Dal Khalsa is a Sikh organisation, based in the city of Amritsar. The organisation was formed in 1978 and came to prominence under the inspiration and time of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in 1981. The primary aim of Dal Khalsa is to achieve the independence of the Punjabi-speaking Sikh majority region of North West India through peaceful and democratic means in order to establish a sovereign Sikh state, Khalistan. Aims and objectives Dal Khalsa state their aims and objectives as follows: To provide principled direction to Sikh politics, while campaigning for a sovereign Sikh Republic or State of Khalistan and exposing the 1984 Sikh Genocide. To promote respect, observance and commitment for human rights as enshrined in the Sikh faith as well in various international arrangements. To ensure that South Asia is a nuclear-free zone. To strengthen the economy of the Punjab through active association with world economy and to nurture and develop the Sikh Diaspora worldwide. To revamp the education system in accordance with Sikh traditions and to cater to the needs of modern society. History There is a controversy on the foundation of Dal Khalsa. Noted journalist Mark Tully in his book claimed that Sanjay Gandhi and Giani Zail Singh were instrumental in its formation in order to promote Bhinderawale and to harass Akalis. Another version is that it was founded by Gurbachan Singh Manochahal on 6 August 1978, at a convention held at Gurdwara Akal-Garh, Sector 35, Chandigarh, with the objective of establishing an independent Sikh state outside the Union of India. A number of Sikh Youth organisations had participated in the convention to discuss affairs of the Sikh Panth. The formation of the Dal Khalsa occurred shortly after an infamous clash between Sikhs belonging to the Akhand Kirtani Jatha and the followers of a Sikh sect known as the Nirankaris (whom other Sikhs regard as heretics). This clash had occurred at a Nirankari event at the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar on 13 April 1978, in which 3 Nirankaris and 13 Sikhs were killed. At its first annual conference held in Gurdaspur during December, 1979, the Dal Khalsa passed a resolution demanding that Amritsar be officially declared a "holy city". A demand that was supported by other Sikh organisations such as the Sikh Students Federation and one which was later taken up with the Indian government by the SGPC in 1980. However, the Indian government made no decision