A hero named Canadian

 In the post-9/11 scenario, where fear of terrorism has gripped western society, it is appropriate to remember an unsung hero whose name was Canadian, and who died in a terrorist attack in Punjab, India in 1986.
Last week was the death anniversary of Darshan Singh Sangha, who was widely known as Comrade Darshan Singh Canadian. Canadian was assassinated by Sikh separatists on Sept. 25, 1986 for his opposition to religious terrorism.
He was associated with the Communist Party of India and a former member of the Punjab legislative assembly. He was highly critical of Khalistan, an imaginary theocratic Sikh homeland.
In one of his articles, Are Terrorists ‘Gursikhs’ (true, devout Sikhs)?, he challenged their philosophy of violence against innocents. He had toured the areas affected by terrorist violence when Sikh separatists were running a parallel government in Punjab.
Canadian, who stayed in Canada from 1937 to 1947, also believed that Sikh separatists were supported by the CIA, and had written about their activities in Canada. He was among 300 communists killed during a decade of terrorist violence in Punjab from 1982 to 1992 for opposing fanaticism.
Born in the village of Langeri, which was involved in the freedom struggle against British rule, he came to Canada for economical reasons and returned the year India won its independence.
While in Canada, Sangha worked in the saw mills and went to the University of B.C. in Vancouver, where he came into contact with members of the Young Communist League. Later, he joined the International Woodworkers of America and participated in various struggles, such as the fight for equal wages for Indian workers and their right to vote.
Indians were disfranchised in 1907, and they got this right back only after 40 years.
Unlike most immigrants, he preferred to return to India instead of staying here and enjoying the comforts of Canadian society. However, his stay in Canada earned him a new name and his opponents often accused him of being a foreigner who had lost his connections with his roots.
Despite this, he was first elected as an MLA in India in 1972 and later in 1977.
In an interview, he said: “I have two homelands. I feel that I am a part of Canada just as much as I am a part if India itself.”