Shaheed Bhai Balwinder Singh alias Jarnail Singh DC

Khalistan Liberation Force

When writing the jeevani of Shaheed General Avtar Singh Brahma, I went to meet his brothers, Sardar Sadha Singh and Sardar Balkar Singh in Brahma Wala Farm. Throughout Shaheed General Avtar Singh Brahma’s jeevani there were many names that kept coming up and they were: Bhai Gurdeep Singh Vakeel Minhala, Jathedar Durga Singh Arifke, Bhai Pipal Singh Dholewal, Jathedar Bohar Singh Dholewal, Bhai Gurinder Singh Shinda Mohanpur Virang alias Lamba Jatt, Bhai Kuldeep Singh Muchal and Bhai Jarnail Singh DC.

To gather information about Shaheed Bhai Jarnail Singh DC, I had to travel to his village, so when I got off the bus at Kirthoval bus stop, I walked over to a Rickshaw driver who was a Nihang Singh and asked that I want to go to Jarnail Singh D.C wale Kirthoval’s house as there are two villages called Kirthoval. The Nihang Singh had one arm and he jumped with joy, he asked me who I was and I replied that I am a writer and am writing about history of Khadku Singh’s. The Nihang Singh then replied that you’ll need to write a book on our brave warrior, he was brave Singh and had the patience of a saint. The Nihang Singh was about to have his food but then said, “I’ll eat later, let me drop you off at D.C’s house”. The Nihang Singh was Bikar Singh Toofan, he had a lot of love and respect bubbling inside him for all the Shaheeds. I sat in the rickshaw and the Nihang Singh started to tell me stories about Bhai Sahib’s bravery, sacrifices and his saintly nature. We arrived at Sardar Banta Singh and Sardar Mussa Singh’s house who were Bhai Sahibs brothers.

Question: Sardar Mussa Singh, Sardar Banta Singh Ji please tell us about your family background.

Answer: Our father is Sardar Sohan Singh and mother is Mata Joginder Kaur, we are 6 brothers and 4 sisters. Brothers: Prem Singh, Banta Singh, Mussa Singh, Kulwant Singh, Balwinder Singh D.C., Darshan Singh and sisters: Hardial Kaur, Raghvir Kaur, Amarjeet Kaur and Darshan Kaur. Our ancestral occupation is that we are farmers.

Question: When was Balwinder Singh born?

Answer: He was Shaheed in August 1989 and he was 24 years old when he attained Shaheedi so according to this he was born around 1964-1965, only our mother was sure when he was exactly born, but she has passed away.

Question: Where did Balvinder Singh study and how many classes did he study until.

Answer: Balwinder Singh never went to school, from a young age he had a saintly nature and done as he pleased. As a child he would roam around with his dog and goat in his hands. He really loved baby calves. He joined Baba Atma Singh Muthiya Wala’s Jatha at the age of 7, where he learned how to read Gurbani, he took his goat and dog with him. He would ride the Nihang Singh’s horses really fast and would be able to ride two horses at the same time while standing on them.

Question: Did you ever make the attempt to bring Balwinder Singh home?

Answer: Banta Singh, Me, Dad and Muthiya wale all went to go get Balwinder Singh and said that now you’ve grown up, let’s go home your getting a lot of proposals let’s get you married off, you’ve enjoyed your life. Balwinder Singh replied, “Bro I don’t feel like going home and nor do I want to get married, I am a free bird and want to remain that way”. Bhai Sahib’s father then said, “Come with us and let’s go home, we want to get you married off, then we will be tension free, you’ll then manage your own responsibilities. If you don’t listen to me and come home then the land that comes in your share I won’t give you it and share it between your brothers and then you’ll cry.

Question: Then did Balwinder Singh not reply to that?

Answer: Balwinder Singh replied that father if your threatening me that your not going to give me my share of land then listen to me, when I dig the flags of the Nihang Singh’s there, the Nihang Singh’s will come and free the occupied land. Then you won’t be able to save your crops from their horses. Then you’ll say why did I ever bother bringing him back. We tried many times to bring him back but he kept refusing, he was a man of his own will.

Question: How did Balwinder Singh get the name of Jarnail Singh DC?

Answer: Jathedar Baba Atma Singh Nihang Singh Muthiya Wala used to say that he is the Jarnail of our Jatha, and that’s how he got named Jarnail Singh. As a child everyone would call him D.C as a joke but that name stuck with him.

Question: Why did Bhai Sahib separate from Baba Atam Singh Muthiya Wala?

Answer: Banta Singh replied, someone stole Baba Atam Singh’s horses from his dera which deeply hurt Bhai Sahib as the horse he rode was also stolen. To investigate who stole the horses Bhai Sahib joined Ajit Singh Phoola’s Jatha and said that he left Baba Atam Singh’s Jatha as he was accused of stealing the horses, but I had nothing to do with it and I got scared and ran away. Phoola accepted him in his Jatha as he was a good young energetic Singh and could come in handy one day. Bhai Sahib then found out it was Phoola’s Nihangs who stole Baba Ji’s horses. Bhai Sahib was very slim and Phoola said D.C pump some iron and build some muscle u look half dead as it is and Bhai Sahib laughed and replied, “Baba time will tell what am capable of doing”. Phoola was a very clever and deceitful man, he gave Bhai Sahib a faulty Stengun and Bhai Sahib was totally unaware of this. One day Bhai Sahib got an opportunity to kill Phoola, Bhai Sahib tried to shoot him with the Stengun, but it wouldn’t fire any bullets, looking at the circumstances Bhai Sahib made a run for it. Phoola’s Nihangs chased Bhai Sahib, but he managed to escape.

Question: Didn’t Phoola Nihang annoy or threaten your family?

Answer: After taking Phoola’s Stengun D.C Bhai Sahib joined General Avtar Singh Brahma’s Khalistan Liberation Force. Until Bhai Sahib was alive Phoola hid from Bhai Sahib.

Question: After Bhai Sahib joined forces with Bhai Avtar Singh Brahma didn’t the police harass you?

Answer: Sometimes the police would arrest us brothers or sometimes our father, they would ask us to bring D.C. We would reply how can we bring him? He left his home at the age of 7 so where will we find him and present him. And made us do work like collect sticks and cut trees to burn.

Question: Has the police ever been confronted by Bhai Sahib?

Answer: Yes. There was a police constable from Hareeke Police station who one day was stopped in Hareeke’s bazaar and was surrounded by Singh’s. Bhai Sahib said, “Are you going to make my father and brothers do your work? I am Jarnail Singh D.C, come take me away, and do what you want to do. The constable stood with his hands together folded and said that from today onwards no one will harass your family. After that day the police never harassed, but even if there was incident in the village and our family was taken to the police station, we would be treated with respect.

Question: Is there any incidents that you recall of Jarnail Singh D.C’s bravery that people would talk about or about a Police encounter or escaping from the clutches of the police?

Answer: Bhai Sahib never really ever discussed or told us anything, but we managed to find out a lot from people talking and from the police and from the newspapers. Since Bhai Sahib ran away from Phoola Nihang with his Stengun, since then he became a companion of Jathedar Avtar Singh Brahma’s, he was known as his gun man. He was part of all the top Khadku actions that Jathedar Avtar Singh Brahma done. For example: Chola Sahib Chauko’s constable Chhiboo was killed on the Khare wali canal bridge, the jeep driver and others were killed, the soldiers were injured. He was involved in the big surrounding in the Mandi area of Rebeiro’s C.R.P, Punjab Police and B.S.F which was on the 21-22nd of July in 1986, the Singh’s shot down the helicopters. He blew up 3 C.R.P cars in a fierce battle at Manakpur Puta where he and Shinda Lamba Jatt Mohanpur Virang Wala broke through the curfew of the C.R.P and freed Jathedar Brahma. In this fierce battle Jathedar Brahma got injured, he got shot on his biggest finger which had to be cut off. Jathedar Avtar Singh Brahma, Bhai Surinder Singh Lamba Jatt, Bhai Jarnail Singh D.C. got caught up in a B.S.F curfew, at Kot Mul near the Rajasthan border, they managed to break free from two of them but on the third curfew they decided to stayed in the village of Jhanda Singh at the Jathedar’s house. The B.S.F also done a ghera there in which Jathedar Avtar Singh Brahma attained Shaheedi while battling in the fields, but D.C and Lamba Jatt Surinder Singh managed to escape free. It was them who informed everybody about the news of Jathedar Avtar Singh Brahma attaining Shaheedi.

Question: How was Bhai Sahib’s nature?

Answer: He was very saintly but on the same hand he was very hot tempered, he was very generous and giving, but he couldn’t hack anyone giving him attitude. Whenever he would see one bare foot he would take off his shoes and give them his, if he seen someone with ripped clothes, he would take off his own and give them it. He would roam around bare foot for days on end. Bhai Sahib never had any attachment towards his family, he was carefree, but always ready to fight.

Question: When was the last time Bhai Sahib to the village?

Answer: He came 4 days before attained Shaheedi, he went to the Gurdwara Sahib and done Matha Tekh and talked with the local villages with a lot of joy, plus other Singh’s had also came with him, he was walking about humming a song – Life on this planet is for only a little while, hope the night goes by with laughter god knows if there will be a tomorrow. As the days got closer to Bhai Sahib’s Shaheedi his love for the village and villagers arose.

Question: When and where did Bhai Sahib attain Shaheedi?

Answer: The police commando officers attacked Jarnail Singh D.C. Kirthoval, Jugraj Singh Jagga Sarpanch Rutha Guda and Mahinder Singh Toronto Canadian and shot them dead. Buta Singh Sur Singh Wala and Narinder Singh Bhola Gugobiya hiding somewhere they were laying down on the ground and their weapons were sitting aside. The C.R.P and police claimed that the Singh’s had enmity with one another and killed each other which wasn’t true. After the police left the two Singh’s came out of hiding and went to Brahma Farm and told Sardar Sadha Singh the whole story. After changing into fresh and dry clothes and headed forwards towards Devo Singh. Sadha Singh then informed the family. Bhai Sahib brothers and local villagers then went to collect his body and cremated his body in his village. The families of the other Singh’s also cremated their bodies. Bhai Sahib’s photo is hung at the local Gurdwara Sahib in the village. Bhai Sahib name was engraved on the seal under the Nishan Sahib. During Congressi Beant Singh’s rue, the police would cut off the Nishan Sahib’s of the Shaheeds and take them away, looking at the situation the Giyani put cement over Bhai Sahib engraved name so when the police came they looked around and then went away.

Question: After Bhai Sahib’s Shaheedi did the police not come round and harass your family?

Answer: After Bhai Sahib attained Shaheedi, the police never harassed us, but Phoola the fake Nihang sent his men to try and kill us. They had weapons and had beaten us up badly and left us there to die. They said to us, “Now where is your Jarnail Singh D.C.? He tried to kill out Baba”. The local villagers our family admitted in the hospital, it was due to the grace of Akal Purakh Waheguru Ji that we are alive today because they never left any stone unturned to get us killed. While Bhai Sahib was alive Phoola never dared to touch us and as soon as Bhai Sahib is Shaheed, the sheep has turned into a lion. We are a family that earn an honest living and are passing our time, many people say that Khadku Singh’s have made a lot of properties, but look at our house, all us brothers are still dying under debt, we are spending our time in poverty.

Khadku Yodhe – Maninder Singh Baja