Shaheed Bhai Kabal Singh

 

On the 14th of February 1984, a group of racist Hindu mobs burnt a model of Sri Harimandir Sahib which was stalled at Amritsar railway station. That was not enough for the racist Hindu mob, so they slapped a photo of the 4th Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Ram Das Sahib Ji with their shoes and after ripped it and threw it on the floor. During this time the racist Hindus used their hatred to target Sikhs, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and Sikh values. These racist Hindus groups were given security by the government, and the Hindu community also supported these racist groups in there racist acts.

No Hindu organization ever boycotted these racist acts against Sikhs, nor did they condemn it and nor did any Hindu stand with the Sikhs. None of the racist Hindus were ever held accountable for their acts of hatred against Sikhs, in fact they were given tickets to stand in elections. This is what Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale regularly said “500 firearms were at Parinder Brahmchari’s base, he did not get any punishment. 1000 tonne of slaughtered cows were found on three Hindus at their farms, they were immediately bailed. The instance of Pawan Kumar, president Hindu Suraksha Samiti of district Patiala comes to the mind at once. Despite the fact that 130 grenades were recovered from his house, he did not spend even an hour in jail. He however, got the ‘punishment’ in the shape of promotion from district president to the state level president of the Samiti. All this been done by racist Hindus, but did one of the Hindus of Hindustan condemn these acts?”

On one side where these racist Hindus who were given tickets to stand in elections and respect from the Hindu community for their crimes against Sikhs, on the other side Sikhs that decided to punish the culprits themselves as the system had failed them, these Sikhs were labelled as terrorists and spies of Pakistan. The government had even put rewards on their heads. Sikhs that got arrested were made shaheed and later declared killed in fake encounters.

When Sikhs were united in big numbers, the government saw this as a threat and played dirty tactics, of which one was to fund the Narakhdhari cult to divide the Sikhs in 1978. It was the Visakhi of 1978, when the Narakhdharis under the guard of Punjab police disrespected Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in Amritsar. The Akhand Kirtani Jatha and Damdami Taksal decided to peacefully protest against this horrendous act. When the Sikhs reached the location of where the Narakhdharis were doing the Beadbi of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, they were shot at by the guards of this cult. 13 singhs including Bhai Fauja Singh attained shaheedi and many more sikhs were seriously wounded. Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale first asked for the justice to be done in the courts of India, but the Indian government freed the Narakhdhari leader, Gurbachana and his 64 co-defendants. When Gurbachana came out of court he mocked the Sikhs by saying, “Your 6th Guru, (Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji) freed 52 prisoners, but i have freed 64.” This had been the salt on the fresh wounds of the Sikhs. Justice had been denied to the Sikhs and the families of the 13 shaheeds, now it was up to the Khalsa to do justice and serve punishment to the criminal of Akaalpurakh’s court.

On 26thApril 1980 Sikhs took justice when the system had denied them, this was the first action of the Sikh armed Struggle. Singhs waited for the Narakhdhari leader, Gurbachana to return to his house and when he did, Gurbachana who desecrated Sri Guru Granth Sahib and preached that Guru Gobind Singh Ji was inferior to him, along with his driver got gunned down and sent on their one way ticket to hell.  This action brought courage within the Sikh Panth. This action of justice that was done to send Gurbachana to hell was assigned to Bhai Kabal Singh and Bhai Ranjit Singh who fearlessly executed the tyrant Gurbachana. These heroes of the Sikh Nation need no introduction.

Bhai Kabal Singh was born in the house of Sardar Tarlok Singh and from the womb of Mata Darshan Kaur, in the village of Katorewala in the Lahore district. In Bhai Sahib’s childhood he was diagnosed with a serious illness. After many attempts by his parents to cure him, the illness remained and the doctors had no cure. In an act of desperation and a last resort the family did darshan at Gurudwara Sri Tooti Gundhi and there they did an Ardas to Maharaj that if Bhai Sahib was cured from his illness the family will have Bhai Sahib dedicate his life to the panthic sewa. The Ardas of the family was heard in the court of Akaalpurakh and a short while after with the blessings of Maharaj the illness that the doctors had no cure for was cured. Because Bhai Sahib was ill he never went to school.

During the emergency in India, Sant Kartar Singh Ji Bhindranwale was at Sri Mukhatsar Sahib, here the family of Bhai Sahib came to meet Sant Ji. The Family told Sant Kartar Singh Ji Bhindranwale everything and then said “Here is Kabal Singh, he will now do sewa with you.” Sant Ji hugged the young Bhai Kabal Singh and said “Waheguru will give him sewa, my duty is to prepare him for sewa.”

Bhai Kabal Singh was young and came back home after a few days from Damdami Taksal as he didn’t like it, but his family took him again to Sant Kartar Singh Ji Bhindranwale and told him to do sewa.

Soon Bhai Sahib started to like the Damdami Taksal and started studying various subjects such as Gurmukhi, Gurbani Santhaya, Shaster Vidiya and many other subjects. After staying in the Taksal for a short time Bhai Sahib had already memorised allot of Gurbani, and was immersed in to the Sikh history that was full of valour, honour and sacrifice. Bhai Sahib would only go home to meet his family, when it was harvest season or when the Taksal was doing a smagam in the area of his home.

In the year of 1977 Sant Baba Jarnail Singh Ji became the next Jathedar of Dam Dami Taksal. And a new episode was to be written in the Sikh history.

1st Visakh 1978/1st April 1978, 13 Singhs became shaheed and their blood covered the streets of Amritsar. This started the Jhujaru Singh struggle. On the 26th of April 1980 singhs such as Bhai Sahib, Bhai Ranjit Singh, Bhai Major Singh Nagoke, and Bhai Ajaib Singh Mahakal etc took revenge for the 13 Singhs that got shaheed in 1978 by killing the Narakhdhari leader Gurbachana in India’s capital Delhi. Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale would regularly mention this action in his speeches, they’d say, “Till 1978 we have remained calm. 13 Singhs were killed and 70 plus wounded, this killer of Sikhs stayed a night at the commissioner’s house in Jalandhar. 5 o’clock of Amrit Vela, the commissioner himself escorted him to Rama Mandi Road, and Gurbachana then reached Delhi in commissioner’s car. Then we should put our case to the Jalandhar law?”

After completing this action Bhai Sahib got out of Delhi and reached his village for the last time to meet his family. Bhai Sahib did not speak about the action he had just carried out. Bhai Sahib spent the night at his home and the following morning he caught a bus to Mahoth to Bathinda. After his family put him on the bus and they returned home. Soon as the family arrived home, the police came looking for Bhai Sahib, the police informed the family about Bhai Sahibs involvement in the Delhi action and threatened the family to bring Bhai Kabal Singh to the police as soon as possible. The family told the police that Bhai Sahib stays with the Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale and they don’t know anything about the Delhi action. Bhai Sahib’s family went to Chownk Mehta and gave the news to Sant Ji and said, “The police wants us to take Kabal Singh to them.” Upon hearing this Sant Ji replies, “When the police come again tell them to come to me. Kabal Singh is here.”

When Bhai Sahib’s family asked him about the action in Delhi Sant Ji replied, “That son of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji punished the evil Narakhdhari leader.” Now whenever the police came to Bhai Sahib’s house the family would tell them to go to Chownk Mehta as Bhai Sahib does not listen to his family. Upon hearing this, the police would walk the other way.

Sant Jarnail Singh Ji had announced to weigh Bhai Kabal Singh and Bhai Ranjit Singh in gold. In 1982 Sant Ji was arrested, the CBI asked Sant Ji 400 questions, one of the questions asked to Sant Ji was, “Why did you announce to weigh the killers of the Narakhdhari leader Gurbachana in gold?” Sant Ji replied back to the question by saying, “The killer of our 13 Singhs, the killer who wounded many of our people with bullets, he can give 500Rs to people who sit at his house, don’t i have a duty of looking after the Singhs who picked up the honour of the Sikh Panth?”

On the first week of June 1984, the third Sikh genocide was sailing towards the Sikh Panth. This genocide would last more than a decade, in which millions of Sikhs would attain shaheedi, more than a dozen historical Gurudwaras would be attacked by the Indian army. Billions and trillions of rupees worth of assets belonging to the Sikhs were destroyed, uncountable Saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji were ripped and many other acts were committed to defile the Sikh Granths. Thousands of children, young girls, women even elderly women were sexually assaulted. The dark day of this genocide started when the Indian government brought tanks, cannons, helicopters and lethal gas bombs to Sri Darbar Sahib and demolished the Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib, we should not forget the use of lethal gas bombs are banned in India at that time.

The way in which the fearless Sikh warriors fought the Indian elite forces from the 4th to the 6th of June under the command of Jathedar Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale and General Shabeg Singh was written in Sikh history in gold. The Sikh warriors fought with such valour and determination to cut the rope of slavery would be remembered for decades to come by the Sikhs proudly, as the Sikhs fought for freedom and justices, against an unjust and cruel government.

Bhai Kabal Singh Ji was stationed at one of the bunkers made at Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib, he remained stationed there till the morning of June the 6th combating the Indian army with bullets. It was on the 6th of June Bhai Sahib along with the rest of the Singhs charged out of the Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib in front of the Miri Piri Nishan Sahib and drank the holy nectar of martyrdom.

Jo Kaum Diyan Mushkila Haran De Lai

Har Mushkil Nu Apne Gal Ga Har Bnauday Ne

Onha Di Zindagi Bhavay Bahot Thori Hundi Hai

Par Maut Baad Vi Oh Yodhe Punia De Chand Vang Kaum De Hanayray Raha Nu Roshanauday Ne

 

Khalsa Fatehnama – October 2013