In recent times, Gurudwaras have become hubs of intolerance and violence, particularly against Hindus. There have been numerous incidents ranging from mob lynching to riots and hate speech against Hindus. This article highlights some of these prominent instances, highlighting the changing socio-religious dynamics of the Hindu-Sikh relationship in recent times.

1. In May, a 19-year-old youth was beaten to death by angry devotees over alleged sacrilege outside the premises of Gurdwara Sahib Baba Bir Singh in village Bandala of Punjab’s Ferozpur District. As per reports, Bakshish allegedly tore the ‘Holy Ang’ of Shri Guru Granth Sahib at the Gurdwara, after which the devotees present at the scene caught him. They dragged him outside, where he was brutally beaten before handing him over to the police. Bakshish succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
2. In October 2023, a video went viral wherein a Sikh mob was lynching an SC man for allegedly trying to steal money from a Gurdwara in Punjab’s Moga district. Reportedly, the victim succumbed to his injuries soon after the brutal attack, which took place on 15 October. 
3. In April 2023, in a viral video, a girl was stopped from entering Amritsar’s Golden Temple. The video shows a Sikh person being confronted by a man and woman for not permitting a girl to enter the Golden Temple. When they questioned why he stopped her, the man replied that she had a flag painted on her face. When the girl highlighted that it was the tricolour, the Sikh man retorted, saying, “This is Punjab, not India”.
4. In July 2022, a Zomato delivery executive, Sagar Singh, was brutally stabbed to death by Nihang Sikhs because he was allegedly smoking on the road. Smoking is banned in Sikhism, and consuming tobacco or any intoxicant is considered a major transgression. The murder took place in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar. It is believed they stabbed Sagar in the chest with a kirpan and then smashed his head with bricks.
5. In March 2022, an appalling video of an elderly woman from Bihar being brutally thrashed by two Sikh men for allegedly taking out a cigarette within the premises of Amritsar’s Golden Temple complex surfaced on social media recently and went viral instantly. Shocked netizens condemned the reprehensible act by the men alleged to be members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
6. In December 2021, a man accused of trying to remove the Nishan Sahib (Sikh flag) at a gurdwara in Kapurthala was chased and beaten to death by a mob in the presence of the police. The caretaker of the Gurdwara, Amarjit Singh, has been arrested and charged with murder. Around 100 unnamed people are also listed in the case; 25 to 30 of them were armed, the police said.
7. In December 2021, another mob lynching case took place in a Gurudwara in Amritsar, where a man was beaten to death at the Golden Temple after an alleged sacrilege attempt in the sanctum sanctorum. The police have booked the suspect under Section 307 (attempted murder).
8. In August 2021, a Kathavachak Bhai Davinder Singh (Sonu Veer Ji) of Punjab’s Goindwal hailed the Taliban while preaching at Gurudwara Nanak Piao, Mahingapur, Kheri, Uttar Pradesh. During his speech, he urged Sikh youth to revolt and take up arms against the Bharatiya government.
9. In March 2021, at least four policemen were injured after a mob of sword-wielding men attacked a gurudwara since permission to hold a public procession in Maharashtra’s Nanded had been denied given the Chinese Virus pandemic. Several visuals that emerged from the incident showed sword-wielding Sikhs breaking barricades and attacking the cops.
10. In July 2021, an armyman was lynched to death at the Gurudwara located at Gurdaspur’s Tibri Road on the intervening night of 1 and 2 July. As per reports, the mob that lynched armyman Deepak Singh was led by the Gurudwara manager. He was beaten up on suspicions of theft when he had gone to the Gurudwara to drink water at around 11 PM.

Notably, the recent rise of Khalistani terrorist forces is another cause for concern for Hindus coinciding with these attacks on Hindus in Gurudwaras. In June 2024, radicals even raised pro-Khalistan slogans on the premises of the Golden Temple here to mark the 40th anniversary of Operation Bluestar.