Few personalities have shaped modern Punjab as profoundly - and as controversially - as Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and KPS Gill. Though they never confronted each other directly-Bhindranwale was killed in June 1984 during Operation Blue Star, while Gill assumed leadership of the Punjab Police much later and led the campaign against militancy in the late 1980s and early 1990s-their names have become enduring symbols of two opposing visions of Punjab.
One is remembered by many as a religious revivalist and martyr, while others regard him as the face of armed separatism. The other is hailed by many as the police officer who saved Punjab from terrorism, while others criticize his methods and raise concerns about human rights violations during the counter-insurgency. Their legacies remain among the most debated in contemporary Indian history.
They were two men with two visions. Both were Sikhs and both were from the dominant Jatt Sikh community. Bhindranwale and Gill represented two fundamentally different approaches to Punjab's future. Bhindranwale's politics emerged from a framework of religious identity and Sikh assertion. His speeches emphasized Sikh distinctiveness, perceived and imagined discrimination, and resistance to the Indian nation state. Although historians continue to debate the extent of his political objectives and the evolution of his position, his movement became closely associated with the rise of extremism and militancy and the demand for Khalistan among sections of militants.
KPS Gill, by contrast, represented the authority and power of the Indian state. As Director General of Police, this IPS believed that militant violence could only be defeated through decisive policing, intelligence-led operations, and restoring the state's monopoly over force. His objective was not religious revival but constitutional order and national unity. Thus, one became associated with identity-based mobilization; the other with state-led restoration of order.
The conflict is often framed as one between religion and nation, though the reality was more complex. Bhindranwale viewed Sikh religious identity as central to political mobilization. His followers believed that protecting the faith required confronting the state, particularly after events such as the Dharam Yudh Morcha and later Operation Blue Star. Gill, on the other hand, believed that the integrity of the Indian nation-state was paramount. For him, militancy was fundamentally a law-and-order and national security challenge, irrespective of the religious language in which it was expressed. This ideological divide continues to influence debates in Punjab today.
Saint or Secessionist?
Bhindranwale's legacy remains deeply contested. To supporters, he defended Sikh dignity during a period of political turmoil and became a martyr after Operation Blue Star. His portraits are displayed in some religious and political settings, and he continues to inspire sections of the Sikh diaspora and some hardliner Panthic groups. To critics, however, Bhindranwale's rhetoric and association with armed militants contributed significantly to the spiral of violence that engulfed Punjab. They argue that his movement fostered an atmosphere in which assassinations, intimidation, and separatist violence flourished, costing thousands of lives.
These sharply different interpretations explain why his image remains polarizing decades later.
KPS Gill's legacy is also debated. His legacy oscillates from being a Hero to a Hardliner. Many credit him with ending one of India's deadliest insurgencies. By the mid-1990s, militant violence had dramatically declined, elections resumed, economic activity recovered, and ordinary citizens experienced greater security. For these supporters, Gill played a decisive role in restoring peace. Critics, however, point to allegations of extrajudicial killings, disappearances, custodial abuses, and other human-rights violations during the counter-insurgency. They argue that while militancy was defeated, the methods employed remain ethically and legally contentious. His legacy, therefore, is viewed through two competing lenses: effectiveness in restoring order and accountability for the means used.
Savior of Punjab versus Secessionist of Punjab
Public memory often reduces the contrast into a simple binary. For many Indians, Gill symbolizes the officer who prevented Punjab from descending into prolonged civil conflict and preserved India's territorial integrity. For many critics of militancy, Bhindranwale symbolizes the separatist movement that brought violence and instability to Punjab. Conversely, among Bhindranwale's admirers, this narrative is reversed: he is remembered as a defender of Sikh rights, while Gill is criticized for leading a harsh state response. The persistence of these opposing narratives illustrates how history is shaped not only by events but also by collective memory and identity.
An often-overlooked fact is that both Bhindranwale and Gill belonged to the Jat community, a dominant agrarian community in Punjab. Yet they stood on opposite sides of one of the state's defining conflicts. Their shared social background did not determine their political choices. Instead, ideology, institutional role, and historical circumstance shaped their divergent paths.
Bhindranwale had already died before Gill emerged as the principal architect of Punjab's counter-insurgency strategy. Nevertheless, Gill's career became inseparable from the challenge posed by the militant movement that Bhindranwale had come to symbolize. In many ways, Gill's public reputation was forged in defeating the insurgency that developed in the aftermath of Bhindranwale's rise. Although separated in time, they remain linked in historical memory.
Punjab's Two Enduring Undercurrents
The contrasting legacies of Bhindranwale and Gill reflect deeper undercurrents within Punjab. One emphasizes religious identity, community rights, and resistance to perceived injustice. The other emphasizes constitutional governance, democratic institutions, national integration, and the rule of law. These currents have continued to influence Punjab's politics, public discourse, and diaspora debates long after the militancy ended.
Nearly four decades later, Punjab continues to debate both men. For some, Bhindranwale represents sacrifice and religious conviction; for others, he symbolizes the dangers of militancy and separatism. He was the person who pushed Punjab to its black-days with killing of more than 35000 innocents, policemen and militants. For some, Gill represents courage, decisive leadership, and the restoration of peace; for others, he represents the moral dilemmas and alleged excesses of counter-insurgency. Their stories remind us that historical figures often become symbols larger
than themselves. Bhindranwale and KPS Gill were not merely two individuals. They came to embody two competing ideas of Punjab-one rooted in religious-political mobilization, the other in constitutional nationalism and state authority. Understanding modern Punjab requires engaging with both narratives critically, acknowledging both the suffering caused by militancy and the controversies surrounding the state's response. Their contested legacies continue to shape how Punjab remembers its past and imagines its future.
(Rajiv Tuli is an independent columnist and commentator and head of RSS Media Wing, Delhi)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
