Walls of Reverence, Defaced in Hatred: SFJ’s Assault on Amritsar’s Soul

Defaced walls of Khalsa College For Women,Amritsar

There are cities built of stone, and then there is Amritsar—built of spirit. It is not just a place on the map; it is the heartbeat of Sikh heritage, where history breathes through shrines, classrooms, and courtrooms alike. And yet today, that sacred heritage stands violated.

In a brazen act of sacrilege, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a fringe secessionist outfit masquerading as the voice of Sikhs, has defaced the very walls that uphold Punjab’s civil and spiritual life. In a video released by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, SFJ takes credit for spray-painting slogans such as “Khalistan Zindabad” and “SFJ Referendum Zindabad – Bhagwant Mann Murdabad” across the walls of a Hindu Mandir, the District Courts Complex, and the revered Khalsa College in Amritsar.

These are not just buildings. These are living testaments of faith, justice, and education. By targeting them, SFJ has done more than commit vandalism, it has declared an ideological war on coexistence, constitutional order, and Sikh values.

Walls of District Court Amritsar vandalized by SFJ

Let us not mistake this for mere graffiti on concrete. These slogans were deliberately carved into the soul of Amritsar, with the arrogance of those who believe they will never be held accountable. When SFJ declares that Independence Day is “Occupation Day”, when they call upon Sikhs to stop the raising of the Tiranga, they are not resisting injustice, they are mocking the very legacy of the Gurus who taught us to rise above hatred, not be consumed by it.

This is not liberation. This is a betrayal. A betrayal of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s sacrifice, who gave his life for the right of others to worship freely. A betrayal of the courts where Sikhs have fought for justice, and of Khalsa College, built to empower our youth, not mislead them. SFJ is not defending Sikhism. They wish to erase the very institutions that uphold Sikhism’s pluralistic ethos and replace them with anger, graffiti, and fear.

Where is Guru Nanak’s vision in this? Where is the Khalsa ideal of upholding justice with dignity? When SFJ writes hate across the doors of a Hindu temple and the pillars of a college founded to uplift Sikhs, they are not asserting Sikh identity, they are defiling it. Guru Tegh Bahadur gave his life defending Hindus from religious persecution. Today, SFJ defiles that legacy by targeting Hindu spaces with hate. Courts, which should echo the Sikh principle of Niyāy (justice), are now smeared with slogans that reduce our institutions to political targets.

This is not Sikhi. This is spectacle. And it should be called out for what it is: cowardice dressed as courage.

SFJ’s invocation of “Kisaan hul Khalistan” is not a rallying cry, it is a cynical betrayal of the very people who’ve fed this nation and protected its soil with their sweat, spirit, and spines of steel. Punjab’s kisaan are not cannon fodder for imported slogans. They are descendants of a legacy where ploughs were held with the same pride as swords, where Guru Nanak tilled the land, and where standing tall in the field was as sacred as standing tall in battle.

To drag these sons and daughters of Punjab into a separatist script written from exile is not activism, it is exploitation wrapped in emotion. SFJ seeks to light fires in a land already scorched by struggle, hoping that slogans will harvest fear where wheat once grew. But Punjab's soil knows the truth and so do its people. This land remembers every martyr, every prayer, every sacrifice. And it will not be deceived by those who choose spray cans over soil, and slogans over Seva.

These attacks on our places of worship, our institutions, and now our very farmers, are not acts of faith. They are acts against the faith. And the time has come, not for silence, but for clarity. Not for rage, but for resolve. The Sikh panth has always risen to defend what is sacred. This is such a moment.

Let us be clear: Amritsar is not a billboard for separatism. It is the city of the Harmandir Sahib, where calm flows deeper than chaos, where the Gurus taught us to rise above hate. It is not just Punjab’s soul, it is India’s conscience. And if SFJ dares defile its walls, then it is up to every Sikh, every Indian, and every voice of reason to stand taller, speak louder, and ensure that what was defaced in paint is defended in principle.