Shaheed Bhai Iqbal Singh alias Mini Baba

Khalistan Liberation Force

 

salok kabeer || Salok, Kabeer:

gagan dhamaamaa baajiou pariou neesaanai ghaao ||

The battle-drum beats in the sky of the mind; aim is taken, and the wound is inflicted.

khaeth j maa(n)ddiou sooramaa ab joojhan ko dhaao ||1||

The spiritual warriors enter the field of battle; now is the time to fight! ||1||

sooraa so pehichaaneeai j larai dheen kae haeth ||

He alone is known as a spiritual hero, who fights in defense of religion.

purajaa purajaa katt marai kabehoo n shhaaddai khaeth ||2||2||

He may be cut apart, piece by piece, but he never leaves the field of battle. ||2||2||

 

In the Sikh Freedom Movement which was started by the Khalsa Panth, many brave warriors contributed with their lives. To attain the tittle Amar Shaheed, the person has to be a keeper of high and pure thinking, someone like Shaheed Bhai Iqbal Singh alias Mini Baba.

 

Bhai Iqbal Singh alias Mini Baba was born on 2nd May 1971 in the house of father, Sardar Malkeet Singh and from the womb of Mata Surjit Kaur, Bhai Sahib had 4 brothers and sisters. Bhai Sahib lived in the village of Rauta, district Moga. From childhood Bhai Sahib was deeply attached to the Sikh faith, he would recite Gurbani Shabad with love. Bhai Sahib always thought of doing sewa for the Sikh panth, when he was 8 years old, Bhai Sahib did the morning and evening nitnem at the local gurudwara, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurudwara. Bhai Sahib also did sewa at other gurughars such as, Gurudwara Nanaksar Thaath. Bhai Sahib in a young age did darshan of Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib where also he recited Gurbani continuously, even the Granthi Singhs here asked Bhai Sahib to stay but due to other responsibilities Bhai Sahib could not stay. It was because of the immense love for Sikhi, Bhai Sahib was called Mini Baba.

Bhai Sahib passed his 8th class at the local village school and then went onto study up till 10th class at a government high school in the village of Patay Hira. It was during Bhai Sahib’s study phase when he started doing sewa with Baba Sawaran Singh Kar Sewa Wale, who had done the sewa of building Gurudwara Shayvi Patshahi, Gurudwara Dasvi Patshahi and Gurudwara Pehli Patshahi. Singhs such as Bhai Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala and Bhai Darshan Singh Bhola would come to these Gurudwaras.

Soon Bhai Sahib also met Bhai Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala and started doing sewa secretly with the singhs of Khalistan Liberation Force. It wasn’t long when the Punjab police came Bhai Sahib’s school and arrested him due to an informant passing information to the police. After this Baba Sawaran Singh Kar Sewa Wale also went underground and later attained shaheedi in a fierce encounter in the Nawashaher area.

Bhai Sahib was also arrested by the CIA Staff of Moga and blindly tortured him for the information of other singhs but Bhai Sahib did not say a single word that would help the police get to other singhs., having enough of this evil treatment, upon being released Bhai Sahib joined Khalistan Liberation Force. The Punjab police now started targeting Bhai Sahib’s family members. Bhai Sahib’s father, Sardar Malkeet Singh was kept at the local police station for almost 5 months and mercilessly tortured. Afraid of the police torture, the whole family left their home. Bhai Sahib’s older brother, Bhai Gurtej Singh was charged with many cases and sent to Bathinda Jail, he was stamped with the TADA act and his life was turned into hell by the jail officials. After being released Bhai Gurtej Singh was again arrested by the Bagha Purana police, he was charged with accommodating Bhai Pargat Singh Fauji and Bhai Mangal Singh Rauta. Bhai Gurtej Singh was then locked up again and went through a period of brutal torture, till today he has not been able to recover.

Bhai Sahib was known as the right arm of Bhai Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala, other singhs in Bhai Sahib’s group were Bhai Mangal Singh Rauta and Bhai Jagjeet Singh Changiara together punished many enemies of the Sikh panth. It is said that Bhai Sahib and Bhai Jagjeet Singh Changiara had made a promise to each other in front of Guru Granth Sahib Ji to attained shaheedi together. One day Bhai Sahib along with a big group of singhs surrounded the police station of Nihal Singh Wala as Sardar Malkeet Singh was locked up in the same police station. Bhai Sahib was supported by Bhai Jagjeet Singh Changiara, Bhai Chand Singh Nangal, Bhai Mangal Singh Rauta, Bhai Pargat Singh Fauji, Bhai Joga Singh Budhsinghwala, Bhai Chamkaur Singh, Bhai Parivar Singh Dhala and many more singhs were present. Soon as the singhs tried to entered the police station the senior officer shouted that singhs are coming and an encounter started which lasted 2 hours. The police present inside the police station shut their gates and started contacting other Indian security forces through the wireless. Bhai Sahib had done two more similar actions.

In the end Bhai Sahib, Bhai Jagjeet Singh Changiara and Bhai Mangal Singh Rauta were staying at house in the village of Tharaj. An informant had told the police of this and within minutes all three singhs were surrounded by Indian security forces. Bhai Sahib having a bath when a fellow singh informed Bhai Sahib that the CRPF had surrounded them, all singhs then grabbed their assault rifles and shouted war cries of Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akaal. A fierce encounter started, Bhai Mangal Singh Rauta managed to escape while other singhs continued to battle. Until Bhai Sahib and Bhai Jagjeet Singh Akalian had ammunition they continued to battle the Indian security forces. After 2 hour encounter on 27th August 1990 Bhai Sahib and Bhai Jagjeet Singh Changiara attained shaheedi together and remained true to their promise.

 

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Iqbal Singh Mini Baba