Shaheed Bhai Harjinder Singh Kaka

Khalistan Commando Force

The village of Akhara in the maternal village of Sant Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale, the 12th Jathedar of Damdami Taksal. For this reason alone, the 14th Jathedar of Damdami Taksal, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale would regularly visit this village. Bhai Harjinder Singh Kaka was born on 25th August 1969, in the house of Sardar Ram Singh and from the womb of Mata Surjit Kaur, in the village of Akhara near Jagraon, district Ludhiana. Sardar Ram Singh had 7 children, (eldest to youngest) Bhai Harjit Singh, Bhai Sukhminder Singh, Bibi Mahinder Kaur, Bhai Sukhdarshan Singh, Bhai Balwinder Singh, Shaheed Bhai Harjinder Singh and Bhai Rashpal Singh. From a young age, while Bhai Sahib was studying in 7th class, he quit his studies to do Sewa under Mahant Jagir Singh and started staying at the Gurdwara of the village. Mahant Jagir Singh would travel village to village to preach the message of Dhan Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj, he would do Kirtan and Katha. As Bhai Sahib was doing Sewa under Mahant Jagir Singh, he had learned Gurbani, Katha and Kirtan at a very young age.

During these days in 1982, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale came to Bhai Sahib’s village of Akhara to preach Sikhi. When Sant Ji saw Bhai Sahib, he asked Mahant Jagir Singh to allow Bhai Sahib to go with Sant Ji. Mahant didn’t give permission, but Sant Ji still took Bhai Sahib to Chownk Mehta with him. After this Bhai Sahib started doing Sewa of being Sant Ji’s bodyguard. Bhai Sahib and Bhai Surinder Singh Sodhi did this Sewa together.

When Harbans Lal Khanna broke the model of Sri Darbar Sahib and spat venom against the Sikhs of Amritsar, it was Bhai Sahib along with Bhai Surinder Singh and General Labh Singh that assassinated right-wing Hindu nationalist. Bhai Sahib was also part of the action which saw 7 police informers (Hindu extremists – Shiv Sena members) assassinated in Ludhiana.

In June 1984, when the Indian army attacked Sri Darbar Sahib following the orders of Indira Gandhi, Sant Ji had ordered many Jhujaru Singhs to leave the complex, Bhai Sahib was amongst these Jhujaru Singhs. Bhai Sahib came home and after a month had passed, Bhai Sahib went back to Chownk Mehta. Here Bhai Sahib met Bhai Manbir Singh Chaheru, Bhai Tarsem Singh Kohar and Bhai Sukhdev Singh Jhamke. Sant Ji had said when the Indian army stepped into the complex of Sri Darbar Sahib, the foundation of Khalistan will be laid and following this order, Khalistan Commando Force was created the command of Bhai Manbir Singh Chaheru and Bhai Sahib had enrolled himself in the freedom fighting group.

A judge from the Ferozepur area was very famous for giving Sikhs unfair and death sentences to Jhujaru Singhs. Bhai Sahib, Bhai Waryam Singh Khappianwali, Bhai Ranjit Singh Dyalgarh, Bhai Dalbir Singh Varpal and Bhai Joga Singh Bishnandi started planning the assassination of this cruel judge. Bhai Waryam Singh Khappianwali had a religious sister in the village of Moranwali, and it is here where theses Jhujaru Singhs had kept the weapons that will be used for this assassination. When the date was decided for this actions, Bhai Sahib, Bhai Dalbir Singh Varpal, Bhai Ranjit Singh Dyalgarh and Bhai Joga Singh Bishnandi went to Moranwali village to get the weapons but someone had given this information to the Punjab police. All 4 Jhujaru Singhs were surrounded and arrested by the Faridkot police and later they Jhujaru Singhs found out it was no one else but the so-called religious sister of Bhai Waryam Singh Khappianwali that had informed the police about this action.

The Jhujaru Singhs were blindly tortured for more information, but these sons of the Sikh nation did not utter a word that would damage the Sikh freedom movement. After their interrogation, all 4 Jhujaru Singhs were sent to Faridkot jail for a short while and later were moved to Gurdaspur jail. The families of these Jhujaru Singhs would meet them at the Faridkot courts when they would come for their hearings. Khalistan Commando Force’s Bhai Tarsem Singh Kohar made a plan to break free these 4 Jhujaru Singhs. Following the plan on 26th January 1986, (on the same day as the Sarbat Khalsa) Bhai Sahib, Bhai Dalbir Singh Varpal, Bhai Ranjit Singh Dyalgarh, Bhai Joga Singh Bishnandi and Bhai Roshan Lal Beragi escaped the clutches of the police from the Gurdaspur jail. The Punjab police were left wondering what had just happened. Bhai Sahib and the Jhujaru Singhs had prepared a ladder on the inside which assisted them to climb over the wall of the jail.

After escaping from jail, all 5 Jhujaru Singhs went to Sri Darbar Sahib to thank Dhan Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj. After that, Bhai Sahib along with Bhai Waryam Singh Khappianwali and Bhai Tarsem Singh Kohar stayed a night in Bhai Sahib’s village of Akhara. The following day. Bhai Sahib’s brother, Bhai Rashpal Singh dropped off the 3 Jhujaru Singhs in Jagraon and this was the last time Bhai Sahib saw his family.

Bhai Sahib and Bhai Tarsem Singh Kohar prepared a jeep, and on 13th April 1986 along with Bhai Joga Bishnandi, Bhai Jasvir Singh Jassa of village Dhariwal and Bhai Khazan Singh of village Ladhuka, the Jhujaru Singhs went to the Khemkaran border with Pakistan to get weapons and ammunition. As they got close to the border, the Jhujaru Singhs were spotted by the BSF (Border Security Force) and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), it was very foggy and the Indian security forces started firing towards the Jhujaru Singhs. For this reason, Bhai Sahib and Bhai Jasvir Singh Jassa, who were sitting at the front of the jeep attained martyrdom and Bhai Joga Singh Bishnandi and Bhai Khazan Singh Ladhuka were arrested.

When the family got the news of Bhai Sahib’s martyrdom, they along with village locals rushed to

Amritsar but by the time they got there the cremation of both Jhujaru Singhs had been done by the Punjab police, and only the ashes of Bhai Sahib were given to the family. After this Bhai Rashpal Singh (Bhai Sahib’s youngest brother) was arrested and was sent to Bathinda jail under the TADA Act. Bhai Sahib’s house was a resting place for Bhai Waryam Singh Khappianwali and Bhai Tarsem Singh Kohar even after his martyrdom.

One day, Bhai Waryam Singh Khappianwali, Bhai Harjinder Singh of village Arjanpura, Bhai Satnam Singh Satta of Arjanpura, Bhai Baljit Singh Pappu also of village Arjanpura, the wife of Bhai Joga Singh Bishnandi and another Singhni from Qaddian were staying at Bhai Sahib’s house. The Punjab police had surrounded the village, in this curfew all the Jhujaru group managed to escape but the police arrested Bhai Sahib’s father, Sardar Ram Singh and Bhai Sahib’s 2 brothers, Bhai Harjit Singh and Bhai Balwinder Singh and too them to the police station of Moga. The following day, Bhai Waryam Singh Khappianwali sent a letter to the same police station and threatened the staff saying, if any harm is done to Bhai Sahib’s family, the families of the police officers will be punished. Reading this letter, the police of Moga were too scared to touch Bhai Sahib’s family and requested the family to scream in pain when a high-ranking police officer comes to the police station. After this, the 3 members of Bhai Sahib’s family were sent to Ludhiana jail and after to Sangrur jail, after a year they were all released.

Information given by the family of Bhai Harjinder Singh Kaka