Kharku (Punjabi: ਖਾੜਕੂ (Gurmukhi), کھاڑکو (Shahmukhi); khāṛakū, khaarakoo; literally meaning courageous, bold, brave, dreaded, feared, or domineering; alternatively spelt as Kharaku)[1] is a Punjabi term used as a self-designation by Sikh militants of the Punjab insurgency who were followers of the Khalistan movement.
[2] During the later years of British India and early decades following Indian independence, some slogans were coined during those times which invoked another similar sounding word to serve a political message, an example being "Khaṇḍā khaṛkū, Náirū pàjju", meaning: "When the double edged swords begin to clatter, Nehru shall run".
[3] The Kharkus fought an insurgency primarily between the years of 1978–1993, sparked by the 1978 Sikh-Nirankari clash, which led to the deaths of 13 Khalsa Sikhs.
[7] The ranks of militants drew primarily from the Majha region from those belonging to a lower socio-economic status and Jat and Ramgharia background.
[11] They were against being labelled as "militants" or "terrorists" ('dehshatpasand', 'dehshatgard, or 'atankawadi') and demanded that Sikh honorifical terms, such as "Bhai", "Sant", and "Sardar", be appended as prefixes when reporting their names.