Shaheed Bhai Gurbaksh Singh Bittu alias Granthi

Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan

 

Bhai Gurbaksh Singh Bittu was born on 4th January 1969 in the house of Sardar Joginder Singh and from the womb of Mata Veer Kaur in the village of Bhai Ladhu, near Kalsian Kalan. Bhai Sahib was the eldest of three brothers and three sisters, their names in order Bhai Gurbachan Singh, Bibi Baljinder Kaur, Bhai Baldev Singh, Bibi Amarjit Kaur and Bibi Paramjit Kaur. Bhai Sahib’s father was a farmer and made his honest living from working on his farms. In 1984, Bhai Sahib passed his 10th class from government high school of Varnala. After passing his 10th class, Bhai Sahib started working with his father on the farms. In 1979, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale along with his Jatha came to Bhai Sahib’s village to do Gurmat Parchar. Bhai Sahib was touched by the preaching of Sant Ji and took Amrit from the Panj Pyare here. After this Bhai Sahib started to go Amritsar regularly to see Sant Ji and attend his speeches.

 

In June 1984, the Indian Army stormed Sri Harimandir Sahib killing thousands of innocent Sikhs and demolishing the Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib. During the attack Bhai Sahib left home to attain Shaheedi along with his Jhujaru brothers in Sri Harimandir Sahib, but due to the army imposed curfew, Bhai Sahib was stopped on the way and sent back home. After this Bhai Sahib had made his mind up on taking revenge for the killings of innocents Sikhs and the demolishing of Sri Akaal Takath Sahib. Sometime after Bhai Sahib went to Varnala, to learn Gurbani Santhaya from Baba Mehar Singh. After completing Gurbani Santhaya, Bhai Sahib returned to his village, Bhai Ladhu and started doing sewa of a Granthi Singh at his local Gurudwara. Bhai Sahib never missed his Nitnem and Bhai Sahib knew many Sikh prayers by heart. Bhai Sahib did sewa at his local Gurudwara for roughly two years. During these two years of sewa, Bhai Sahib met many Jhujaru Singhs who passed this Gurudwara and had Langar.

 

During this time Bhai Sahib met Bhai Sukhwinder Singh Sangha of Bhindranwala Tiger Force of Khalistan and Bhai Sahib joined this group to do sewa for the Sikh Panth. Bhai Sahib was also joined by Jhujaru Singhs of his village such as Bhai Sukhchain Singh Ladhu, Bhai Kashmir Singh Dul (Mastgarh), Bhai Hardeep Singh Chajjalwadi, Bhai Major Singh Kala (Talwandi), Bhai Sukhwinder Singh Shinda (Valtoha) and Bhai Dilbagh Singh (Ghariyala). During doing sewa in the Sikh Freedom Movement, Bhai Sahib came head to head with the enemy many times and after causing damage to the opposition, he along with his group would escape. Once Bhai Sahib along with two fellow Jhujaru Singhs was surrounded by the Indian Security Forces in the village of Dabbipur, near Algo Kothi and a battle started. In this fierce encounter Bhai sahib and the fellow Jhujaru Singhs escaped unharmed. Then once Bhai Sahib along with his group ambushed a police station in Kairo, and looted the weapons storage. Bhai Sahib had travelled to Pakistan many times to get weapons. Looking at Bhai Sahib’s fearless and brave contribution to the Sikh Freedom Movement, Bhai Sukhwinder Singh Sangha made Bhai Sahib the area commander of his area.

 

On 9th April 1991, Bhai Sahib was resting at someone’s house in his village of Bhai Ladhu. Bhai Sahib was with another five Jhujaru Singhs, Bhai Kashmir Singh Dul (Mastgarh), Bhai Major Singh Kala (Bhandal), Bhai Shamsher Singh Sher (Valtoha), Bhai Sukhwinder Singh Shinda (Valtoha) and Bhai Dilbagh Singh Bagha Bhola (Chanchak). All the Jhujaru Singhs were fully kitted up with weapons and had not eaten since the night before. During this time, the police was informed of Bhai Sahib’s location and with a short time the Indian security forces surrounded Bhai Sahib and his fellow Jhujaru Singhs. A battle had started between the sons of Dhan Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj and the paid soldiers of India, who were scared to go close to the Singhs. This battle started at 10 o’clock in the morning and it continued into the evening. Fellow Singh of Bhai Sahib, Bhai Kashmir Singh Dul (Mastgarh) managed to escape from the battle. In this encounter the enemy had forces of six police stations and a big number of CRPF soldiers. The Jhujaru Singhs moved away from the house and were fighting from their positions in the wheat fields, this was done so no damage will be done to the locals of the village. The Indian security forces brought bulletproof tractors to get close to the Singhs but the Jhujaru Singhs damaged two of these tractors. According to the government records, it is written that 18 CRPF soldiers were killed and many more were wounded in this encounter. In the end, on the evening of 9th April 1991, all the Jhujaru Singhs had finished their ammunition and together, they decided to attain Shaheedi by swallowing a capsule of cyanide and not being captures or killed by the enemy. Five Jhujaru Singhs had attained Shaheedi for Khalistan in this encounter, including Bhai Sahib.

 

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Gurbaksh Singh Bittu alias Granthi