Afghan Sikhs look to India for a better life, but those already here are still struggling

Afghan Sikhs who feel unsafe and targeted for their religion in Afghanistan have been coming to India. However, once here, the reality is a different kind of struggle.

Komaldeep Kaur wanted to become a doctor, but after her father’s death, the family’s financial condition has not allowed her to study. They are among the many Afghan Sikh families who have moved to India in search of a better life | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

New Delhi: Two years ago, after the death of her husband, Hardeep Kaur and her family shifted to Delhi’s Tilak Nagar with the help of the city’s Guru Arjun Dev Ji Gurdwara. The 40-year-old widow stays in Galli No. 5 of Krishna Park with her 12-year-old daughter and 17-year-old son.

Her husband Rawal Singh Partan was among the 19 Afghan Sikhs killed in the Jalalabad suicide attack of 2018. The family then thought they’d have a better life in Delhi, but two years later, surviving in Delhi has been very difficult for the family.

Kaur tells ThePrint that she is happy to be with her children, but it is tough for them to meet daily needs. Her daughter Komaldeep cannot attend school because of financial problems, and during the lockdown, her son lost his job. She depends on the gurdwara or her relatives for help.

Since the attack on the Gurdwara Har Rai Sahib in Kabul’s Shor Bazaar area on 25 March 2020, many Sikh families living in Afghanistan have been requesting to leave the country as they continue to face security threats. The Indian government has been facilitating the arrival of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus in the country.

A new chapter in India

Gorjeet Singh was in the first batch to arrive from Afghanistan with his family on 26 July. He had lost his father in the 25 March attack. His family has been living in Afghanistan for ages, but he said, “My family was not safe there. We wanted to have a simple life, where my children can go to school, my wife can roam freely without any fear and does not have to wear a burqa.”

Surjeet Singh, who reached India on 14 August said, “We cannot go back to that country anymore. We want to see what the future holds for us here in India.”

ThePrint’s Manisha Mondal and Urjita Bhardwaj visited the Gurdwara Shri Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi to meet some of these evacuees who are settling in India. They also met relatives of Afghan Sikhs who died in the Jalalabad attack.

Hardeep Kaur’s phone cover is custom made; it’s a photo of her with her late husband Rawal Singh Partan, who died in the 2018 Jalalabad attack | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Jaspal Kaur, Hardeep Kaur’s relative and neighbour, lost her mother and other relatives in the Jalalabad attack. She. along with her family, moved to Delhi. Her husband Babit Singh earns Rs 8,000 a month. Of their four children, the family can afford to send only two to school | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

The new batch of refugees who have arrived in Delhi are currently in quarantine themselves at the Gurdwara Shri Rakab Ganj Sahib | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Gorjeet Singh’s daughter Gulvinder holds the last doll she is left with. The child was at the gurdwara in Kabul when the attack happened, and saw her grandfather die. She was also injured in the blast | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Gorjeet’s mother, Harbansh Kaur, takes care of her grandson. She saw her husband die in the Kabul attack. She said they had been trying to leave Afghanistan for the past five months, leaving behind homes and painstakingly built businesses | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Until now, more than 200 Afghan Sikhs have come to India to seek a better quality of life | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Heavily pregnant, Kuljeet Kaur came to Delhi in the second batch of evacuees. She says she is happy she will be giving birth in India. | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

The Kaur family had a gold business in Kabul, which they left behind to come to Delhi | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint