Shaheed Bhai Avinash Singh Bittu

Khalistan Zindabad Force

On the day of the birth of Khalsa 13th April 1976, Bhai Avinash Singh was born in the house of Sardar Amar Singh and from the womb of Mata Mahinder Kaur in Gandhi Nagar of Jammu. When Bhai Sahib stepped into his teenage in the year of 1984, the Indian government was carrying out the mass murder of Sikhs. In his childhood, Bhai Sahib showed deep attachment to Gursikhi, Gurbani and felt the pain of other humans. When the Sikh genocide was happening in India, Bhai Sahib was unable to just ignore and carry on with his life. Bhai Sahib passed his 10th class from the government higher secondary school in Gandhi Nagar. Then after Bhai Sahib established contact with Jhujaru Singhs of All India Sikh Student Federation. The Singhs of Sikh Student Federation advised Bhai Sahib to study and take time to understand the Sikh struggle as he was still very young.

In 1984, the people of Jammu witnessed the killing of 17 Sikhs who were cut into pieces by racist Hindus and their bodies were thrown into a Gurudwara and the whole building was set a light. The Sikhs of Jammu tried to get justice from the Indian judicial system but the Justice was denied, in fact no arrests were made in this case. Seeing this Bhai Sahib’s patience had run out, he decided to punish the anti-Sikh elements. Bhai Sahib told his sisters, “Now I will attain martyrdom, no matter what!” Bhai Sahib’s sister, Bibi Paramjit Kaur told us that he would always sing poems of martyrdom. One day Bhai Sahib went to Sri Harimandir Sahib to meet his brother, someone had told him that he can meet Jhujaru Singhs at the complex. When Bhai Sahib got to the Sri Darbar Sahib complex, the Indian army raided Sri Harimandir Sahib and code named it Operation Black Thunder. Many arrests were made and Bhai Sahib was amongst those arrested. After much torture and harassment by the Punjab police Bhai Sahib reached the Sangrur Jail, where he met more Jhujaru Singhs. Within months Bhai Sahib had established a strong relationship with the Jhujaru Singhs, especially Bhai Jagdev Singh Halwara who taught Bhai Sahib about the Sikh Freedom Movement and made plans to fight against the Indian tyrants together. The family ran around to have Bhai Sahib released and then bought him home. Then one day Bhai Sahib hugged everyone in his family, he seemed so happy. Before leaving home with this fellow Jhujaru Singhs from Punjab, Bhai Sahib told his sister, “Sister, don’t expect to marry me off, I have given my word to Khalistan. People pass life without remembering death, but the sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj play with death. The history is the witness of this.” Bhai Sahib told his family that he is going to the court date to Punjab with his friends.

Bhai Sahib started taking part in punishing anti-Sikh elements and due to his bravery and love for Sikhi, he gained much respect from fellow Jhujaru Singhs. After the release of Bhai Jagdev Singh Halwara, Bhai Sahib and fellow Jhujaru Singhs became active in the Sheratta area of Amritsar. The actions of Bhai Sahib, Bhai Jagdev Singh Halwara and Baba Satnam Singh had the Indian security forces living in fear of attacks. Then Bhai Sahib came back to Jammu, where he kept in contact with the Jhujaru Singhs of Khalistan Zindabad Force. Then following orders of the senior Jhujaru Singhs, Bhai Sahib returned back to Punjab.

In the year of 1989, Bhai Sahib and Bhai Jagdev Singh Halwara barely survived a fierce encounter with the Indian security forces. But a few days later Bhai Sahib and Baba Satnam Singh were surrounded by Punjab police as they were returning from doing an action, as an informant had given their location to the Punjab police. The police did not have the courage to face these sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj, but instead shot them from behind and wounded them. As the Singhs fell of their motorcycle, they got into positions even after being wounded and started to battle with the Punjab police. When the ammunition of these Jhujaru Singhs had finished the police started closing in on them. The Singhs continued to shout “Khalistan Zindabad”, as they were arrested. Both Bhai Sahib and Baba Satnam Singh were blindly tortured and made shaheed by the Punjab police.

Khalsa Fatehnama – February 2007