Shaheed Bhai Harmeet Singh Bhaowal

Babbar Khalsa

A Sikh warrior of Ropar area Bhai Harmeet Singh Bhaowal alias Tochi was born in the early 1960, in the house of Sardar Joginder Singh and from the womb of Mata Karnail Kaur in the village of Bhaowal. Bhai Sahib was total of 7 brothers and sisters, here are the names in order. Bhai Satbir Singh, Bibi Gurmeet Kaur, Bhai Harmeet Singh, Bhai Bhupinder Singh, Bibi Jasminder Kaur, Bhai Lakhbir Singh and Bibi Dalbir Kaur.

Bhai Sahib did his primary education at a school oh Jhulia, a neighbouring village to Bhaowal. After finishing his primary education, Bhai Sahib was sent to his father’s sisters home in Mohali. In Mohali, Bhai Sahib continued to study and passed his 10th class here. Shaheed Bhai Kulwinder Singh Kend was the son of Bhai Sahib’s Bhua Ji from Mohali.

After passing 10th class in Mohali, Bhai Sahib started studying at a collage in Ropar. At this time Bhai Sahib was studying his second year of BA module. When Indian government attacked Sri Harimandir Sahib in June 1984, the Sikhs were forced to arm themselves to defend their freedom. It was in this collage of Ropar where Bhai Sahib met Sikh youth who had same views as Sikh generals such as Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale, Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal and together the Sikh youth planned to take the Sikh Freedom Movement forward.

The police soon got the information of Bhai Sahib’s pain for the panth, which the Indian government did not tolerate. The police raided the village of Bhaowal and arrested Bhai Sahib, after which Bhai Sahib was taken to the police station. At the police station Bhai Sahib was brutally tortured and then charged with many fake cases. Bhai Sahib was sent to jail in Patiala and later transferred to Nabha jail. After staying in jail for more than a year, the family managed to bail Bhai Sahib out.

After coming home, the family married Bhai Sahib to Bibi Baljinder Kaur from the village of Mallod, district Ludhiana. Bhai Sahib had stayed at home for 5 months after his marriage, but due to the harassment of the police, Bhai Sahib had no choice but to go underground. Instead of staying at home, Bibi Baljinder Kaur also went underground with Bhai Sahib on the dangerous path to freedom. The police continued to harass the family including Mata Karnail Kaur and his sisters, locking them up in police stations.

In the underground life, Bhai Sahib did many big actions. After the shaheedi of Shaheed Bhai Balwinder Singh Jattana and Shaheed Bhai Charanjit Singh Channa, Bhai Sahib was assigned the mission to punish the informant, who had informed the police about Bhai Jattana and Bhai Channa and had them killed. Once Bhai Sahib came across a singh who had been acting shady and to test him, Bhai Sahib only told this singh about the location Bhai Sahib would be visiting. Then Bhai Sahib did not go himself instead Bhai Sahib sent a local villager who was arrested by the police at this location. Bhai Sahib now knew that this singh was an informant. Later Bhai Sahib carried out an action that resulted in killing the informant, who had Khadku Singhs killed due to passing the information to the Indian security forces.

5th December 1992, Bhai Sahib along with Bibi Baljinder Kaur and his 9 month old son were staying at a house in the village of Gunthala in Haryana. The Punjab police surrounded the village due to traitor supplying the information to them. Instead of doing an encounter or even asking Bhai Sahib to surrender, the police straight away threw a bomb in the room where Bhai Sahib’s family was in and due to this cowardly action of the Punjab police all 3 members including Bhai Sahib attained shaheedi. Bhai Sahib’s older son, Bhai Talwinder Singh has been staying with his grandparents in the village of Bhaowal.

 

Purja Purja Kat Maray – Baljit Singh Khalsa