Shaheed Bhai Jaswinder Singh Jaj Johal

Babbar Khalsa

In this biography we will write about a fearless warrior who at the age of only 15 years left home and joined the Sikh Freedom Movement, he did many brave actions and at the age of 19 years he had attained shaheedi. This Jhujaru Singh was born and raised in the village of Johal Raju Singh Wala, situated in Tarn Taran district. The parents this Jhujaru, their son Bhai Gurmeet Singh Jaj but to the world he is known b his Jathebandi name, Bhai Jaswinder Singh Jaj Johal. A farmer from Johal Raju Singh Wala, Sardar Gurcharan Singh and his wife Mata Narinder Kaur had 4 children, eldest being Bibi Kulwant Kaur, Bhai Manjit Singh, Bhai Jaswinder Singh and the youngest Bhai Jagbir Singh.

Bhai Sahib was born on 22nd November 1973, he studied up till 5th class at the village primary school and after took on the responsibilities of the household. Bhai Sahib had been blessed with the gift of Amrit at a young age from Sri Akaal Takht Sahib. Bhai Sahib was tying a full turban when he was in 5th class. Bhai Sahib was eleven years old when the Indian government attacked Sri Harimandir Sahib in June 1984. Thousands of innocent and unarmed Sikh pilgrims were mercilessly killed, Bhai Sahib mourned this genocide of the Sikhs by the Indian army.

Falling Ill

At a young age Bhai Sahib would get fever and would lose all his senses. The family regularly tried to find a cure for Bhai Sahib, as he had caught the fever many times. Being told by many, Mata Narinder Kaur took Bhai Sahib to Gurudwara Chheharta Sahib and did Ardas for Bhai Sahib’s wellbeing, “Hey Almighty, cure my son so he can be a soldier and join your army.”

This Ardas had been heard and soon Bhai Sahib was cured. Staying true to her words, Mata Narinder Kaur was going to send Bhai Sahib to a Nihang Singh Dal, but little did she know that Bhai Sahib was searching for the army of Dhan Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj that was fighting to break the chains of slavery and establish a free Sikh homeland, Khalistan. Bhai Sahib would deliver milk from his farm to the houses in the Tarn Taran city. During this time the Punjab police were given orders of killing innocent Sikhs in fake encounters. If a person had a turban and a fully grown beard he was classed as a terrorist and his life was in danger, but this did not stop Bhai Sahib from earning his honest living. As well as earning, Bhai Sahib also tried to locate Jhujaru Singhs. Soon Bhai Sahib did not need to search for Jhujaru Singhs anymore, Tarn Taran was the central hub of the Jhujaru Singhs. As Bhai Sahib did his daily milk deliveries in the city he came in contact with Babbar Khalsa’s Bhai Hardev Singh Jorh Singh Wala and his group of Jhujaru Singhs.

Going Underground

Like every other day Bhai Sahib had milked the cows and bought the milk home. Bhai Sahib then started to change his clothes, seeing this Mata Narinder Kaur got suspicious and asked, “Jaj, where are you going?” Bhai Sahib answered, “I have some important work.” His mother then asked, “When will you come back home?” Bhai Sahib replied, “Tonight or maybe tomorrow.”

Mata Narinder Kaur was suspicious and tried to stop Bhai Sahib, but this Jhujaru Singh had picked his path and was not going to walk of this path. This happened in August 1989 and the day was a Thursday. Bhai Sahib did not return the following night either. The family members were extremely worried about Bhai Sahib and had started looking for him. On the 6th day Bhai Sahib came home to meet his family, he had an assault rifle in his hand, an ammunition bag around his waist and he was accompanied by fellow Jhujaru Singhs. This was a clear message to the family that their son had joined the army of Dhan Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji Maharaj. At this time Bhai Sahib’s age was 15 years. The whole family was shocked to see this sight Bhai Sahib’s grandmother, Mata Jeet Kaur said, “Don’t go on this path. We have bought you cattle for your farms.” Bhai Sahib answered, “Dear Grandmother, look at this singh (pointing at Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar Jorh Singh Wala) he has left his cars and you expect me not to leave my cattle?”

Request Of His Grandmother

The life of Mata Jeet Kaur had also been hard. At a young age Bhai Sahib’s grandfather, Sardar Aroor Singh was murdered. Mata Jeet Kaur lived as a widow and looked after her children. When Sardar Aroor Singh was murdered, Bhai Sahib’s father Sardar Gurcharan Singh was only 12 years old. Later when Sardar Gurcharan Singh took on the responsibilities of the house, he and his cousin were involved in a serious accident with a truck. The truck had toppled on to these and when the truck was lifted, the cousin was pronounced dead on the scene meanwhile Sardar Gurcharan Singh’s leg was crushed and had to be amputated. At this time Bhai Sahib was only 6 years old. Now 10 years after her son’s accident, the thought of her grandson joining the Jhujaru Singhs had put Mata Jeet Kaur in deep worry. Once Bhai Sahib had taken the path of Jhujaru Singhs, there was no coming back. The request of his grandmother or any other family member did not have any effect on Bhai Sahib’s decision.

1st Encounter

On one side the Jhujaru Singhs were fighting the battle of Khalistan on the levelled ground of Punjab and on the other side the Indian security forces and their informants were trying everything to stop the Jhujarus. Bhai Sahib had just joined the movement when he faced the enemy on the battlefield for the first time. The Indian security forces had surrounded Bhai Sahib and fellow singhs in the village of Cheema, near Patti. As the enemy moved forward, the Jhujaru Singhs greeted them with bullets. The CRPF ran back to take positions to return fire. During this time the Indian security forces were using the tactic to keep the Jhujaru Singhs occupied while they called for reinforcements to attack the Jhujaru Singhs from behind. But the Jhujaru Singhs also knew of this crooked tactic and would fool the enemy by firing, changing positions and eventually escaping. In this encounter many bullets were exchanged and in the end all the singhs managed to escape. In this encounter Bhai Sahib was with Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar Jorh Singh Wala, Bhai Bhola Singh Gurdaspuria and other singhs. Bhai Sahib had put on an appearance of a farmer with a shovel on his shoulder and walked right through the enemy. The Indian security forces fell for this disguise of Bhai Sahib and thought that he was just a farmer trying to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. After this encounter Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar Jorh Singh Wala knew that Bhai Sahib was 100% genuine.

1st Arrest

During the long trips the Jhujaru Singhs did not keep weapons on themselves. Bhai Sahib was travelling with 2 singhs from the village of Lallu Ghuman, Bhai Harjit Singh and Bhai Billu. All of a sudden the Punjab police arrested the 3 singhs of suspicion. The singhs were taken to the police station of village Gharinde, which is situated on Atari Road in the Amritsar area. When a Jhujaru Singh is arrested on suspicion, the intelligence of the police force and the Jhujaru Singhs is tested. The police had the job of finding out if the arrested person is a real Jhujaru Singh and the arrested singh has the duty of not letting the police find out that he is a real Jhujaru Singh. The other tactic the police used when arresting a group of singhs was to question them separately, asking questions such as: Who are you? Where are you from? Where do you work? Who are the people with you? How do you know them? Where were you going?

Only the top Jhujaru Singhs who have planned the answers to such questions can avoid falling in this trap laid by the police. If the police get different answers then their suspicion will turn into certainty and then the blind torture and interrogation starts. Jhujaru Singhs had planned on how to tackle the tactic of the police. Before travelling unarmed, the Jhujaru Singhs use to plan what they would say if the police arrested them and questioned them separately. It was this tactic Bhai Sahib and fellow singh followed and when questioned they gave similar answers. During this time only Bhai Sahib was underground and the other 2 singhs did sewa while staying at home. The police questioned the singhs for 3 days due to the police finding used batteries on the singhs, the police may have thought that these batteries were for explosives. The singhs explained why they had these batteries but the police were still suspicious. The singhs stayed on track with their plan and did not get nervous. Bhai Sahib would speak loudly as he answered the police, so that the other singhs could hear what to say. The Panchayat of Lallu Ghuman also got involved and supported the singhs. After 3 days the police released all 3 singhs and Bhai Sahib had passed another challenge.

Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar Jorh Singh Wala fully trusted Bhai Sahib, he gave Bhai Sahib the command of one of his groups. During this time one of the groups which was led by Bhai Major Singh Babbar, under the command of Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar was surrounded by the Indian security forces in the village of Rurhiwala. In the encounter all 5 singhs of the group attained shaheedi, this was a major setback for Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar’s group. These warriors of Babbar Khalsa continued to progress in the dark nights with their assault rifles.

2nd Encounter

It was the year of 1990 in the month of August, Bhai Sahib and Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar were with another eleven singhs resting in a farmhouse in the village of Lallu Ghuman, when all of sudden the Indian security forces surrounded the singhs. The Indian security forces did not surround the singhs due to an informant, in fact there was another reason. Two singhs from the group of Jhujaru Singhs had gone to Gurudwara Bir Sahib in Jhabbal to do darshan of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj. Indian security forces had their civil clothed officers in almost every Gurudwara in Punjab, as they knew that Jhujaru Singhs who were fighting for Khalistan were 100% religious and could not live without doing darshan of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj. The enemy tried their best to capture Jhujaru Singhs as they came to Gurudwaras to worship. The Indian CID had recongnised these two singhs who had come to Gurudwara Baba Bir Sahib.

CID also used another tactic to cause big damage to the singhs, not to arrest singhs at the Gurudwara but to follow them and see where they go. The two singhs did not realise that they were being followed by the CID after the Gurudwara. The CID followed the singhs to Lallu Ghuman village where rest of the Jhujaru Singhs were and then the CID informed Indian armed forces of the location. Village of Lallu Ghuman is 3 kilometres away from Tarn Taran Jhabbal Rd, this village is assigned to Jhabbal police station. The police wireless sets were heard screaming and thousands of Indian soldiers surrounded Lallu Ghuman. It was 9 o’clock in the morning, when the singhs realised that they had been surrounded by the enemy. The Jhujaru Singhs grabbed their assault rifles and took positions, the encounter had now started.

Bullets of showering from both sides, the locals ran into their homes for cover. The news of Bhai Sahib and Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar being surrounded by the enemy was spreading village to village. The police was slowly moving forward but the singhs were stopping them in their tracks by fighting with bravery. The singhs would fire towards the enemy and quickly switch positions. From seconds to minutes and minutes were turning into hours but the bullets were still showering from both sides. The police had the latest weapons and unlimited ammunition, food, drink and soldiers but on the other side the eleven Jhujaru Singhs of Babbar Khalsa who had not eaten that day and were writing history by fighting thousands of Indian soldiers and laid a carpet of dead Indian soldiers. This encounter started at 9am and continued throughout the day and night. The singhs who were hungry had been fighting for 24 hours, the food was not a big deal to the singhs but due to it being very hot the singhs were dehydrating as no water was available. As there was no water the singhs were unable to move around quick as they were in the start but still these singhs of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj continued to bravely battle the Indian security forces.

Then a miracle happened. The singhs had done an Ardas to Waheguru to keep a watch over them. It was like Akaalpurakh ordered the clouds to come over the village of Lallu Ghuman and it started to rain. The farms filled up with water and the singhs drank water with their hands and thanked Waheguru for the blessings of Amrit like water. After drinking water the singhs again became fresh and started moving around quickly like in the start. The paid solders of India could not gather the strength to enter the farms from which the singhs were fighting from. Soon the wires in Delhi were ringing and KP Gill, who was the head of Punjab police came to the scene of battlefield. The singhs found out that KP Gill was present and deployed the tactic of not firing bullets. When KP Gill came in range, the singhs quickly started firing towards this evil man, but KP Gill fell to the ground to take cover and the Indian soldiers had to take him away.

As well as rain, the bullets were also showering on the battlefield, the encounter had now passed the 36 hour mark. The wireless sets of the CRPF were going off the hook, on the side the high ranking Indian officials were waiting to hear the outcome of the battle. The Jhujaru Singh wanted to teach the Indian security forces a lesson so next time they surround singhs they will have to think twice. In this encounter 6 singhs attained shaheedi as they fought with pride. It was in this encounter that Bhai Sahib suffered a bullet wound to the mouth.

Another singhs who had been shot in the leg informed Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar of Bhai Sahib’s injury. Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar went to Bhai Sahib’s position and Bhai Sahib asked him for a Sy-Nyde capsule so Bhai Sahib could attain shaheedi and not come into the hands of enemy alive. Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar said, “Jaj, I will not give you the Sy-Nyde capsule till I am alive.” Now the singhs did heavy firing to make their escape. Up to this moment 6 singhs had attained shaheedi, their names were Bhai Harjit Singh Lallu Ghuman, Bhai Joginder Singh Bathal, Bhai Angrej Singh Marhi Kaboke, Bhai Lakhwinder Singh Pandori, Bhai Mehima Singh and another unknown singh, two singhs had already escaped on the 1st night they were Bhai Nishan Singh Khaparkheri and another unknown singh. Now only 3 singhs were fighting the enemy, Bhai Sahib, Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar and another unknown singh. In the end all 2 singhs of which 2 singhs were badly injured managed to rip the hurdle of sheep (Indian security forces) apart and escaped in the darkness of the night of the second day.

Treating The Wound

Instead of going away from the location of encounter and escaping, the singh chose to stay at a house of a Gursikh in Lallu Ghuman. It was here the singhs received limited medical care. Meanwhile the Punjab police and CRPF were standing on every corner of Lallu Ghuman, but the singhs were resting after the 36 hour battle. The Indian security forces never could have thought that the singhs from the encounter would remain in the same village, hence why they didn’t search the houses of Lallu Ghuman. The police was too busy gathering the dead soldiers and treating their wounds, at the same time trying ti identify the 6 shaheed singhs. The bodies of the 6 singhs were taken t Jhabbal where they were identified.

The news of Bhai Sahib escaping the encounter reached his village, the locals were happy and held a Sri Akhand Paath Sahib to thank Waheguru. When Mata Narinder Kaur heard that her son had been wounded, she went to Lallu Ghuman to see him and instead of crying she met her son in high spirits. At this moment she told her son, “Jaj, your Nana Ji was also shot when he was in Pakistan.” Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar had Bhai Sahib treated by a professional doctor, the would had been treated of Bhai Sahib but he also needed an operation as the jaw bone of Bhai Sahib was also broken.

The 5 Jathebandis held a meeting in the village of Sakheera. In this meeting beside Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar and Bhai Sahib there were Bhai Baldev Singh Gaddar Sakheera, Bhai Mahinder Singh Piond, Bhai Sukhdev Singh Chabba, Bhai Dharam Singh Keshtival, Bhai Paramjit Singh Panjwar, Bhai Anar Singh Para, Bhai Harbhajan Singh Mand all in total 40 singhs attended this meeting. It is said, Bhai Sukhdev Singh Babbar, Bhai Wadhawa Singh Babbar and Bhai Mahal Singh Babbar were also in this meeting. In this meeting Bhai Dharam Singh Keshtival took on the responsibility of Bhai Sahib’s operation. Bhai Sahib was treated at Amritsar Hospital by a close friend of Bhai Dharam Singh Keshtival. After the operation Bhai Sahib was well again and he thanked Bhai Keshtival. After this Bhai Sahib and Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar went out of Punjab for a while.

Shaheed Of Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar

After coming back to Punjab, Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar and Bhai Sahib stayed night in village Lallu Ghuman on 25th January 1991. Both singhs slept in different houses in case of a police raid. The following morning Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar went out on scooter unarmed to deal with some work. The petrol from the scooter had finished and it was at this point the police jeeps surrounded him and arrested the unarmed Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar. He was taken to Jhabbal police station after his arrest. Now the brutal torture for information on fellow singhs started, But Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar took on all the torture but did not give any information that could put the Jathebandi, Jhujaru Singhs or their weapons at risk. As the Indian security forces did not get the information they had hoped for, they decided to kill Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar. On the morning of 27th January 1991, the police took Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar and tied each of his legs to separate jeeps and as the jeeps speeded away Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar was ripped in two pieces and attained shaheedi. Shaheed Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar took on the evil regime of India fearlessly and had now attained shaheedi with the blessings of Dhan Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj. The Punjab police declared him shaheed in a fierce encounter and later cremated the body of Shaheed Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar without the family’s knowledge.

The shaheedi of Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar was a very big setback for Babbar Khalsa, but even bigger for Bhai Sahib who looked up to Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar as an older brother. Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar of Jor Singh Wala had loved Bhai Sahib like a younger brother, it was he who taught Bhai Sahib the ins and the outs of guerrilla warfare. After the shaheedi of Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar, the high command of Babbar Khalsa gave Bhai Sahib the rank of Shaheed Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar. Bhai Sahib continued to punish the anti-Sikh elements without any stops or distractions, as this was what Shaheed Bhai Hardev Singh Babbar would have wanted Bhai Sahib to do.

3rd Encounter

June 1991, it was beginning of Sangraand and a group of Babbar Khalsa Jhujaru Singhs were resting in the village of Sakheera. All of a sudden the Indian security forces raided the location and an encounter started, bullets from both sides were being fired. Bhai Baldev Singh Sakheera, Bhai Baghel Singh, Bhai Sahib and another unknown singh greeted the enemy with bullets. At this moment the Indian security forces were shocked at the reply of the singhs as they thought this encounter would not reach a battle instead singhs would put up their hands and give themselves up. A shaken up police officer shot at a young girl who was milking a cow. She was the daughter of farmer, Sardar Avtar Singh. This girl was badly wounded, the Indian soldiers could not gather the courage to fight the Jhujaru Singhs and instead shot and innocent villagers to make the Jhujaru Singhs put down their weapons and at the same time frame the Jhujaru Singhs in a bad image. Bhai Sahib and fellow singhs jumped walls and roofs of Sakheera and managed to escape.

The locals of Sakheera still remember one thing as Bhai Sahib escaped by jumping walls. As Bhai Sahib jumped over wall to avoid a shower of bullets but in the process his Kangha fell on the floor. Bhai Sahib realised his Kangha was missing when he was on the other side of the wall. Bhai Sahib stopped and was about to jump over the wall again to retrieve his Kangha, but fellow singhs said that he should escape and not risk his life. Bhai Sahib had smile on his face and said, “Brothers, I am going to get my Kangha back.” The fellow Jhujaru Singhs thought Bhai Sahib was being crazy, but Bhai Sahib quickly jumped over the wall again and picked up his Kangha. Bhai Sahib then jumped over again narrowly missing bullets and escaped. The Indian security forces got scared thinking that a Jhujaru Singh had come back to kill them. No bullet of the enemy touched Bhai Sahib as he escaped.

After escaping from this encounter all the singhs went their separate ways. Bhai Baghel Singh had reached the river of Jaura, but the reinforcements spotted him and shot him from a distance and he attained shaheedi. At the scene of the encounter the Indian security forces were telling the daughter of Sardar Avtar Singh who had been shot by the Punjab police to say that the Jhujaru Singhs had shot her in the statement, but the fearless girl did not agree and she shouted out that Punjab police had shot her. The angry Indian security forces did not allow her to be treated for her wound and by the evening the brave girl had bled to death and attained shaheedi.

 

4th Encounter

In 1991, roughly 10 to 11 Jhujaru Singhs were resting at a base in the village of Durgapur in the Tarn Taran area. When all of sudden the Punjab police and the CRPF surrounded them. At this time singhs such as Bhai Sahib, Bhai Sewa Singh, Bhai Charanjit Singh Channa, Bhai Nishan Singh Khaparkheri, Bhai Sukhwinder Singh Ghora Patti, Bhai Kesar Singh and Bhai Harbhajan Singh were all in this group of 10-11 Jhujaru Singhs. The singhs of Babbar Khalsa opened fire and the Indian security forces were made to move back and this made it easy for singhs to escape. In this encounter 2 singhs attained shaheedi, one of the singhs who attained shaheedi in this encounter was wearing the ammunition bag of Bhai Sahib with the name ‘Bhai Jaswinder Singh Jaj Johal’ embroidered on it.

The News Of Shaheedi

Reading the name ‘Bhai Jaswinder Singh Jaj Johal’ on the ammunition bag which was around the waist of a shaheed singh, police started celebrating as they had thought they killed Bhai Sahib. The police officers were congratulating each other. That night Doordarshan TV gave the news of Bhai Sahib’s shaheedi and the bravery of the Indian police force by stating, “The Jhujaru Singh who had the reward of 15 Lakh Rupees on his head has been killed in a fierce encounter in the village of Durgapur.” This news left tears in the eyes of the people that loved Bhai Sahib dearly. The following day this news was printed on the front page of the national newspaper. A wave of sadness was drifting amongst the public of Punjab.

Judging how many people were upset with the news of Bhai Sahib’s shaheedi and how many Indian soldiers were happy that they had killed Bhai Sahib, Bhai Sahib decided to let everyone know that he is in high spirits and still alive. Bhai Sahib sent statement to all media saying:

Mein Jinda Hun Yeh Mashahar Keejeeai,

Mere Kaateelon Ko Khabar Keejeeai.

Let everyone know to accept this, I am alive,

Give this news to my murderers.

Bhai Jaswinder Singh Jaj Johal, Babbar Khalsa.

 

The next day newspapers printed this statement by Bhai Sahib. Now the tables had turned, the public of Punjab were happy to hear that Bhai Sahib was alive and the Indian soldiers were mourning that they didn’t get the Jhujaru Singh they thought they had killed. This event made the Indian security forces look as they were unorganised and not a professional force, in fact they were just murderers, who were killing as many Sikhs in their career to get promoted.

Anand Karaj

A week after the above encounter, Bhai Sahib was married to Bibi Amarjit Kaur, daughter of Sardar Joginder Singh from the village of Sakheera. This wedding was done with the help of Baba Charan Singh Kar Sewa Wale from Gurudwara Baba Bir Sahib and Babbar Khalsa’s Bhai Baldev Singh Gaddar Sakheera. Bibi Amarjit Kaur was also a Jhujaru minded woman, who wanted to support her husband in the Sikh Freedom Movement. This was the main reason Bhai Sahib decided to get married. Many Jhujaru Singhs attended the marriage of Bhai Sahib and amongst the sangat were the brother and sister in law of Bhai Sukhdev Singh Chabba.

Shaheedi Of Bhai Sukhdev Singh Chabba

Bhai Sukhdev Singh Chabba was arrested by the Indian security forces as he was travelling to a Babbar Khalsa meeting in Ludhiana, he was the area commander of the Majha district. Bhai Sukhdev Singh Chabba was blindly tortured, but he never uttered a single word that may have damaged the progress of the Khalistan movement. In the end on 25th February 1992, Bhai Chabba could not bear the torture and attained shaheedi. Bhai Chabba had a lot of love for Bhai Sahib, just a few days prior to his arrest, he had given Bhai Sahib a dastar and a Saropa as a present at the wedding. Not worried about the consequences Bhai Sahib and Bibi Amarjit Kaur visited Bhai Chabba’s house to pay his respects to a fallen soldier of Khalistan. Not just that but whenever Bhai Sahib would pass by the Chabba village, he and his singhni would visit Bhai Chabba’s family. There used to be a CRPF checkpoint on the Chabba River which was fearlessly crossed by this couple every time.

Surrounded In Village Chabba

One day as Bhai Sahib and his singhni, Bibi Amarjit Kaur was sitting in Bhai Chabba’s house when the police surrounded them due to an informant who had told the police about Bhai Sahib being in Chabba. It was 9 o’clock in the morning when the police entered Chabba and as soon as Bhai Sahib realised he was surrounded he tried to vacate the village safely. Bhai Sahib knew that it would be more dangerous to escape with his singhni and as the Indian security forces did not know what his singhni looked like and also there was no record of her, he decided to leave Bibi Amarjit Kaur at Bhai Chabba’s house. Bhai Sahib had escaped and the police started searching houses and Bibi Amarjit Kaur went to hide in the next door neighbour’s house. When Bibi Amarjit Kaur went to the neighbour’s house, she saw a woman making chapattis and told this woman, “Bibi Ji, you get up and I’ll make the chapattis.” The woman knew what the deal was and said, “You carry on making chapattis fearlessly, and I will tell them that you my daughter.” The woman had told her other children to refer to Bibi Amarjit Kaur as their sister.

The police entered the house in which Bibi Amarjit Kaur was sitting in front of a stove making chapattis. Bibi Amarjit Kaur did not pay much attention to the police, instead she continued cooking. The police didn’t suspect anything either, but in Bibi Amarjit Kaur’s mind she was worried about Bhai Sahib if he had escaped or not. No one knew that Bhai Sahib had escaped. The police had left the house, they had arrested a young singh thinking it was Bhai Sahib. One of the children of the woman came running to Bibi Amarjit Kaur and said, “Didi ji, they have arrested veer ji (Bhai Sahib).” Bibi Amarjit Kaur got worried and ran outside to see, as she came outside the police were starting their engines to vacate the village. The informant who bought the police to the village on the first place was also present there, he saw Bibi Amarjit Kaur and quickly whispered something into the ears of the police officer. The running engines of the police jeeps were turned off. The police thought that if Bibi Amarjit Kaur is here then Bhai Sahib would also be nearby.

The police started searching the houses again, but when they found no weapons and no Bhai Sahib, they surrounded Bibi Amarjit Kaur and asked her for her name. Bibi Amarjit Kaur gave a false name but the police officer replied, “Don’t lie, you are the wife of Jaj?” Bibi Amarjit Kaur knew that someone had fed the police with information and now she fearlessly accepted the truth.

Bibi Amarjit Kaur, “Yes I am his wife!”

Police officer, “Where are you from?”

Bibi Amarjit Kaur, “My village is Sakheera!”

The police were stunned to see the bravery of Bibi Amarjit Kaur. In the Tarn Taran area a police officer promoted SP due to his brutality towards Sikhs was out Jhujaru Singhs even if this meant harassing the women. His name was SP Operation Khubi Ram, he had reached the village of Chabba. SP Khubi Ram looked at Bibi Amarjit Kaur and said, “Why did you get married to Jaj? Don’t you know that these people have a small life?” Bibi Amarjit Kaur did not answer this question and remained quiet. At first Khubi Ram asked normal questions such as, how much she had studied and who had them married etc. Bibi Amarjit Kaur answered his questions fearlessly, but then Khubi Ram came to his expectations and asked, “Where are the weapons? Where are the terrorists who were with you?” Bibi Amarjit Kaur was brave but she was not familiar with the tactics of the Indian security forces. Khubi Ram knew that Bibi Amarjit Kaur had a lot of information on Jhujaru Singhs and their actions, now he was threatening her. But Bibi Amarjit Kaur stayed calm, Khubi Ram threatened her again and said, “We will not stand your beauty anymore, you must know that Punjab police are total dogs.”

Bibi Amarjit Kaur replied, “Yes, I know how weak the police are.” With this reply Khubi Ram started blowing smoke from his ears as he was really angry. Bibi Amarjit Kaur may have been answering him fearlessly but in her mind she thought, “If they take me to the police station, they might rape me.” Thinking of this she decided to swallow a capsule of Sy-Nyde, she preferred to give shaheedi now instead of being harassed and raped at a police station.

The police locked Bibi Amarjit Kaur in a room and started to question the people in the house. Bibi Amarjit Kaur had swallowed a Sy-Nyde capsule but the capsule was a fake and did not work. This turned out to make Bibi Amarjit Kaur even more confident, that if Dhan Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj did not let her die from the Sy-Nyde then what could the police do to her.

Torture Of Bibi Amarjit Kaur

Bibi Amarjit Kaur, brother and the son of Shaheed Bhai Sukhdev Singh Chabba were taken to the CIA interrogation centre in Tarn Taran. By now Bibi Amarjit Kaur had realised that her husband had escaped safely and was in high spirits, this had doubled her confidence. Also Bibi Amarjit Kaur was from the same village as Shaheed Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sakheera and her unlimited belief in Guru Maharaj was a confident booster within itself. The police tried all forms of traps to get information from Bibi Amarjit Kaur, may it be greed or fear.  The police would say, “We won’t let your name come into this, we’ll surround them (Jhujaru Singhs) and let you come out. But if you don’t help us then the consequences will be bad.” Bibi Amarjit Kaur did not fall for these traps and did not give any information to the police.

The police was not satisfied, they tied her arms to the back and hung her from the ceiling. Exactly at that time another police officer spotted some medication in Bibi Amarjit Kaur’s purse which indicated that she was pregnant. This police officer quickly put her down, and then 3 female constables locked her up in a room. On the other side Bhai Sahib contacted the high command of Babbar Khalsa to talk for the arrangements of his wife’s release. The high command of Babbar Khalsa replied, “We are still trying to free the wife of Bhai Dharam Singh Keshtival. We will surely free them, but we have to be patient. Bibi Amarjit Kaur stayed at the CIA interrogation centre for 6 days, her family knew a Congress leader who helped the family free her. After being released Bibi Amarjit Kaur spent few days at home and then again joined her husband.

Shaheedi Of Bhai Baldev Singh Gaddar Sakheera

Then after for some time this Jhujaru couple stayed out of Punjab, in Nanded. It was here the news was given to Bhai Sahib that his Jhujaru brother, Bhai Baldev Singh Gaddar Sakheera had attained shaheedi. This was another setback for Bhai Sahib. While at Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded the CID started following them and they came back to Punjab. Punjab was now under the control of CM Butcher Beanta and the torture, fake encounters and harassment of the sikhs had now doubled. The singhs were struggling for weapons also, so when Bhai Sahib came to Punjab he tried to arrange weapons for the singhs. For this Bhai Sahib sent his wife to her family in Sakheera.

The Birth Of Son

On 21st September 1992, Bibi Amarjit Kaur gave birth to Bhai Sahib’s son. Bhai Sahib named his son Bhujangi Jarnail Singh. When Bhai Sahib’s son was month old he called Bibi Amarjit Kaur to Amritsar to see his son. Bibi Amarjit Kaur and Bhujangi Jarnail Singh stayed with Bhai Sahib for 10 days and after told his singhni to go back. Bibi Amarjit Kaur wanted to stay with her husband on every step, but Bhai Sahib promised her that he will call her again after few days and Bibi Amarjit Kaur returned home.

One Special Ardas

On the day of Sangraand of Maghar month in 1992 4 Jhujaru brothers, Bhai Sahib, Bhai Nishan Singh Khaparkheri, Bhai Kharak Singh Chabba and Bhai Bikramjit Singh Raju Pehlwan Varpal went to Sri Harimandir Sahib to do darshan. The singhs were ready to go to Sri Mukhatsar Sahib to pick up weapons and to do a very important action, but before they left they thought it was important to do Ardas in front Dhan Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj for their blessing upon the singhs. Standing under the Dukh Bhanjani Beri, some of the words said by Bhai Sahib in the Ardas reached the family members also. In the Ardas Bhai Sahib did not ask for himself to be protected, Ardas was to attain shaheedi in an encounter against the enemy. The Granthi Singh gave all 4 singhs a Saropa and then the singhs set off to Sri Mukhatsar.

Fierce Encounter And Shaheedi

The journey was long and it was dark, the singhs knew no one in this area. It was 18th November 1992, in the Chibrianwali village of the Mukhatsar district the Jhujaru Singh took refuge in a fruit garden. It was the month of November and it was extremely cold, the singhs requested duvets from the local gardener. But the gardener went to the Sarpanch of the village and said that there armed men in the fruit gardens. The news spread and eventually reached the police. The police now surrounded the fruit gardens from all 4 sides and switched on the headlights of their jeeps. During these days the police had created an atmosphere of fear due to the Kale Kache Wale crimes and this made the locals report to the police if they saw strangers in their villages. The police may not have fully succeeded in this tactic but the Jhujaru Singhs were having to struggle to find a place for rest.

After surrounding the fruit gardens, the police straight away drove one of the jeeps into the garden. By now the singhs had taken their positions with their assault rifles. The singhs of Dhan Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj rained bullets on to the police jeep that not even one police officer that was in the jeep survived. The singhs quickly took the weapons of the killed police officers and showered bullets on to the enemies.

Thousands of police, CRPF and BSF soldiers had come onto the scene. But the starving and tired Jhujaru Singhs continued to answer each bullet of the Indian regime with a bullet of Khalistan with bravery. The 4 singhs of Babbar Khalsa continued to change positions and attack unsuspectingly, these singhs held the enemy in their thousands at buy for over 28 hours. The singhs had laid a carpet on the battlefield of the bodies of the dead enemies. Like this after 28 hours of battling the Indian security forces Bhai Sahib, Bhai Nishan Singh Khaparkheri, Bhai Kharak Singh Chabba and Bhai Bikramjit Singh Raju Pehlwan Varpal attained shaheedi and drank the sweet nectar of martyrdom.

The Indian security forces had suffered great damage and had lost big number of their soldiers, this was a great embarrassment for the government. to wash this embarrassment off, the Indian security forces took the 6 Sikh youths who were locked up in a local police station and bought them to the scene of the encounter and killed them also to make it out to be as they were also part of the Jhujaru group. The press was told that 10 Jhujaru Singhs were killed in this encounter, but the truth is that there were only 4 Jhujaru Singhs who faught on this night who had set of from Sri Harimandir Sahib after doing Ardas. The Ardas was heard the court of Akaalpurakh and that’s why the singhs fought for 28 hours with bravery and honour and finally attained shaheedi. This will be amongst one of the biggest embarrassments of the Indian government.

Vangaar – March 2013