Mazhabi Sikhs

The Mazhabi Sikh is a community in Northern India. They mainly belong to Punjab and follow Sikhism. Mazhab means sect or religion. They are spread in Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. They are best known for their services in British Indian Army, Sikh Khalsa Army and post-independence Indian Army.

Key Facts

• The Mazhabi Sikhs are recognised as Scheduled Caste by Government of India.
• The definition of Mazhabis is blurred in the current world because of Valmikis. The Valmikis are those people who accept Valmiki (creator of the Hindu epic Ramayana) as their guru.
• Some Mazhabis converted from Sikhism to Christianity during British Raj times

Divisions and Discriminations

• In the 19^th century, the Mazhabis were denied access to enter the Gurudwara by their fellow Sikhs.
• In the 20^th century members of Arya Samaj tried to convert Mazhabis into Hindus.
• The land allocation system of British Raj worked against the Mazhabis.
• The Mazhabis wanted to establish Mazbhistan in the partitioned Punjab.
• Several Jat Sikhs look down upon Mazhabis.

Mazhabis in Military

The British sought their help to control the rebellious sepoys in Bengal during the 1857 revolt. This is when their first regiment was formed in India. In 1898, there were 2,452 Mazhabis in the British army. Their units served in Egypt, Palestine and Mesopotamia during World War 1. They were called the Sikh Pioneer regiments. In 1941, the Sikh Light Infantry was created with Mazhabis and Ramdasia. This infantry played a major role in major wars of India, especially in 1947, 1965 and 1971. They were also deployed in 1962 Chinese aggression.

Current Scenario

Currently, there are two million Mazhabis in India. They live in the state of Punjab. Some of them declare themselves to be Sikh, some as Buddhists and some other as Hindu.

Issues

Often the issue of sub-categorisation of Mazhabi Sikhs and Valmikis arise in the state of Punjab and Haryana. The two state governments wanted to provide 50% of the seats reserved to SCs to Mazhabis and Valmikis. However, this was stuck down by the high court. Seldom, the case is taken to the Supreme Court. However, right now there are no sub categorisation of Mazhabi.