤੈ ਜਗ ਜੀਤੁ ॥
Conquer your own mind, and conquer the world.
(Japji, Ang SGGS 6)

Manmohan Bir Singh Talwar (MVC) was a retired decorated war hero.
He had been a wing commander in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, in which he led five successful airborne missions deep behind enemy lines. For his services, he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, in 1972. On 1 November 1984, a mob of thousands surrounded his residence in the centre of Delhi.
Talwar and his sons had prepared to defend themselves with a shotgun and hockey sticks.
The mob tried to break into Talwar's shop but was eventually convinced to disperse by neighbours.

Sikh tradition has always been diametrically opposed to idol worship.
Guru Nanak and many other Gurus denounced idol worship in their compositions and prohibited their Sikhs from engaging in this practice : The Sikh attitude towards idols is clearly defined in Dabistan-i-Mazahib, a mid-16th century Persian account of various religions and sects of the Indian subcontinent; the author is a contemporary of Guru Hargobind and claims to have met him.