Darshan Singh Canadian (born Darshan A. Sangha in 1917 – 25 September 1986) was a

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

activist and

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

organizer in Canada and India.

Canada

Darshan Singh Canadian immigrated to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, Canada in 1937. Upon his arrival, his uncle attempted to get him a job at Dominion Sawmills resulting in the uncle being fired and Sangha being hired at five cents less pay an hour. He became active in the

Labor-Progressive Party The Labor-Progressive Party (LPP; ) was the legal Front organization, front of the Communist Party of Canada and its provincial wings from 1943 to 1959. It was established amid World War II after a number of prominent Communist Party members w ...

(as the

Communist Party of Canada The Communist Party of Canada is a federal political party in Canada. Founded in 1921 under conditions of illegality, it is the second oldest active political party in Canada, after the Liberal Party of Canada. Although it does not currentl ...

was known). He was one of the founders of the International Woodworkers of America and served as one of the union's organizers as well as its

general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

from 1942 to 1946. He led striking woodworkers on a march on the provincial capital of Victoria in 1946. He fought for the rights of B.C.'s East Indian woodworkers.

Return to India

Darshan Singh Canadian returned to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

upon its independence in 1947 and adopted "Canadian" as his surname. He became active in the

Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...

(CPI) becoming party secretary in

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

. Canadian was a powerful speaker, and addressed several meetings and mass rallies. He also served as the secretary of Punjab Kisan Sabha. He opposed the Khalistani separatists among the NRI Sikhs, and actively campaigned against them through his articles and speeches. He represented Garhshankar Assembly constituency in

Hoshiarpur district Hoshiarpur district is a district of Punjab, India, Punjab state in northern India. Hoshiarpur, one of the oldest districts of Punjab, is located in the North-east part of the Punjab state and shares common boundaries with Gurdaspur district in ...

as member of Punjab State Legislature for two terms from 1972 to 1980. He was assassinated in 1986, in retaliation for his comments against Khalistani militants. Darshan Singh married Harbans, the daughter of Baba Lal Singh, a Ghadar veteran from Jandiala in Jalandhar district. His two daughters settled in Britain and Canada. In his last years, he suffered from

spondylitis Spondylitis is an inflammation of the vertebrae. It is a form of spondylopathy. In many cases, spondylitis involves one or more vertebral joints, as well, which itself is called spondylarthritis. __TOC__ Types Pott disease is a tuberculous d ...

and other health problems, and once went to USSR for treatment.

Death

On the afternoon of 25 September, Darshan Singh was killed by Sikh militants during the

insurgency in Punjab, India The Insurgency in Punjab was an armed campaign by the separatists of the Khalistan movement from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Economic and social pressures driven by the Green Revolution in India, Green Revolution prompted calls for Sikh aut ...

. Within two hours of his death, about a thousand demonstrators gathered at the police station at Mahilpur, and blocked the way to

Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur () is a city and a Municipal corporations in India, municipal corporation in Hoshiarpur district in the Doaba region of the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the ...

. They protested against police inactivity, and even accused the police of complicity in the crime. On 26 September, a huge march was organized from his native village Langeri to Mahilpur. The people shouted slogans as "Darshan Singh Canadian Amar Rahe" (Long Live Darshan Singh Canadian), "Canadian aman ekta da shahid" (Canadian was a martyr to peace and unity), "Na Hindu Raj na Khalistan, jug jug jive Hindustan" (Neither Hindu Raj nor Khalistan, long live India), "Hindu Sikh noon jo ladaye, oh desh da vairi hai" (he who makes Hindus and Sikhs fight, is an enemy of the nation), "atvad wakhwad murdabad" (down with extremism and secessionism), "Lokan da ekta zindabad" (Long live public unity), "Hindu Sikh ekta zindabad" (Long live Hindu-Sikh unity), and "CPI zindabad" (Long live CPI). From Mahilapur, the procession came back to Langeri. A 20,000-strong rally was held in the village school ground, where Canadian's body lay. Thousands of Sikh youth participated in the rally, denouncing the extremist killers. His body was cremated after several leaders, including the SGPC President, paid their tributes to him.

References

External links

The History of Metropolitan Vancouver's HALL OF FAME

Works of Darshan Singh Canadian

Darshan Singh Canadian: Ten Years in Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian, Darshan Singh 1917 births 1986 deaths 1986 murders in India Members of the Communist Party of Canada Trade unionists from British Columbia Communist Party of India politicians from Punjab, India Punjabi Sikhs Canadian Sikhs Canadian people murdered abroad Indian emigrants to Canada Victims of Sikh terrorism International Woodworkers of America people Asian politicians assassinated in the 1980s Indian politicians assassinated in the 20th century Politicians assassinated in 1986 Victims of the insurgency in Punjab People murdered in Punjab, India Trade unionists from Punjab, India People from Hoshiarpur district People from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district Punjab, India MLAs 1972–1977 Punjab, India MLAs 1977–1980

Canada

Return to India

Death

See also

References

External links