Shaheed Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi

Khalistan Liberation Force

 

This Jhujaru Singh was the pride and honour of the Sikh Nation. Leaving behind his well-paid government job to sacrifice his life fighting for Khalistan. It was none other than Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi hailing from a village named Khujala (Batala, district Gurdaspur). Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi was born on 10th April 1967, from the blessed womb of mother, Mata Sarabjit Kaur and in the house of father, Sardar Jaswant Singh. He had 2 brothers and 1 sister. After passing tenth grade, Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi entered the Punjab police training program.

 

In 1988, at the age of 22 years he enrolled as a Sipahi (Police Officer) in the Batala Police. Here, he completed his full training and was qualified to work in the line of policing. Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi came from a very religious and dedicated family and would always remind him to remain in Chardikala (high spirits and positive attitude). The family had very close ties and love for the Panthic organisation known as the Damdami Taksal. They would often meet with the congregation at religious events.

 

At the police station where Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi was posted, he was witness to much injustice and torture inflicted on innocent baptised Sikhs. The SSP of this police station was Gobind Ram. Many 15 to 20 informants and black cats would come to meet the heinous Gobind Ram to have derogatory conversation on methods ways to eradicate the name and identity of the Sikh people. Upon hearing such conversations, Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi would get very distressed, angry and hurt. The SSP Gobind Ram was known to inflict brutal torture on innocent Sikh men and women. One such example was of Bhai Gurnam Singh Banwali, who was arrested and picked up by police from Umarpur and SSP Gobind Ram took complete pleasure in inflicting the most treacherous torture on his body.

 

There were many black cats who were accomplice to Gobind Ram, in his killings and torture of innocent Sikhs. There was one such cat, Jaswinder Kala who would come to meet Gobind Ram regularly with his father, brother and brother in-law Channa Diagarh. He would do whatever it took to please Gobind Ram. Often bringing looted items of the Shaheed Singhs in front of Gobind Ram expecting special level of promotions and rewards for having murdered endless innocent Sikhs. The likes of this cat would murder members of Shaheed families and those who served and provided a place for hide out and respite for the Jhujaru Singhs.

 

On one occasion (13th February 1988), Bhai Bhupinder Singh Kamoke and Bhai Kashmir Singh Molvipind were travelling via Liddar village. Both Cat Jaswinder Kala and his brother in-law Charanjit Channa of Diagarh, saw the opportunity and killed them on the spot. They then took over the Singhs vehicle and took their bodies in the vehicle to the village of Athwal and fabricated a fake encounter. They would then glorify the story to gain praise when telling Gobind Ram of these events claiming that they had come into confrontation with the Jhujaru Singhs and killed them with ease. This made Gobind Ram happy.

 

The police would also openly claim that the family members too would get caught up in the altercation and lost their lives. Yet this was far from the truth, these heinous black cats would take advantage of the opportunity and deliberately kill them, or family members would be specially picked up, taken to police stations and be unforgivably tortured. There was one such other black cat, known as Lakhwinder Maruti, who too gained promotion and became an ASI for having a track record of the most torture inflicted on innocent Sikhs. He was known to have arrested the wives of Bhai Mehal Singh Babbar and Bhai Kulwant Singh and other Jhujaru Singhs from Amritsar, who they then took to Gobind Ram and were relentlessly tortured under his watch at Biko Central Intelligence Agency. Black cat Lakhwinder Maruti had also arrested Bhai Dalwinder Singh Halwara and Bhai Puran Singh Chachowali. Inspector Santa Singh and SP Sharma tied these Singhs hands together behind their backs and hung them from the ceiling, where they were tortured and killed; thus attaining Shaheedi (martyrdom). Bhai Chachowali repeatedly chanted god’s name, “Waheguru” until his last breath. Lakhwinder Maruti and Thanedar Gursewak broke both legs of Sardar Iqbal Singh from the village Gill Bob, who was a retired army personnel and left him stranded by the road side.

 

Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi was unable to bear the unjust and horrific murders happening right under his nose. He could no longer take this, his conscience was roaring out loud. He then took inspiration and influence from Bhai Puran Singh Chachowali’s strength and vigour. Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi decided to meet General Bhai Jugraj Singh Toofan of a well-known Jhujaru militia, Khalistan Liberation Force. Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi requested permission from Bhai Toofan Singh to serve justice and eliminate the butcher of Sikhs, Gobind Ram. Bhai Jugraj Singh Toofan advised that, “We shall surely take care of Gobind Ram, but first let’s deal with these black cats Jaswinder Kala and Lakhwinder Maruti. The two, who thought it was funny to mock the Jhujaru Singhs and their families, by arresting them and presenting them to Gobind Ram, referring to them as goods and hunting catch. They were now going to meet their fate.”

 

One day, Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi was on duty and Jaswinder Kala dragged Sardar Manga Singh, an elderly Singh from Sohian village, in front of Gobind Ram claiming that this is a man who would feed hot meals to the Jhujaru Singhs. “He has no daughters, but does have two daughter in-laws and I’ve taken the opportunity to disrespect their dignity (raped the women). Had he a daughter I would have brought her here too.” claimed Jaswinder Kala. Sardar Manga Singh put his hands together and begged for his mercy and said, “I am not at fault, I have nothing to do with this. Instead, Jaswinder Kala entered my house with guns and asked for food, and claimed to be a Jhujaru Singh. I only agreed out of fear and gave the food. Then he accused me of feeding the terrorists. I am a poor old man, let me go please.”

 

Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi was too pained to the pleas of Sardar Manga Singh. At that very moment Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi saw flashbacks like in a movie, of how Bhai Gurnam Singh Pehlwan Babbar Dabbanwala was tortured and cut limb by limb, then attaining Shaheedi. At that very moment, a brave man’s fire of anger came alight and Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi took out his service revolver and riddled Jaswinder Kala with bullets. He took Jaswinder Kala’s service revolver as ID of the person eliminated and presented it to Bhai Jugraj Singh Toofan, roaring a slogan of victory. Unfortunately, the critically injured Jaswinder Kala was taken to hospital and was saved from death.

 

Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi gave his job the boot and went on to join the Jhujaru Singhs of the Khalistan Liberation Force militia group. Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi became very involved and undertook many missions and eliminated many perpetrators. He became very apt at his duty, respectfully becoming Bhai Jugraj Singh Toofan’s right arm man. Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi cornered Jaswinder Kala near village of Dhariwal, while he was returning from his usual unsolicited raid on homes of Jhujaru Singhs and he was forever sent to the gallows of death. Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi also took it upon himself to capture Charanjit Channa (the brother in-law of Jaswinder Kala) from Diagarh village and got him to tell the entire story on how he killed, Shaheed Bhai Bhupinder Singh Kamoke. For this, Charanjit Channa also got his one way ticket to the road of death, settling the revenge on the Jhujaru Singhs he had killed. After the Shaheedi of Bhai Jugraj Singh Toofan, Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi went on to join Bhai Wassan Singh Zaffarwal’s Khalistan Commando Force and Bhai Jaswant Singh Ahluwalia. Due to his loyalty and fierce Jhujaru actions, Bhi Jaswinder Singh Sipahi was made Major General of Khalistan Commando Force (Zaffarwal).

 

Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi then got married to Bibi Balwinder Kaur, daughter of Sardar Mara Singh Nihang, from the village of Dhapai. Bibi Balwinder Kaur came from a baptised Sikh family, living the principled Sikh way of life. She was a well learnt martial artist in Gatka and weaponry. She too fought side by side with her husband as part of the armed struggle and guerrilla warfare for Khalistan. On 26th February 1991, Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi was involved in fierce battle, in which one of his Jhujaru brothers had attained Shaheedi, and in an injured state, Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi managed to escape. Recovering from his wounds, Bhai Sahib was resting along with his wife and other Jhujaru Singhs in house on the outskirts of Khujala village.

 

Then on 10th March 1991, Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi, Bibi Balwinder Kaur along with their Jhujaru brothers, Bhai Malkiat Singh Khujala and Bhai Bohar Singh were suddenly surrounded by the police, led by Sita Ram SSP of Batala, DSP RP Singh. A police informant had leaked the location of this Jhujaru group to Batala police. A battle started, Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi and Bibi Balwinder Kaur decided to give their Shaheedi together as the wounded Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi was unable to escape. The Jhujaru couple decided to give cover fire while Bhai Malkiat Singh Khujala and Bhai Bohar Singh escaped. In the end, both Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi and Bibi Balwinder Kaur attained martyrdom fighting the evil police force of Punjab.

 

The people of Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi’s village Khujala, had a lot of respect for him and his family. Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi’s own paternal family had already left the village for nearly three years. Upon hearing the Shaheedi (martyrdom) of their son, the family then returned to the village to continue their life here. A Sri Akhand Paath was held in memory of Bhai Sahib and his wife Bibi Balwinder Kaur. Thousands attended the last rites and the religious ceremony at Sri Hargobindpur and flowers of respect and honour were showered.

 

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Jaswinder Singh Sipahi

Sant Sipahi – November 1991