SUTTER COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Sutter County has been reeling with activity all week as it enters the beginning of the holiday season.

Halloween night gave way to the first day of the annual Sikh Festival which ended with no more than 24 hours to prepare for the 2024 presidential election. Needless to say, it’s busy in Yuba-Sutter and the Sikh Festival is easily one of the region's largest attractions.

Each year, the Yuba City Sikh Festival, also known as Nagar Kirtan, draws in around 200,000 people to the area. This festival is one of the largest Sikh gatherings outside of India and is celebrated annually within the Tierra Buena neighborhood surrounding the Gurdwara Sahib Yuba City temple.

Sikhism, also known as Sikhi, is an Indian religion and philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. Nagar Kirtan is a Sikh tradition that translates to Nagar (town or neighborhood) and Kirtan, a term for singing Shabads (divine hymns). These events involve a procession of the Sikh congregation who join in singing hymns throughout a town or neighborhood. In Yuba City, Nagar Kirtan started on Friday, which was marked by a 30-minute firework show despite the rain.

Just 45 miles south, at the steps of the Sacramento State capital, a Sikh advocacy group known as the Jakara Movement was concluding its three-week journey from Bakersfield. Here, approximately 30 individuals embarked on a 350-mile walk on foot to raise awareness and commemorate a Sikh massacre that happened in India approximately 40 years ago.

Back then, in the summer of 1984, the former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sent an army to occupy the Golden Temple, the holiest of Sikh sites, to discourage and intimidate Sikh separatists in India who had been advocating for their own ethno‐religious sovereign state called Khalistan within the Punjab region. The attack was called Operation Blue Star, and it resulted in the death of civilians, Sikh devotees and Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Sikh religious leader and political revolutionary. In retaliation, Gandhi’s Sikh bodyguards assassinated her and what ensued was a series of anti-Sikh riots that killed thousands. Many Sikhs came to live in America around this time, seeking refuge from the Indian government.

Last year, the California Legislature took action to recognized what happened in 1984 as a genocide as threats of violence against Sikh activists continue to grow in both the United States and Canada. This threat was most recently exemplified with the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year in British Columbia.

Locally, a social media post gained traction when it was posted just days before the scheduled Sikh festivities in Yuba City. This screenshot showed a supposed Unclassified/LES (Law Enforcement Sensitive) report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation detailing the possibility of a planned shooting attempt from Indian organized crime groups with anti-Sikh sentiments.

The Sutter County Sheriff's Office reported no credible evidence suggesting a shooting during the parade; however, various law enforcement groups were heavily armed and present throughout the parade route on Sunday.

Despite these rumors, the Sikh Parade saw thousands congregating along Butte House Road and Tierra Buena Road to shop at the bazaar, witness the parade and partake in an abundance of free food and beverages. For Sikh followers, this event is meant to bring the message of God to the community by showing unity and generosity to one another. The Khalistan movement was also highly visible as Sikh followers continue to advocate for the establishment of their own free state.

The official start time of the parade was 11 a.m., however, it is a slow-moving procession, one which was not completed until close to 5 p.m. In addition to prayers, hymns and honoring God, the Sikhs use this as an educational opportunity to showcase their history and honor many of their religious martyrs. The knives and swords carried by some members represent the Sikh’s warrior spirit and the concept of "Just War" or Dharam Yudh, the action of defending righteousness with war or violence but only as a last resort.

“We’re peaceful but prepared,” explained one Sikh parade attendee. 

Those able to navigate through the crowds and to the Sikh temple were welcome inside to pray and observe. It was said that Sikhs believe all faiths are inclusive and that all paths lead to the one true God. Anyone can become a Sikh, regardless of race, gender or nationality, and non-Sikhs are welcome to participate in Sikh religious services and activities.