Shaheed Bhai Kashmir Singh Lathuwala

 

Oh Shahzade Khalsa Panth De, Tavareekh Vich Chand Wang Sada Roshanaude Ne.

Jo Kaum De Thar Chukay Lahu Nu, Apnian Anmol Shahadata Nal Garmaunde Ne.

 

In the present struggle of the Sikh panth, many Sikhs have attained martyrdom who did not get the chance to show their true strength, but no matter what, their shaheedi made the movement stronger and their spilt blood made the blood that once had gone cold, warm up again.

Bhai Kashmir Singh from the village Lathuwala was jhujaru minded from the start. Bhai Sahib’s father passed away when Bhai Sahib was just a child and all the responsibility of his brothers and sisters fell on his mother. From a young age Bhai Sahib was sent to Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale at Dam Dami Taksal, as the family was linked to Dam Dami Taksal. The revolutionary preaching of Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale and the actions of the Jhujaru Singhs had started restoring the same respect the Sikhs had at the time of the Sikh Gurus. But at the same time the radical Hindus such as Shiv Sena, RSS etc also started doing more crimes against the Sikhs. A trap was being laid around Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale to finish him off.

On 14th September 1981, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale was in Chando Kalan in the Haryana state preaching to the locals, on the other hand the Punjab police had made preparations to eliminate Sant Ji and in the process surrounded Chandi Kalan. Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale found out about the planning of the police and he along with singhs including Bhai Dara Singh the driver of Sant Ji managed to escape this trap, while the remaining Jatha stayed behind. When they Punjab police found out about Sant Ji’s escape in good health, their poisoned blood boiled so much that they burnt all the buses that belonged to Dam Dami Taksal. Also burnt with the buses were the Sikh religious books, audio cassettes of Katha and Sanchia of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. When the singhs of Dam Dami Taksal came to the buses to save the Sanchia etc, the police assaulted them with gun butts and batons. Singhs were also arrested, Bhai Sahib was one of the singhs who were arrested and tortured by SSP RD Bhatti of Punjab police. The Dhadi Jatha wrote with their pen about this harassment of the Sikhs,

Chando Kalan Vich Sunn Lo Saka Beetaya Saara Ji

Jis Di Gharat Gharda Riha Gunda Darbara Ji

Ik Narakhdariye Kutte Nu Os Buay Charaiya Eh

SSP Bhatti Roop Chandu Da Aaya Eh

 

What happened at Chando Kalan had a deep impact of Bhai Sahib. It is said Bhai Sahib’s heart was distracted away from Gurbani Santhaya, keep in mind that Bhai Sahib was just a teenager at this moment. Before the Chando Kalan incident, Bhai Sahib had memorized the first half of Guru Granth Sahib Ji and was taking Santhaya for the second half. All Bhai Sahib wanted to do was to punish SSP RD Bhatti. One day without telling Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale or anyone else, Bhai Sahib and Bhai Bhola Singh Rode left the Sri Darbar Sahib complex to kill SSP RD Bhatti.

When Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale found out that Bhai Sahib had gone, he called Bhai Sahib’s chacha Sardar Joginder Singh and said, “Kashmir Singh has gone to kill SSP RD Bhatti without telling me. This action is big and it’s not for him (Bhai Sahib) to do. Wherever you find Kashmir Singh bring him back. I have sent singhs to search for him, you also do the same. If he comes into the wrong hands, then he can cause heavy damage to himself. He is very young of age and he won’t be able to take the torture.” There were informants all over Punjab and soon this information had reached the Punjab police also. The police were ready for the two singhs who had set upon a mission together and soon Bhai Sahib and Bhai Bhola Singh Rode were arrested in Ludhiana.

The singhs were taken to CIA Staff in Moga where they were mercilessly tortured under the command of Thanedar Sansi. Bhai Sahib was only a child and attained shaheedi during the inhumane torture on 15th November 1982 but Bhai Bhola Singh Rode was in really bad state after the torture. The following day on 16th November 1982 both singhs were pronounced shaheed in an encounter at the Moga by pass. The bodies of these singhs were not given to the families. After when the family met Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale, he told the family, “This action was big and he could not do it. He became inpatient, this action had to be properly thought over. But what has happened, accept it as the order of Akaalpurakh. Our struggle is big and many will become martyrs. For that reason don’t lose faith, stay connected to the Guru. Even at the hardest of hard times don’t abandon Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj. If we stay close to the Guru, then we will be able to save people even if they are drowning.”

 

Khalsa Fatehnama – April 2014