Shaheed Bhai Desa Singh Kabarwala/Sadarwala

Khalistan Commando Force

In the famous historical city in Malwa, on the holy land of the 40 Mukhte Sri Mukhatsar Sahib 4 kilometres away heading the north towards Majhela is the village of Kabarwala. The people from this city have had the proud opportunity to spend time with the 13th head of Damdami Taksal Giyani Kartar Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale (Sachkhand Vasi).

Giyani Kartar Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale held Gurbani, Katha Kirtan and Amrit Sanchar smagam in this city; he inspired people to do sewa in the Gurudwara Sahib. The Mahapurakh raised the status of this city by naming it from Kabarwala to Sadarwala. After Giyani Kartar Singh Ji Bhindranwale left this world, Sant Baba Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale was appointed to be the head of Damdami Taksal, Sant Ji continued the Sikh Parchar, Gurbani and Katha Kirtan and Amrit Sanchar flowing in Kabarwala alias Sadarwala and reunited the Sikh Sangat towards Gursikhi jeevan. Baba Thakur Singh Ji along with the Damdami Taksal Jatha would visit the village of Sadarwala every year. The whole Sikh Sangat in this village was attached to Damdami Taksal. In Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bindranwale’s started the fight for Sikhs to obtain their Rights in which the young men of Sadarwala contributed towards this struggle and sacrificed their lives, for which, for two decades their village was mentioned in the headlines in the newspapers. From this village there was another young Singh who was really famous and that was Bhai Desa Singh Kabarwala.

Bhai Desa Singh was born in the house of Sardar Sandeep Singh in the womb of Mata Chanan Kaur in 1945. Bhai Sahib’s elder sister was Bibi Joginder Kaur. Bhai Sahib had only studied until the 5th class. He had taken amrit at Giyani Kartar Singh Ji Bhindranwale and Sant Baba Jarnail Singh Ji Bindranwale’s village and started his Gursikhi jeevan. Bhai Sahib would discuss Gurbani Katha with the Sangat. Bhai Sahib would work in the fields, he followed the teachings of Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji – Naam Japo Te Kirat Karo – Recite on the name of God and Kirat Karo. Bhai Sahib’s marriage was done according to the Sikh Rehat Maryada, to Bibi Kashmir Kaur who was the daughter of Sardar Bhagel Singh from Nakeriya (Rora wali Mandi). Bhai Sahib was blessed with 3 children, but unfortunately Bhai Sahib’s daughter and son passed away. Bhai Sahib’s third child was Malkit Singh, due to times getting bad Bibi Kashmir Kaur faced a lot of problems and struggles in order to bring up her son.

As the Hindu Government tried to suppress the Sikh Rights movement, the media MANGLED Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bindranwale’s name, they portrayed him to be a terrorist and an extreme leader. The Sikh youth fell for Sant Ji’s warrior, revolutionary and Khalsa thinking, they called Sant Ji the defender of the Sikh Faith and were ready to sacrifice their lives for the cause, as Gurbani states – MARNA MUNSA SOORIYA HUK HAI JO HOYE MURNA PARVAN. The Singh’s used to visit Sri Harmandir Sahib and bath in the pool and then go to see Sant Baba Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale, whoever got to meet Sant Ji and listen to his words considered themselves lucky, and with the same intensions, on the 31st of May 1984 Bhai Desa Singh Kabarwala/Sadarwala sorted out his crops and had sowed NARMA and was now free, Bhai Sahib’s house was between fields so he asked a relative to keep an eye out on his house because his wife would be alone with his kids.

On the 2nd of June 1984 Bhai Desa Singh went to Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar to do Darshan-Ishnan on Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s Shaheedi Purab. It was the same day that the Indian Prime Minister issued orders for the Indian Army to set curfews in Punjab and destroyed Sri Akal Takhat Sahib and another 37 Gurudwaras with tanks and missiles. Thousands of Singh’s, Singhnia, kids and old people were shot and killed. During this bloody genocide under the commands of Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale, the head of the Sikh Student Federation Bhai Amrik Singh Ji and General Shabeg Singh Ji the Jhujaroo Singh’s fought to protect Sri Akal Takhat Sahib and Sri Harmandir Sahib and all attained Shaheedi.

Until the 6th of June the Jhujaroo Khalsa fought strongly and created problems for the Indian Army. This was backed up by the Indian Army General Kuldeep Brar in a book he wrote ‘Operation Bluestar The Truth’, “Bindranwale’s companions fought with our army until their last breathes and until the last bullet”. During this genocide Bhai Desa Singh was locked in Guru Ram Das Sara along with other Sikh Sangat. Once the Army captured and control Sri Harmandir Sahib Complex the soldiers opened the rooms of Sri Ram Das Sara and brought out the Sikh Sangat, the Army officers were angry because of the damage the Jhujaroo Singh’s caused to the Army that the officers threw bombs and shot opened fire at the innocent pilgrims, old people, women and even children were spared. Whoever managed to survive it was due to the miracle of God. The survivors were taken away to the Army camps and were then locked up at Nabha Jail for 3 and half months and after that were shifted to Rajasthan to Jodhpur Jail. During this time Bhai Sahib’s farming business was ruined so Bhai Sahib’s wife took the kids to the village Kabarwala/Sadarwala and started to live there. The house that was between the fields was destroyed and Bhai Sahib’s Singhni had to live off the TEKE. Until June 1984 Bhai Desa Singh had no connection with any political party. While Bhai Sahib was locked in Jodhpur Jail he spent his time reading up on Sikh history, he would read Gurbani, he was in Chardikala. On the 6th of March 1985 Bhai Sahib wrote a letter to his family, in which he wrote that he is fine and well and prays to God that his wife and children stay well. He knew that his Singhni was very strong so didn’t need to worry, he made a request to his wife, that to look after his son and daughter with a lot of love, and to wake up at Amritvela and bath and then turn on the radio and listen to the live kirtan that is broadcasted from Sri Harmandir Sahib Amritsar and make sure that the children go to Gurudwara twice in a day before and after they come back from school. If you have love for Gurbani and me then accept all joys and sorrows as the will of God. Rent the land and then get an electrical motor connected, this is something that only you could do. Take only the support of Waheguru Ji, because Waheguru Ji helps those in needs.

In January 1988 Bhai Sahib along with another 133 Singh’s were released from Jodhpur Jail, Bhai Sahib went straight home and started farming again. The police would always come by and visit and through chatting to Bhai Sahib they would ask him questions. During this time Khadku Singh’s would normally stop by Bhai Sahib’ house to visit. One night 3 Singh’s stayed over at Iqbal Singh’s house, someone informed the police. Security forces arrived in thousands and surrounded the house really early in the morning and battled with the three Singh’s. In this battle it was Sukha Singh, Gulab Singh and Heera Singh Babbar Patria attained Shaheedi, in the cross fire Bhai Iqbal Singh and his son Nachatar Singh were also killed. Even their cows were killed in the cross fire. The house was destroyed. The Singh’s that had attained Shaheedi Bhai Desa Singh knew them and during the battle Bhai Sahib was bathing during Amritvela. Looking at the current situation Bhai Sahib disappeared from his from his house. Due to Bhai Sahib’s close relations with the Khadku’s, so he would be the first person who the security officers would set their eyes on, so that’s why Bhai Sahib let his house and joined the Jhujaroo Singh’s. During this time in Punjab the Khadku movement was at an all time high. Bhai Sahib’s name started to appear with all the top Khadku Singh’s – Khalistan Commando Force’s Lutienant General Bhai Bakshish Singh Sona Kero, B.T.F.K Bhai Gurbakhsh Singh Ghukar, K.C.F Debhai Hardeep Singh Deepa Chujawali. The police would come round to Bhai Sahib’s house and threaten his Singhni to tell them where Bhai Sahib and his companions are, otherwise they would kill her whole family. Bibi Kashmir Kaur would reply, ‘Janab, how am I meant to catch Desa Singh when he doesn’t even come home? If you want to kill me and my children then you can kill us whenever you want’, ‘It’s not like I am sitting hiding anywhere, am sitting here with my children’, ‘I have to face every problem, I am not going to run away from home, even at difficult times I have never asked for help from my family’.

Bhai Desa Singh was contributing towards the Sikh Struggle when on the 4th of August 1990 Bhai Sahib stopped at a BIHK in Lakhewali Mandi near village Tanbuwala, Rutathera stream, where Punjab police and central forces surrounded Bhai Sahib, Bhai Sahib’s weapons were put aside and because he didn’t have any weapons he couldn’t fight. That evening Bhai Sahib was arrested. The police wanted to find out all the big secrets from Bhai Sahib, when he refused to open his mouth then the next day around 4am in the morning Bhai Sahib was taken to his village of Kabarwala and was then killed in a fake police encounter. The villagers had heard the gun shots but no one realised what had happened. The police didn’t feel the need to ask any of the villagers to identify the body, the reason being that if anyone had indentified Bhai Sahib’s body then the whole fake story the police had made up the truth behind it. The next day in the Ajit newspaper the headline was, Mukhatsar – Khalistan Commando Force’s Area Commander a dangerous terrorist Desa Singh was killed in an encounter with the police in the village of Kabarwala/Sadarwala. Punjab police had blocked the road and when Bhai Sahib pulled up the police officers told him to pull up aside but he open fired at an officer, the officers retaliated in which Bhai Desa Singh was killed.

The police were looking for Bhai Desa Singh’s son Sandeep Singh who was accused of various murders.

It was only through the headlines of the newspapers that everybody found out the Bhai Desa Singh was Shaheed. On the 7th of August 1990 Sardar Amrik Singh, Bibi Kashmir Kaur and a third person were given permission to go to the grave yard and pick up his ashes. When the Damdami Taksal Mehta Jatha heard about Bhai Sahib’s Shaheedi they done an Akhand Paath at Bhai Sahib’s house for his soul to rest in peace. Damdami Taksal had done kirtan. For the Bhog of the Sri Akhand Path Sahib and for the final Ardas people came from near and far to pay their tributes. Damdami Taksal’s leader Baba Thakur Singh Ji had also came, Baba Ji tied a Dastar on Bhai Sahib’s younger son Malkit and then done Ardas and with the Sikh Sangat they took Bhai Sahib’s ashes to Kartarpur Sahib and were flown in the river. Shaheed Bhai Desa Singh Kabarwala/Sadarwala has been remembered with a lot of love and respect and always will.

 

Khadku Yodhe – Maninder Singh Baja