Shaheed Bhai Joginder Singh Babbar

Babbar Khalsa

 

Bhai Joginder Singh Babbar also known as Bhai Joginder Singh Fatehabad was bornin year 1960, in the house of Sardar Pritam Singh and from the womb of Mata Harbans Kaur in the village of Fatehabad, near Goindwal Sahib. Out of Sardar Pritam Singh’s 8 children, Bhai Sahib was the sixth eldest. Bhai Sahib’s siblings in order, Bhai Swaran Singh, Bhai Karaj Singh, Bhai Baljit Singh, Bibi Darshan Kaur, Bibi Jasbir Kaur, Bhai Sahib himself, Bhai Mahinder Singh and youngest of them all, Bhai Charanjit Singh. Bhai Sahib’s family were all Amritdhari Sikhs and did farming.

 

Bhai Sahib studied upto 5th class at the local government school of Fatehabad, and after this he started helping his father in farming. During the 1980s, especially during the Dharam Yudh Morcha, Bhai Sahib started going to Amritsar frequently to do Darshan of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj at Sri Darbar Sahib and also to attend seminars of Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale. The speeches of Sant Ji had a great awakening upon Bhai Sahib and his family. It was during this period Bhai Sahib became Amritdhari. Slowly Bhai Sahib became close with Sant Ji and other Singhs of Damdami Taksal.

 

Bhai Sahib started attending villages around Punjab with the Singhs of Damdami Taksal to hold Amrit Sanchars in which Bhai Sahib was one of the Panj Pyare and preach Sikh way of life. Any duty that Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale assigned to Bhai Sahib, he completed without any questioning. Sant Ji made a 52 member committee during the Dharam Yudh Morcha, Bhai Sahib was chosen in this committee. Bhai Sahib loved reciting Gurbani and also the Rauls at Sri Akhand Paath Sahibs. Bhai Sahib memorized most of Gurbani by heart. Bhai Amrik Singh (President of All India Sikh Student Federation) selected Bhai Sahib as the President for the Fatehabad branch.

 

When the Indian army invaded and killed thousands of Sikhs at Sri Harimandir Sahib complex in June 1984, Bhai Sahib was left hurt and broken. Straight after, as well as many other youths of Punjab, Bhai Sahib also started doing Jhujaru actions in secret, trying to serve justice to the killers of Sikhs and also help establish a Sikh homeland. Bhai Sahib did actions under the command of Bhai Dilbagh Singh Billa (Varpal village). Bhai Sahib also punished many of the Shiv Sena leaders, who were responsible for racist attacks in the local area. Bhai Sahib along with Bhai Dilbagh Singh Billa assassinated a local comrade leader who was a well known police tout and had many Sikh arrested.

 

Then in year 1986, Bhai Dilbagh Singh Billa and Bhai Hari Singh attained martyrdom in a fierce encounter in the Malluwal village (near Chabbal), Bhai Sahib and Bhai Baldev Singh Bhala were wounded but managed to escape. The Punjab police and other Indian security forces now knew of Bhai Sahib’s involvement and started hunting him. Then 2/3 months later, Bhai Sahib was arrested by the police after a tout pointed him out to the police at a checkpoint near Dhunda Road, Goindwal. Bhai Sahib was sent to Nabha Jail, where he came in contact with many like minded Sikh youth and Jhujaru Singhs. In 1988, Bhai Sahib was released on bail and upon being released, Bhai Sahib helped secure bails of many other Jhujaru Singhs. It was due to this activism, the Punjab police never really stop harassing Bhai Sahib. If anything happened in the local area, the police would arrest Bhai Sahib and torture him. Eventually Bhai Sahib had enough and after saying his farwel to his family, he joined Babbar Khalsa under the command of Bhai Sukhdev Singh Babbar. Bhai Sahib had many encounters with Indian security forces and escaped unharmed. Bhai Sahib also assassinated many police touts and anti-Sikh elements in the local area.

 

On 11th March 1990, Bhai Sahib was staying at a house near the electricity house on the outskirts of Fatehabad village. Bhai Sahib was only armed with a small revolver. All this information was passed to the local police station. The enemy knew that this was their chance to capture the lion of Khalistan, and surrounded the house in heavy numbers. The Indian security forces and police gave Bhai Sahib the chance to surrender himself. Judging the situation at hand, Bhai Sahib did not want to be caught alive as the police would wound him and arrested him to get more valuable information on the movement from Bhai Sahib. He decided to take his own life and avoid being arrested. Bhai Joginder Singh Babbar attained martyrdom by taking his own life and not allowing the enemy to extract any information from him.

 

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Joginder Singh Babbar