Shaheed Bhai Kashmir Singh Thathgarh

Khalistan Commando Force

A Sikh youth from the village of Thathgarh, district Amritsar by the name of Bhai Kashmir Singh was arrested by the Punjab Police after he had gone to the Holla Mohalla at Sri Anandpur Sahib in 1986. Bhai Sahib was bailed a year after spending time in jails of Anandpur and Amritsar, at that time the Sikh freedom movement was at its peak. The family of Mata Surjit Kaur were living in a house within their fields around their farm and many Jhujaru Singhs would come here for Langar. It was due to this the Punjab Police started to harass the family and ordering raids on the home. Due to the continuous harassment, Bhai Sahib left home and joined the Jhujaru Singhs of Khalistan Commando Force which was under the command of Bhai Wassan Singh Zaffarwal. Bhai Sahib had picked up weapons to punish anti-Sikh elements but at the time the Punjab Police had upped their terror upon his family too.

Bhai Sahib was physically fit and strong. In the short time Bhai Sahib bought his name amongst top Jhujaru Singhs of Khalistan Commando Force by doing fearless actions. All the Jhujaru Singhs highly respected Bhai Sahib, he also had made links with Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalsitan’s Bhai Sukhwinder Singh Sangha and was loved by the Jhujaru Singhs of this group also. The Thanedar of Jhabbal police station, Makhan Jalad was known for his ill treatment towards Sikh youth and in many cases killing Sikhs in fake encounters. To punish him Bhai Sahib along with fellow Jhujaru Singhs attacked Jhabbal police station one night. In this assault Thanedar Makhan Jalad survived but many of his fellow police officers were killed and after all Singhs escaped. Then Bhai Sahib and his group of Jhujaru Singhs attacked and looted weapons from the police stations of Sanghna, Mandiala, Kotli and Basarke. The Jhujaru Singhs looted 25 rifles from Mandiala police station and left the scene shouting war cries of “Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akaal.”

Once, somehow the Jhabbal police arrested a fellow Jhujaru Singh of Bhai Sahib’s Jatha, to free him Bhai Sahib kidnapped the son and daughter of the DSP of Tarn Taran from their school. Due to this the Jhabbal police had to release the arrested Jhujaru Singh and after Bhai Sahib delivered both children to their home with dignity. Like this Bhai Sahib did many brave actions within the Sikh Freedom Movement and always treated innocent parties with respect and honour.

In 1991, Bhai Sahib, Bhai Mangal Singh Dhand and Bhai Ravinder Singh Khalistani had gone to Bombay to do some work for the Jathebandi. The Jhujaru Singhs stayed here for roughly 2 months. It was here a resident from Bhai Sahib’s village followed them to Bombay. This unknown man had good relations with Jhujaru Singhs but he was more loyal to the Punjab Police. This informant of the police met the Jhujaru Singhs and said, “You are sitting here and relaxing, but back in Punjab the police has made it difficult for your families to live, you should go to Punjab and support your families.”

After listening to this informant, the Singhs returned to Punjab with the informant. On the way Bhai Ravinder Singh Khalistani got off at the Jalandhar railway station and Bhai Sahib and Bhai Mangal Singh Dhand got off at Amritsar railway station. From here the informant separated himself from the 2 Jhujaru Singhs and immediately reported to the police. By the time Bhai Sahib and Bhai Mangal Singh Dhand got to Thathgarh, the police and CRPF had laid the trap for the Jhujaru Singhs. The two Jhujaru Singhs were travelling on a scooter and when they saw the heavy presence of the Indian Security Forces, Bhai Sahib steered the scooter into a tight alley of the village Tanal. But the Indian security force was following Bhai Sahib and had fully surrounded these Jhujaru Singhs. Bhai Sahib got off the scooter and both Jhujaru Singhs ran into the fields. The Indian Security Forces had opened fire upon the Singhs and Bhai Mangal Singh Dhand was shot, due to which he fell on the ground and attained shaheedi. By now Bhai Sahib had ran into the field of foddor crop, and he only had a pistol and few bullets. Bhai Sahib battled with the enemy as much as he could with limited ammunition. In the end when Bhai Sahib’s ammunition had finished, he did Ardas to Akaalpurakh to accept the sewa he had done and then Bhai Sahib swallowed a capsule of Sy-Nyde and attained Shaheedi. The date was 7th July 1991 and it was the evening time, roughly about half 3 when Bhai Sahib attained Shaheedi.

After the Shaheedi of Bhai Sahib, the Indian security forces continued to fire blindly towards the Jhujaru Singhs. Even after there was no return fire from the Jhujaru Singhs, the enemy didn’t gather the strength to enter the fields or the farms, so they called in a bullet proof tractor. The bullet proof tractor discovered the body of Bhai Sahib and in anger the CRPF ran the tractor over Bhai Sahib’s Shaheedi saroop again and again. During the time Bhai Sahib was doing sewa of the Sikh Panth, the Punjab police was continuously raining terror upon Bhai Sahib’s family. Bhai Sahib’s whole family had been broken. Bhai Sahib’s house, land, cattle and other assets had now been put into greedy stomachs of the police officers.

Khalsa Fatehnama – July 2007