Shaheed Bhai Manjit Singh UP

Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan

 

Bhai Manjit Singh was born in year 1969, in the house of Sardar Savinder Singh and from the womb of Mata Gian Kaur in village Khushipur, Uttar Pardesh. Sardar Savinder Singh had 7 sons, Bhai Sahib was the 3rd eldest son. Bhai Sahib was born into a very poor family. Sardar Savinder Singh only had little amount of land, but he worked honestly and hard to fulfil every need of his family. Bhai Sahib would travel village to village selling his harvested wheat, potatoes and sugar canes, this is how he contributed to the family’s income. From a young age Bhai Sahib had taken Amrit from Panj Pyare and would never miss his daily prayers (Nitnem).

 

Bhai Sahib was at his teen-age when Sri Darbar Sahib (Amritsar) was attacked in June 1984 by the Indian army. The merciless killing of thousands of Sikh pilgrims in Sri Harimandir Sahib had changed Bhai Sahib, his personality and thought process started to rebel against the Indian government. During 1987, the Sikh freedom movement was at its peak in Bhai Sahib’s area. The Indian security forces were targeting Sikhs, especially the Amritdhari Sikhs with endless harassment. Bhai Sahib was a brave man and known to stand up against injustices. Soon Bhai Sahib came in contact with the local Jhujaru Singhs, and he started taking part in Jhujaru activities in secret while living at home. Bhai Sahib soon became known for his actions under the name, Bhai Manjit Singh UP, but the police did not know the exact village of Bhai Sahib, hence he remained untraceable.

 

One day on suspicion basis, the police arrested Bhai Sahib’s older brother Bhai Mohan Singh, he was arrested mainly due to being an Amritdhari, the police mercilessly tortured Bhai Mohan Singh. It was during this torture the police managed to identify Bhai Manjit Singh UP as a residence of Khushipur village. It was after this the Indian security forces started hunting Bhai Sahib up and down the Uttar Pardesh state.  But Bhai Sahib had left home and joined Dr Barjinder Singh Panjwar of Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan which operated under the command of Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal. During his Jhujaru life, Bhai Sahib carried out his duties with honesty and in high spirit. Every anti-Sikh element Bhai Sahib punished, he would clearly take the responsibility. For most of his Jhujaru life, Bhai Sahib remained active within Uttar Pardesh’s Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan. The police had put the reward of 5 Lakh Rupees on Bhai Sahib’s capture, dead or alive.

 

During the Sikh struggle, Bhai Sahib’s Jhujaru group were in need on funds, Bhai Sahib sold his share of inherited land and donated the funds to his Jhujaru group. Bhai Sahib was respected and loved by the locals as well as his fellow Jhujaru Singhs. Bhai Sahib did not allow anyone to be treated badly in his watch. Bhai Sahib also travelled to Pakistan numerous times for Baba Manochahal, to bring weapons back into Punjab as well as to attain weapon training. Bhai Sahib had earned the rank of Lieutenant General of Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan and was dearly loved by Baba Manochahal. Some of the Jhujaru brothers Bhai Sahib did actions with were Bhai Sulakhan Singh (Qaddian), Bhai Madhra Singh (Shikarpur Mashian), Bhai Madha Singh Gwalior (Khanowal) and many more. Now the police had started targeting the family of Bhai Sahib with arrests and torture to pressure them to turn Bhai Sahib in.

 

During the beginning of 1992, the Indian security forces had started to shoot Sikh males on site. Many of Bhai Sahib’s Jhujaru brothers had attained martyrdom by then. Bhai Sahib was staying under the police radar in Amritsar. The police were given this information by one of their touts and they had placed many traps to capture Bhai Sahib. On 12th January 1992, Bhai Sahib was travelling on a moped from his hideout in Amritsar via Chatiwind Gate. The police knew this and had set up a team near Chatiwind Gate, which pounced and arrested Bhai Sahib as he came close. Bhai Sahib was unarmed at this time. After arresting Bhai Sahib, the police took him to Gohalwar village (district Tarn Taran) where they staged a fake encounter and made Bhai Manjit Singh UP of Khushipur a martyr of Khalistan. The body of Shaheed Bhai Manjit Singh UP was not given to his family and was cremated by Punjab police as an unidentified body.

 

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Manjit Singh UP