Shaheed Bhai Bachittar Singh Baja

Khalistan Commando Force

On the outskirts of Mukhatsar is a village called Baja, here Bhai Bachittar Singh was born from the womb of Mata Gurmej Kaur and in the house of Sardar Karam Singh. After passing 8th class from the local school, Bhai sahib started working for a doctor in Mukhatsar City and at the same time continued to study privately. After passing 12th class, Bhai Sahib opened his own clinic. Soon after Bhai Sahib opened a pharmacy in the village of Talliwala in the Ferozpur District. Bhai Sahib had come here via a relative as there were no surgeries/clinics in this area.

It was during Bhai Sahib’s time here in Ferozpur that he started meeting Jhujaru Singhs. Quiet regularly Jhujaru Singhs would come to Bhai Sahib’s pharmacy and take medicine. Because Bhai Sahib was an Amritdhari Sikh and a Nitnemi, the Jhujaru Singhs had a great amount of love and respect for Bhai Sahib, another reason was because Bhai Sahib was also interested in the Sikh Freedom Movement. Bhai Sahib’s father, Sardar Karam Singh had spent a great amount of time in jails during the Dharam Yudh Morcha and would regularly go and see Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale at Sri Darbar Sahib. A short time before the attack on Sri Harimandir Sahib, Sardar Karam Singh and a local Singh went to see Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale at Sri Darbar Sahib. Here Sant Ji said to Sardar Karam Singh, “Dangerous times are ahead of us, whoever hasn’t got weapons should leave the complex.” and Sardar Karam Singh along with the local returned home because none of them had weapons. When Bhai Sahib heard about this from his father he replied by saying, “Father you shouldn’t have come back like that, you should’ve stayed there with Sant Ji.” Bhai Sahib’s father explained what Sant Ji said, then Bhai Sahib said, “Father you came back but when we go, we won’t come back.”

Bhai Sahib first met Jhujaru Singhs of Babbar Khalsa and started taking part in actions discreetly under the command of Bhai Resham Singh Babbar but after the Shaheedi of Bhai Resham Singh Babbar, Bhai Sahib joined Khalistan Commando Force under Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani. Bhai Sahib had not gone underground yet and continued to do sewa whilst staying at home in secret.

The family had arranged Bhai Sahib to get married and had already given out the invitation cards to family and friends. A week before the marriage, the Punjab police got information that Bhai Sahib had been in contact with the Jhujaru Singhs, but before the police could take any action, Bhai Sahib left home and went underground. When the police raided Bhai Sahib’s house they arrested his mother, Mata Gurmej Kaur and took her to the local police station. Mata Gurmej Kaur was badly tortured, the police even preformed the Gotna (wooden rollers) on her knees. Three weeks after Sardar Karam Singh presented himself to the police under the eye of the local Panchayat. The police did not spare him either and tortured him also, the police did not stop here they also arrested Bhai Sahib’s cousin brother, Bhai Dilbagh Singh. Due to the continuous harassment by the Punjab police Bhai Sahib’s family moved to Sri Hazur Sahib in Nanded. It was sometime after the Shaheedi of Bhai Sahib that the family came back to their home in the village.

During Bhai Sahib’s Jhujaru life, he mainly stayed active in the Amritsar area. In May 1990, the Bathinda Police arrested Bhai Sahib due to a known informant. After this the Jhujaru Singhs tried to kill the informant but he always survived because he had bodyguards, which were given to him by the police. After being arrested Bhai Sahib was brutally tortured, his eyes were pulled out. Like the Puratan Shaheed Singhs of the Sikh Panth, Bhai Sahib took the Indian torture but didn’t give the enemy any information. Later Singhs that had been released told us that the police took Bhai Sahib in a jeep to kill him in a police encounter, Bhai Sahib was unable to walk. On 27th May 1990, roughly a week after Bhai Sahibs arrest, the Punjab Police made Bhai Sahib Shaheed in a false encounter on the outskirts of Guniana near a brick making hut.

Khalsa Fatehnama – June 2015