Surat Singh Khalsa

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Surat Singh Khalsa, popularly known as Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa, was a civil rights and political activist from Punjab, India. Born on 7 March 1933 in Hassanpur, Ludhiana district, he worked as a government teacher before leaving his post after Operation Bluestar in 1984. He remained active in Sikh rights movements, serving as an adviser during the Dharam Yudh Morcha and later as secretary of the United Akali Dal.

Khalsa became widely known in the mid-2010s for a peaceful hunger strike protesting the detention of Sikh political prisoners who had finished their sentences. He began his hunger strike on 16 January 2015 and pressed for the release of these prisoners, as well as the unconditional release of prisoners of all religions who had completed their terms. On 11 February 2015, he sent an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with two main demands: that prisoners who have completed their sentences should be released, and that those with no pending charges could be granted permanent parole or bail, including elderly prisoners. He argued that some prisoners were being kept in jail despite no ongoing charges and noted that the controversial Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act had lapsed.

In February 2015, Surat Singh Khalsa and his son Ravinder Jeet Singh were detained in Ludhiana on preventive charges. Their detention followed by intervention from the President of India and some U.S. lawmakers led to their release. Khalsa faced ongoing periods of informal detention and hospital stays related to his protest, including time at PGI Chandigarh in June 2015. There were reports in December 2015 of a viral clip showing him eating in a hospital setting, which he denied; his son later said he had eaten due to doctors’ medicines, while Khalsa maintained his fasting.

Khalsa’s activism traced back to the 1970s, and he remained involved in Sikh rights issues for decades. He participated in various protests and movements, including support for Bhai Gurbaksh Singh’s hunger strikes and the Anna Hazare anti-corruption hunger strike in 2011, earning him the nickname “Anna Hazare of Punjab” from The Tribune.

Surat Singh Khalsa died on 14 January 2025 at the age of 91.