Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Daumajra

Bhai Avtar Singh from the village of Daumajra, which is situated near Khanna is amongst those great martyrs of the present Sikh armed struggle who did Jhujaru actions that heavily benefited the armed struggle while remaining unknown. The Sikh panth is only given brave and intelligent warriors such as Bhai Sahib rarely and after a long period of time.

About 15 kilometres away from Khanna, a village called Daumajra where Bhai Avtar Singh took birth who was the only brother to two sisters. Bhai Sahib attained all the primary and secondary studies through local schools and to progress his career he joined Guru Nanak Engineering College in Ludhiana. At this point the Sikh armed movement was in full swing. The attack on Sri Darbar Sahib in June 1984 had a deep impact on Bhai Sahib and had changed his views completely. It is from Guru Nanak Engineering College where Bhai Sahib started his Jhujaru life as at that time this college was known as hub for Jhujaru Singhs. Many Sikh youths of Punjab had come to this college to pass in the worldly education but due to the injustices they were pushed into the armed struggle for truth. Bhai Sahib is one of those brave warriors who the Indian security forces could not put a name to, as for most of his jhujaru life he remained unknown. Bhai Sahib stayed away from newspaper headlines. Bhai Sahib remained a mastermind and brought his planning into life through his actions.

On the night of 26th January 1989, when India celebrates its republic day had its security forces stage a fake encounter of Bhai Sahib and the singhs from group between the villages of Chokiman and Noorpur. Before making Bhai Sahib shaheed he was blindly tortured by Ludhiana police which was under the command of then SSP Sumedh Saini. Till his dying moments Bhai Sahib did not utter a single word against his fellow singhs.

Bhai Sahib was brave and an honest Jhujaru, from the face of this 6 feet tall warrior the pain for the panth could be easily read. Before going underground from home, Bhai Sahib wrote a letter to his family saying his final Fateh to his whole family. In the letter written his mother, Bhai Sahib writes: “Mother, get the sisters and Father to take Amrit and become the Sikhs of the true guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj. Don’t worry about me.” Bhai Sahib had also mentioned the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and 4 Sahibzaday in his letter. The mother of Bhai Sahib has looked after this letter by keeping it hidden and secret, so that the police don’t take the very last memory of Bhai Sahib. The nanake of Bhai Sahib were based in America and had asked Bhai Sahib to come America but Bhai Sahib was not interested in a luxurious lifestyle and denied the opportunity.

Sikh Shahadat – March 2009