Sikhs are Hindus, says RSS

New Delhi: A RSS film projects Sikhs as part of the Hindu community and shows a Sikh man being beaten up by Muslim attackers during Partition.

In the 90-minute documentary on late Sangh leader Guru Golwalkar, RSS chief K S Sudarshan makes no distinction between Hindus and Sikhs when he recounts the violence during Partition in 1947.

Sudarshan claims RSS activists worked to protect "every Hindu" from attacks when the subcontinent was being divided. "They were asked (by Golwalkar) to ensure every Hindu is safe (in the region)," he says in the film directed by TV actor and former BJP MP Nitish Bhardwaj, who played Krishna in Mahabharta.

The film, which talks about Hindutva and 'Akhand Bharat', shows armed Sangh activists saving a Sikh woman from sword-wielding attackers. Replete with references to Hindus and Hindutva, the documentary carries footage of Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi.

Senior BJP leader L K Advani, who quit as party president seven months ago after a row with the Sangh for his comments on Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, has appeared as a commentator in the film.

"In the 20th century, the Sangh was the biggest movement of nation-building," says Advani in the film, which Sikh groups have called objectionable.

"Sikhism is a monotheistic faith and rejects casteism and object worship. No propaganda should be allowed against the distinct character of the faith," said Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) leader Prem Singh Chandumajra said.

The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) demanded that changes be made in the film immediately before it is released in next month.

"Sikhs are a distinct community and this has to be mentioned in the video," says DSGMC leader Paramjit Singh Sarna.

The film may create controversy in Punjab, as the Congress and Akali groups accuse Shiromani Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal of promoting the RSS’s Hindutva agenda for votes.