Shaheed Bhai Karnail Singh Thandewala

Khalistan Commando Force

 

Bari Shakti Hundi Eh Shaheeda De Dulleh Lahu’ch

Gulami De Hanere Nu Azaadi Di Swer’ch Badal Devaange

Shaheeda Da Dullah Eh Pak Lahu Hi Ik Din

Khalsa Panth De Vehre’ch Azaadi Da Suraj Ban Charayga

 

Roughly 4km away from Sri Mukhatsar is the village of Thandewala, Bhai Karnail Singh was born in this village in the year of 1964 from the womb of Mata Surjit Kaur and in the house of Sardar Jalar Singh. Bhai Sahib studied up till 6th class at the local school of Thandewala and after started doing farming with his family. After some years of farming Bhai Sahib went to Bhopal and worked here as a driver. Spending a few years in the driving sector of Bhopal, Bhai Sahib returned to Thandewala and started farming again.

In 1989, due to some circumstances Bhai Sahib had to stay with a relative in the Ablu village, near Bathinda. The house Bhai Sahib was staying in was a base for Jhujaru Singhs and they regularly visited here. It was here Bhai Sahib started meeting the Jhujaru Singhs of the Sikh Freedom Movement. When the Jhujaru Singhs would come, Bhai Sahib would have deep and lengthy conversations with them. It was through the Jhujaru Singhs that Bhai Sahib realised how much of a deep hole of slavery the Sikhs were in. now Bhai Sahib had made up his mind on fighting the oppressing government of India and attaining shaheedi would be the ultimate goal. After this Bhai Sahib took Amrit from the Panj Pyare and became a Gursikh. Bhai Sahib now joined the Khalistan Commando Force and started his Jhujaru life.

When the family got the news of Bhai Sahib joining the Jhujaru Singhs, they tried their best to bring Bhai Sahib back home but Bhai Sahib had made his mind up to dedicate his life to the sewa of the Sikh panth. While active in the Sikh Freedom Movement, Bhai Sahib was in the Mukhatsar area and he met his older brother, Bhai Balwinder Singh who tried to talk Bhai Sahib into giving up the armed struggle and returning home. Bhai Balwinder Singh did not know that his brother is not the same, the injustices of the Indian government upon the Sikhs had changed him. When Bhai Balwinder Singh asked his brother to return home, Bhai Sahib answered, “If you receive my dead body then please flow my ashes at Sri Kiratpur Sahib.”

Free from the luxuries of life, Bhai Sahib did many big and brave actions. Once a fellow singh of Bhai Sahib attained shaheedi, he disguised himself and went to Ablu Kotli police station to see the dead body of the shaheed singh and to say his final Fateh to the fallen soldier. Bhai Sahib completed this task and no police officer suspected a thing. There was no photo of Bhai Sahib after he joined the armed struggle. Only photo of Bhai Sahib was when he was very young, due to this reason the police did not suspect anything.

There is no shortage of Jhujaru Singhs in the Sikh Freedom Movement but also there is no shortage of police informants and black cats who were hunting Jhujaru Singhs for cash rewards. It was such enemies of the Sikh armed struggle who stopped the movement from progressing. Bhai Sahib also fell victim to such enemies of the Sikh Freedom Movement. On 12th May 1991, Bhai Sahib came to a Jhujaru Singh base in the village of Dhulkot. Bhai Sahib was given milk to drink but in the milk had been poisoned and this made Bhai Sahib slowly lose consciences. The person who gave Bhai Sahib the milk was a trusted source but he had sold himself to the Punjab police. The informant had told the police and the police had surrounded the area. Bhai Sahib managed come out of the house to give the Indian security forces a battle to remember. Bhai Sahib continued to battle the thousands of Indian soldiers onto the main road that connected Dhulkot and Ghuri Sanghar. Bhai Sahib had become extremely weak due to the effects of the poison and was unable to use his assault rifle. The soldiers of India were scared to go close to Bhai Sahib, this seemed like cash reward getting away for the informant, he took things into his own hands and creped up to Bhai Sahib when he was weak and wrestled him down. The soldiers then shot Bhai Sahib in the head twice from a point blank range. This is how Bhai Karnail Singh of Thandewala attained shaheedi. The body of Bhai Sahib was not given to the family, instead the police secretly cremated Bhai Sahib at a cremation ground in Giddarbaha.

Sikhi De Ambar Ute Jo Beant Shaheed Tarayan Wang Timtimaunde Ne

Eh Oh Dharmi Sooray Ne Jo Apania Anmol Zindgian Nu Panth De Lekhe Launde Ne

 

Khalsa Fatehnama – August 2014