Shaheed Bhai Dharambir Singh Kamoke

Sikh Student Federation

To crush the Sikh Freedom Movement, the Indian government arrested, Tortured and killed many Sikh professionals that supported the movement for the free Sikh Nation, for example Sikh lawyers, Sikh doctors and many more professionals. Amongst such shaheeds was PHD Economical and LLB Bhai Dharambir Singh Kamoke.

In the house of Sardar Harnam Singh, five children took birth from the womb of Mata Nain Kaur. Here are their names, Bibi Tripat Kaur, Bibi Davinder Kaur, Bhai Dharambir Singh, Bhai Manmohan Singh and Bhai Surjit Singh. In 1947, when the partition happened between India and Pakistan, the family of Bhai Sahib came to live in Jammu from Ponchh. Up until in 1965, Bhai Sahib’s family stayed in Jammu, then Sardar Harnam Singh was appointed as the granthi at a gurudwara in the village of Kamoke, district Amritsar. After this the family came and settled in village Kamoke, Bhai Sahib was very young at this time.

Bhai Sahib’s childhood was mostly spent in Kamoke playing with other children of Kamoke. Bhai Sahib studied up until 9th class at a school of the neighbouring village, Butala and took his exams for the 10th class at Gwalior in Madh Pardesh. After this Bhai Sahib took admission in the college of Sathiala, but due to financial circumstances Bhai Sahib had to drop out of college. Then soon Bhai Sahib started working with some friends in Chandigarh and also started studying at college. In Chandigarh Bhai Sahib met Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale at a house of a retired brigadier. After this meeting Bhai Sahib became a worker of Sikh Student Federation.

The Indian government did not like the unarmed Sikh struggle of the Sikh Student Federation. After becoming the worker of Sikh Student Federation, the Chandigarh police arrested Bhai Sahib and charged him with many law breaking cases and was then sent to jail. Bhai Sahib spent six months in Burail jail, Chandigarh and later was bailed out. Once out Bhai Sahib continued his peaceful work with Sikh Student Federation.

When the Indian government ordered its army to attack Sri Harimandir Sahib, Bhai Sahib was staying at a gurudwara in sector 34 of Chandigarh. As well as attacking Sri Harimandir Sahib, the Indian government also attacked gurudwaras in different areas of Punjab and killed many more innocent Sikhs. The gurudwara in sector 34 of Chandigarh was also surrounded by the Indian army, but Bhai Sahib changed his appearance and got out of the gurudwara and of Chandigarh, Bhai Sahib went to Nahlagarh in the state of Harmachal Pardesh. In Harmachal Pardesh Bhai Sahib started doing his sewa for the Sikh struggle. In August 1984 the local police was informed by a traitor about Bhai Sahib and the Indian army arrested Bhai Sahib in Shimla. For one month Bhai Sahib was kept in the army camp and later was sent to jail charged with many cases. After a year Bhai Sahib was bailed and came out of jail.

After coming out of jail, Bhai Sahib continued his contribution to the Sikh struggle. The Indian government labelled Bhai Sahib an extremist, after Bhai Sahib had done a speech in Delhi and after arresting Bhai Sahib from Chandigarh, Bhai Sahib was locked up in Tihar jail, Delhi. For one year Bhai Sahib was in Tihar jail of Delhi, he was then transferred to Burail jail of Chandigarh. From Burail jail Bhai Sahib managed to get bailed and released. While in jail Bhai Sahib also continued with his studies from inside jail.

Now the armed Sikh struggle was in full swing. The Indian government was also getting dirtier and dirtier in their tactics to shut the voice of Sikhs. The Indian security forces were arresting Sikh youths from their homes and in some cases killing innocent Sikhs youths in fake encounters. Bhai Sahib started doing peaceful protests against such action if the Indian government. Now the positive and law abiding sewa of Bhai Sahib was looked as a threat by the Indian government. As well as arresting Bhai Sahib and torturing him the police started to arrest the family of Bhai Sahib and harassed them too.

Due to this horrible harassment by the Indian government on to Bhai Sahib’s family, his 2 younger broths, Bhai Manmohan Singh and Bhai Surjit Singh left home and went underground. Now the police started harassing the family even more. In 1988, Bhai Surjit Singh was arrested and charged with numerous fake cases and sent to jail. Bhai Surjit Singh was released after a year and straight the after the police started raiding the house to arrest him, Bhai Surjit Singh had to once again leave home and go underground. In the end of 1991 Bhai Surjit Singh was married to Bibi Kamaljit Kaur, daughter of Sardar Piara Singh from the neighbouring village of Butala, but due to the police Bhai Sahib could not spend time with his family continuously.

Bhai Sahib carried on doing big peaceful protests to pressurize the Indian government to give justice to Sikhs and while in jail Bhai Sahib studied the highest of studies. In 1991, Bhai Sahib was married to the daughter of Sardar Virsa Singh, Bibi Sukhwant Kaur from the village of Bulla, district Kartarpur. Bhai Sahib never had time to spend with family due to the harassment of the Indian security forces and also, most of Bhai Sahib’s time was spent in jails.

28th February 1992, Bhai Surjit Singh and his wife, Bibi Kamaljit Kaur were sleeping on the roof of Kamoke village’s gurudwara, when all of sudden the police had surrounded the area. Bhai Surjit Singh managed to escape by jumping off the back wall, but the police shot dead Bibi Kamaljit Kaur and later told the media that, Bibi Kamaljit Kaur was killed in a fake encounter. The local women told us that at the time of Bibi Kamaljit Kaur’s shaheedi, she was pregnant. When this had happened Bhai Sahib was in jail.

Now as well as passing the LLB exams, Bhai Sahib had also got his PHD and Bhai Sahib was still continuing the Sikh struggle against the Indian government as a president of Sikh Student Federation. Soon in 1992, Bhai Sahib was arrested in Khathhua village of Jammu Kashmir by the police and after spending a year in Jammu jail, Bhai Sahib was bailed after which he came home. Now as Bhai Sahib did his peaceful protests in Punjab, Bhai Sahib would also attend court hearings in Jammu. Once as the Punjab police arrested Bhai Sahib, he could not attend the court hearing in Jammu. The Jammu courts prepared a warrant against Bhai Sahib and sent it to the Punjab police. Bhai Sahib was arrested again in Beas and sent to Jammu jail.

In Jammu jail, the government charged him with NSA (National Security Act) and sent him to Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan. With NSA, Bhai Sahib could not be bailed for 1 year. After a year NSA was lifted off Bhai Sahib and then Bhai Sahib was sent back to Jammu jail. The family was waiting to get Bhai Sahib bailed out and when Bhai Sahib came back to Jammu jail the family paid Bhai Sahib’s bail and on 13th May 1992, Bhai Sahib was released. But as Bhai Sahib walked out of Jammu jail, the police outside that were waiting for Bhai Sahib arrested him and took him to an unknown place.

For eight days Bhai Sahib was tortured somewhere in Jammu, his legs were broken. Exactly after eight days on 21st May 1992, the police announced that a Khadku from Punjab, Bhai Dharambir Singh Kamoke and an unknown Khadku from Kashmir were killed in a fierce encounter. Upon hearing the family was shocked and saddened. The family went everywhere to get the shaheedi saroop of Bhai Sahib but the police did not give the shaheedi saroop. The family asked for justice in the Indian courts but they were ignored just like the families of Khalistan shaheeds.

Purja Purja Kat Maray – Baljit Singh Khalsa