Shaheed Bhai Major Singh Ghuk

Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan

“Son, nor have i got you married and nor have yet asked anything of you, and you have taken this path.” One mother was speaking to her son who was sitting in front of her holding an AK47. The son who was a young Jhujaru Singh, looked at his mother with a serious face and said, “Mother, listen to me. I’ll get married to someone’s daughter but where will you keep her?”  After hearing that, everyone played the silent game. The jhujaru son had just given the sign to his mother that he had a small lifeline without mentioning death. The name of this Jhujaru Singh was Bhai Major Singh Ghuk.

Bhai Major Singh Ghuk was born in the village of Sursingh, District Amritsar on the 8th of May 1966 from the womb of Mata Mohinder Kaur and in the house of Sardar Ajit Singh. Bhai Sahib was younger than his brother Bhai Nirmal Singh and they had no other brothers or sisters. Bhai Sahib studied up till 10th grade at a government school in his village and after he joined Khalsa College of Amritsar. In the 2 years Bhai Sahib was at Khalsa College, he started to recognise the chess game the Delhi government was playing on the people of Punjab. The harassment of Sikhs at every road in Punjab by the Indian security forces seemed to Bhai Sahib like a noose of slavery which he wanted take off from the neck of the fellow Sikhs.

After 2 years at Khalsa College, Bhai Sahib returned home but even then Bhai Sahib did not stop searching of the jhujaru singh groups. One day no one was at home other than Bhai Sahib and his mother. Bhai Sahib pretended he had a stomach ache and sent his mother to go to the doctors and get medicine. When Mata Mohinder Kaur came back home, Bhai Sahib was not at home. After asking all around Mata Mohinder Kaur found out that her nephew had taken Bhai Sahib on a motor cycle, after looking around Mata Ji did not find her son and on the way back she heard of some people speak amongst themselves saying, “We wanted this many Kachere, you only gave us this many.” Mata Ji did not know that these were the preparations being made for an Amrit sanchar being held for the new recruits of the Sikh Freedom Movement. Bhai Sahib did not return home that day.

The next day Bhai sahib came home in a totally different appearance. Bhai Sahib had a Sri Sahib (Kirpan) on his torso, a waist bag full of mags, in his hand an assault rifle and he was accompanied by a group of Jhujaru Singhs. In fact, Bhai Sahib had come home to see his family for the last time before he joined the Jhujaru Singhs of Sikh Freedom Movement. The family members were shocked to see Bhai Sahib like this. Bhai Sahib’s parents, Chacha and Chachi were at home at the time. Bhai Sahib took the milk that was at home and shared it amongst the singhs. Bhai Sahib answered all the questions of his family, finally the time came, he said his final Fateh and left the house with the Jhujaru Singhs.

Like every Jhujaru Singh, Bhai Sahib knew his panthic responsibilities and also knew how his parents will be feeling. Once Bhai Sahib sent a message to his mother to come to Amritsar, Mata Mohinder Kaur met her son at a secret location. It was here where Mata Ji spoke to her son, the scene is mentioned in the beginning. After meeting her son, Mata Mohinder Kaur returned back to her village. Bhai Sahib continued to do actions, he had a hit list of enemies from which he had started crossing the names with bullets. After that Bhai Sahib once again came to Sursingh with his group of Jhujaru Singhs, but he did not stay at home instead he  stayed at someone’s farm house on the outskirts of the village. Bhai Sahib sent a message to his mother to collect his clothes for the Jhujaru Singhs from the local tailor and bring them home, as he would collect them later. Mata Ji collected the clothes. Bhai Sahib’s parents were happy that they would meet their son. In the happiness Mata Ji said, “They will defiantly come today.” The Mother heated the milk and started to wait for her son to come home. All night had passed but Bhai Sahib had not come home and nor any of his fellow singhs. It was 4am when Bhai Sahib and his fellow singhs finally came home. Mata Ji asked the singhs to have milk, but this wasn’t the time to have milk. Bhai Sahib didn’t want to be the reason for his family to get harassed by the Indian security forces and for this reason wanted to leave quickly and discreetly. The singhs had already bathed, they put on the new clothes and old clothes were given to Mata Ji and then the jhujaru singhs left.

Like that Bhai sahib remained underground for a year and did sewa for the panth. In the early days of September 1991, Bhai Sahib and his group were surrounded by the Indian security forces in the village of Bhamaniwala. The Jhujaru Singhs grabbed hold of their loyal AK47’s and started an encounter. Each bullet was answered with more bullets, a fierce battle was taking place between the 2 sides. This battle was on its way to be knows as one of the longest encounters in the armed struggle for Khalistan.

24 hours of battling had passed, the news had reached Sursingh that Bhai Sahib and his group were fighting the Indian security forces in the Bhamaniwala village. Mata Mohinder Kaur got frightened but someone reassured her by saying, “Mata, don’t worry, your lion son is in high spirits.” Not knowing what was happening in the media, these Jhujaru Singhs of Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj continued to change positions in the sugar cane farms of Bhamaniwala and cause damage to the enemy forces. Singhs had only limited ammunition, but they made the full use of it and kept the Indian security forces at bay.

In the end, the Indian security forces could not do much and called in the bulletproof tractors which entered the farms. The jhujaru singhs still fought with bravery as the battled had entered the 3rd day. Singhs such as Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan’s Luitenent General Bhai Satnam Singh Chuslaywadh, Bhai Dilbagh Singh Bagha village Pandori Ran Singh, Bhai Major Singh Ghuk village Sursingh, Bhai Avtar Singh Billa village Kalan, Bhai Sukhdev Kala Patiala and 1 more singh attained shaheedi. They fought with all they had against the ISF. Now the date was 4th Sept 1991.

Angry due to the 72 hour encounter, the police did not return the bodies of the shaheed singhs to their families nor did they inform them of the cremation. But in split second Sardar Ajit Singh felt the pull on his heart and reached the cremation grounds of Patti, where he discovered the shaheed singhs being cremated. Here a father said his final Fateh to his son and came back home.

 

Vangaar – Baljit Singh Khalsa