The Indian government has empowered eight states, including Punjab and Delhi, with a “sizeable presence of Sikh population” to take action against Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) group which calls for a referendum in 2020 for an independent Khalistan state.

The US-based SFJ was banned on July 10, 2019 under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led cabinet committee on security "for openly espousing the cause of Khalistan" and "pushing for Sikh Referendum 2020.”

In its order, the home ministry noted, “…In exercise of the powers conferred by section 42 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the central government hereby directs that all powers exercisable by it under section 7 and section 8 of the said act shall be exercised also by the state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, government of National Capital Territory of Delhi and Chandigarh administration”.

“This notification deals with only those states which have a sizeable Sikh population and where the organizations like SFJ can play foul and try to brainwash Sikh community in favor of the Khalistan movement, through various means,” a senior home ministry official told Economic Times.

Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh described it as the first step towards protecting the nation from the anti-India and secessionist plans. He said the association should be declared a terror organization.

The SFJ was founded in 2007. Initially, the group was campaigning for justice for victims of the 1984 Sikh genocide. In the first week of November 1984, Sikhs were slaughtered by mobs all over India following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. The assassination came in retaliation for the military attack of the Golden Temple Complex, the holiest Sikh shrine in Amritsar, in June that year.

The ill-conceived army operation was planned and executed to deal with a handful of militants inside the temple. Known as Operation Bluestar, it left many pilgrims dead and important buildings destroyed, many analysts believe and say that the attack was preventable which alienated the Sikhs from the mainstream and galvanized the movement for Khalistan.

However, SFJ went a step further when a far-right Hindu nationalist group, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), announced in 2015 that India will become Hindu state by 2023. The statement came from VHP Leader Ashok Singhal after Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014.

This gave SFJ fuel raise the issue of a referendum in 2020.

According to referendum2020.org, “the referendum 2020 campaign aims to gauge the will of the Punjabi people with regards to reestablishing Punjab as a nation state. Once we establish consensus on the question of independence, we will then present the case to the United Nations for reestablishing the country of Punjab.”

Population of Sikhs in the world is around 27 million. Out of these 27 million approximately 83% live in India with 76% of all Sikhs living in Punjab. This is the only place where Sikhs are in the majority.

The SFJ is headed by Avtar Singh Pannun and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. It’s online support is close to 200,000.

Indian government’s move to ban Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) comes ahead of opening the Kartarpur Corridor by Pakistan for celebrating the 550th birth anniversary in November of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion.

The Kartarpur Corridor is a proposed border corridor between India and Pakistan, connecting the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak Sahib and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur. The Gurdwara is near the border between Pakistan and India.

Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is built on the historic site where Guru Nanak settled and assembled the Sikh commune after his missionary travels. The present gurdwara is built on the site where Guru Nanak died, on 22 September 1539.

The Canadian branch of, Sikhs for Justice, has also filed a defamation suit against the Indian government – headed by Hindu nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi – over stories in Indian media suggesting Canadian Sikhs are behind terrorist acts in India in pursuit of an independent Sikh homeland carved out of Indian territory.

Separately, the World Sikh Organization in Canada in April sent Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale a letter flagging the arrest of a couple in Germany who were accused of spying on Sikhs and Kashmiris in that country while the organization’s lawyer, Balpreet Singh, said that there seem to be recent efforts to pit Hindus and Sikhs against each other in Canada.