Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Sarhali

Khalistan Commando Force

Bhai Avtar Singh Tari was born on 30thDecember 1961, in the house of Sardar Bachan Singh and from the womb of Mata Joginder Kaur in the village of Sarhali, district Patti. Bhai Sahib was eldest of 4 children. Sardar Bachan Singh was a farmer. Bhai Sahib passed his 10 classes from a school in a nearby village of Sakheera. Bhai Sahib stopped studying through his 11thclass and dedicated his remaining life to learning Gurbani and Sikh history at Chownk Mehta under Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale. It is here Bhai Sahib took Amrit from the Panj Pyare.

 It was in the year of 1982, during the Dharam Yudh Morcha, Bhai Sahib permanently stayed with Sant Ji at Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar. Here Bhai Sahib made links with Singhs of Sant Ji’s Jatha and All India Sikh Student Federation. Bhai Sahib became very close to Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal, Bhai Gurdev Singh Usmanwala, Bhai Manbir Singh Chaheru and Bhai Sukhdev Singh Panjwar alias General Labh Singh. Bhai Sahib also gave his voluntary arrest twice during the Dharam Yudh Morcha. Bhai Sahib became a member of Akaal Federation under the name of Sukhwinder Singh and started to punish the enemies of the Sikhs. Bhai Sahib along with Bhai Hakam Singh Gill (Made a martyr in fake encounter by Punjab police in 1984) and Bhai Kehar Singh Dhillon punished many Narakhdharis and police officers that harassed innocent Sikhs.

During the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib in June 1984, Bhai Sahib fought alongside Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale. On 6thJune 1984, Sant Ji ordered Bhai Sahib to leave the complex and continue the Sikh Freedom Movement across Punjab. Following the orders of Sant Ji, Bhai Sahib escaped from the complex with other Jhujaru Singhs and then joined Khalistan Commando Force under the command of Bhai Manbir Singh Chaheru to punish the anti-Sikh elements. Also on 6thJune 1984, Bhai Sahib’s very close Jhujaru brother, Bhai Dalbir Singh alias Titoo from the village of Dhala, district Faridkot attained martyrdom defending Sri Darbar Sahib. Bhai Sahib was made the area commander of the Tarn Taran district by the Khalistan Commando Force high command.

In 1984, Bhai Sahib was engaged to Bibi Paramjit Kaur from the village of Lalle, district Ferozpur. Then on 1stApril 1985, at a secret location and under the watch of senior Jhujaru Singhs, Bhai Sahib had his Anand Karaj with Bibi Paramjit Kaur. In this marriage Bhai Sahib had a son, Bhujangi Jagtar Singha and a daughter, Bhujangan Mandeep Kaur. Due to fear of Bhai Sahib the Punjab police did not harass or torture the family, but SSP Tivari and SSP Ajit Sandhu took extra steps to make the life of Bhai Sahib’s family hell via torture and harassment.

Bhai Sahib believed in doing actions himself. Under the command of Bhai Manbir Singh Chaheru and Bhai Bakshish Singh Sona, Bhai Sahib did many brave actions in the Tarn Taran and Patti area. Actions such as:

  • Killing Gian Chand in his utensil shop.
  • Assassination of 2 Shiv Sena leaders.
  • Assassination of ASI Bhupinder Moga in Tarn Taran.
  • Assassination of 2 Jain brothers in Patti, who celebrated the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib.
  • Assassination of MLA Comrade Arjan Mastana, in his house in village Ghariyala and wounding his 2 gunmen.
  • Assassination of 2 police officers in Patti.
  • Killing Chaman Lal, a police officer in broad daylight in Jagraon, near Ludhiana.
  • Destroying the CRPF checkpoints and vehicles on the main road of Sarhali.
  • Attacking a CRPF and Punjab police convoy as they returned from the cremation of Gobind Ram’s son in Jalandhar. Bhai Sahib and his group of Jhujaru Singhs killed 18 CRPF soldiers, a SP and a DSP.
  • Attacking a Punjab police convoy on Talwandi/Ferozpur Road, killing 9 police officers and wounding 7.
  • Exactly a week after the Talwandi/Ferozpur Road action, Bhai Sahib set up a check point on the same spot from 4pm to 6pm and assassinated the police in-charge of this area along with his driver and 2 other police officers.
  • Bhai Sahib was resting at his in-laws village of Lalle, unarmed. The Indian security forces surrounded him, but Bhai Sahib quickly ran to get his weapons and after slaying many enemies in this battle managed to escape unharmed.
  • Captured 4 police black cats in Sukhewala village, who were given the duty to fool the group of Bhai Sahib and make them martyrs. These police black cats were under the command of Thanedar Manjit Sio from Dharamkot. After full investigation, Bhai Sahib assassinated them all and took the police issued weapons also.
  • In the village of Lahoke, near Patti, Bhai Sahib killed a bandit by drowning him into water.
  • Bhai Sahib had killed close to 50-60 bandits and corrupt police officers.

Bhai Sahib was arrested due to an informant and sentenced to just over 2 years imprisonment. Bhai Sahib completed his sentence in Amritsar Jail and Nabha Jail. Upon being released Bhai Sahib once again joined Khalistan Commando Force, but this time under the command of Bhai Bakshish Singh Sona of Kairon village. Bhai Sahib recruited 40 news Jhujaru Singhs and trained them in guerrilla warfare.

On 20thNovember 1989, Bhai Sahib along with Bhai Balwinder Singh of Plasaur village, district Ferozpur were resting in a sugar-cane farm in Haraj village. The Indian security forces such as the army and CRPF took advantage of these lions being alone, after an informant had given Bhai Sahib’s location. The Indian security forces were roughly 24,000 in numbers, but on the other side these 2 sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj were equivalent to 250,000 soldiers. A fierce battle started which lasted 6 hours, countless Indian soldiers were sent to hell with no return ticket. Both Jhujaru Singhs tried to make their escape but Bhai Balwinder Singh Plasaur twisted his ankle. If Bhai Sahib wanted to escape he could’ve but he chose to stay and fight the enemy with his Jhujaru brother. In the end, both Jhujaru Singhs attained martyrdom together.

The Indian security forces were so scared that they didn’t dare go close to the bodies of these martyred lions for hours. In the end it was a senior officer who forced the low ranks to go check on the bodies. The police did not give the bodies of the Jhujaru Singhs to their families and cremated the bodies in Ferozpur, the ashes were given to the families. In memory of Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Tari, the women of Sarhali village put up a Nishan Sahib at the main bus station. Even today the whole village are proud and hold high respect for Bhai Sahib.

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Tari and Bhai Kehar Singh Dhillon (Press Secretary of Khalistan Commando Force)