Shaheed Bhai Hardyal Singh Jora Singh

Babbar Khalsa

Bhai Hardyal Singh was born in the year of 1961 in the house of Sardar Pritam Singh and from the womb of Mata Parkash Kaur, in the village of Jora Singh, near Dharamkot, district Batala. Bhai Sahib was the 2nd eldest of 6 children, Bhai Sawinder Singh, Bhai Harman Singh, Bhai Satnam Singh, Bibi Sawinder Kaur and Bibi Gurmeet Kaur. Bhai Sahib was born into a Gursikh family that made a living from working in their farms. In 1981, Bhai Sahib passed his 10th class from a school in Ghokhowala, district Batala. After his studies Bhai Sahib started doing farming with his father. During this time Bhai sahib would regularly go to Amritsar to do Darshan of Sri Harimandir Sahib, Bhai Sahib would also attend the speeches of Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale. It was due to the preaching of Sant Ji that Bhai Sahib took Amrit from the Panj Pyare and became a Gursikh. From the start Bhai Sahib was of religious views and did everything according to values of Sikhi. Bhai Sahib would never miss his Nitnem, Bhai Sahib also knew many prayers by heart. Bhai Sahib was a believer of Bani and Bana. Bhai Sahib had a tall body structure, towering over 6 feet with beautiful facial features and also ate healthy foods. Bhai Sahib had a calm and sweet personality, Bhai Sahib would always speak and meet others with respect and the locals also respected Bhai Sahib from an early age.

The attack on Sri Harimandir Sahib in June 1984, in which thousands of innocent Sikhs were killed, had a deep impact on Bhai Sahib. Bhai Sahib decided that he will do anything possible to avenge the massacre of Operation Bluestar. In 1986, when the armed struggle was at its peak, Bhai Sahib had the full knowledge of the struggle as it was gaining his interest. Bhai Sahib left the comfort and luxuries of home life and joined the Babbar Khalsa which was under the command of Bhai Dharam Singh Keshtiwal. After joining the Babbar Khalsa, Bhai Sahib was sent to Pakistan for combat training. Bhai Sahib became fully active in his group of Jhujaru Singhs.

When Bhai Sahib went back home to visit his family after a long time, his family insisted he stayed home but Bhai Sahib replied, “My life now belongs to the Panth, now I will attain Martyrdom doing sewa of the Panth. At no cost can I return home now. Mother our Guru Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj sacrificed his four sons, can’t you even sacrifice one?” Bhai Sahib never returned home after that. The family only found out about Bhai Sahib’s Shaheedi when the police took family members to identify Bhai Sahib’s Shaheedi Saroop. During the time Bhai Sahib was underground, the Indian security forces harassed his family regularly. The CRPF had set up a base near Bhai Sahib’s family home and would regularly torture family members. Bhai Sahib’s father and youngest brother were taken to the police station and blindly tortured, they were electrocuted. Once the police took Bhai Sahib’s father and for three months and no one know his whereabouts and what had happened to him. Eventually after three months the family were able to locate Sardar Pritam Singh to the police station of Nangal. All these injustices upon Bhai Sahib’s family did not stop Bhai Sahib from focusing on the bigger aims. Bhai Sahib remained in high spirits and continued to do sewa amongst the Sikh Freedom Movement. The Indian security forces were trying everything to capture Bhai Sahib, they even put a reward of 2 lakh Rupees on Bhai Sahib’s head.

Bhai Sahib was one of the most active Jhujaru Singhs in his area. On 25th October 1988, Bhai Sahib was resting in a four acre big sugar cane farm in the village of Bhullar, near Dharamkot. Bhai Sahib was with three other Jhujaru Singhs, Bhai Rashpal Singh of Kalanaur, Bhai Ajit Singh of Dandiala near Batala and Bhai Simranjit Singh of Kapurthala. All the Jhujaru Singhs had weapons, the night before Bhai Sahib had an encounter with the Indian security forces in the village of Taragarh. In that encounter Bhai Ajit Singh of Dandiala was shot in the leg and was wounded. Bhai Sahib had helped Bhai Ajit Singh escape and was dressing his wound in the sugar cane farm. The Indian security forces had been following these Jhujaru Singhs from the night before. Bhai Ajit Singh told Bhai Sahib, “I’m wounded and can’t run leave me here and you escape while you can.” But Bhai Sahib straight away answered, “I am a Singh of Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj, I will not run away from the battlefield.” At 12 o’clock in the afternoon of 25th October 1988, the Indian security forces located Bhai Sahib and his fellow Jhujaru Singhs and in big numbers surrounded the sugar cane farm. Soon as the Jhujaru Singhs realised they were surrounded, they sounded the battle cry of the Khalsa “Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akaal” and started firing at the enemy. Bhai Sahib only had limited ammunition due to the encounter the day before, but even then the Jhujaru Singhs continued to battle till 4 o’clock in the evening. In the end when all the ammunition had finished Bhai Sahib and the fellow Jhujaru Singhs attained Shaheedi. After the Battle the Indian security forces gave the bodies of the Shaheed Singhs to their families. Bhai Sahib was cremated by his loved ones at the Gurudwara of Bhai Sahib’s village of Jora Singh. Bhai Sahib’s cremation was attended by the locals and sangat from all across the Punjab. Baba Thakur Singh Ji Bhindranwale did the sewa of Nishan Sahib in the memory of Bhai Sahib, which is still present in Jora Singh Village.

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Hardyal Singh Jora Singh