The NDP MLA for Surrey-Newton issued a statement last week on the 300th anniversary of the martyrdom of revolutionary Sikh warrior Banda Singh Bahadur. 

Harry Bains saluted the hero to many Sikhs for sacrificing his life for social justice.

Bains represents a constituency with a sizeable Sikh population. Notably, a Sikh temple in Abbotsford is named after Banda Singh Bahadur and the community will be organizing commemorative events throughout the year.

Banda Singh Bahadur was tortured and executed in Delhi on June 9, 1716, by the Indian subcontinent's Moghul rulers, who were followers of Islam.

Prior to his death, he had established a Sikh kingdom that was based on the principles of egalitarianism and secularism. Though he fought against religious persecution and oppression of Hindus and Sikhs by the Islamic rulers, he allowed Muslims to practice their faith fearlessly within the boundaries of a Sikh nation that could not survive for very long.

Yet it left a rich legacy of land reforms. Under this government, large land holdings were seized from the rich and redistributed among poor tillers.

The guerrilla war launched by Banda Singh Bahadur had a huge following among oppressed communities. However, this revolutionary movement went into crisis as differences cropped up between Banda Singh Bahadur and rivals within his group. He was eventually caught with the help of his detractors, leading to his execution.

Bains said that this warrior's legacy is as relevant today as it was 300 years ago.

"His life's mission was to protect the oppressed from the oppressor," the NDP MLA said in a statement issued by his constituency office.