Shaheed Bhai Ranjit Singh Santu

Babbar Khalsa

Bhai Ranjit Singh Santu born in the year of 1966 and in the house of Thakur Ram Dayal, who was from the village of Deochan district Shatarpur in Mand Pardesh. The family nicknamed Bhai Sahib, Santu. Bhai Sahib learned to read and write Hindi from his father. A man from the village worked in Delhi, after carefully thinking the family made a decision of sending Bhai Sahib to Delhi to work with this man. When Bhai Sahib reached Delhi, the man had been separated and now Bhai Sahib was by himself and after being lost, Bhai Sahib’s life would take a new turn. As Bhai Sahib was completely lost in Delhi, a Gursikh saw Bhai Sahib struggling and in need of help. The Gursikh took Bhai Sahib to Gurudwara Sri Bangla Sahib. Bhai Sahib would go see Delhi in the daytime and come back in the evening and have langar and then go to sleep in one corner of the gurudwara. These days Baba Harbans Singh was doing the Kar Sewa of the Gurudwara Sri Bangla Sahib. One day Bhai Sahib caught the eye of Baba Harbans Singh and was told by Baba Ji to do sewa within the gurudwara. From that day onwards Bhai Sahib started doing sewa and stayed with the Kar Sewa Jatha for many years.

8th April 1982, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bindranwale came to Delhi to hold a Katha Smagam followed by an Amrit Sanchar. Bhai Sahib attended this smagam and took amrit from the Panj Pyare of Dam Dami Taksal, Bhai Sahib was given the name of Ranjit Singh. In coming time Bhai Sahib would live up to the name Ranjit. Now along with doing Kar Sewa, Bhai Sahib was also given the sewa of langar. The sewa of langar was fulfilled with love by Bhai Sahib. An incident took place that would once again change the path of Bhai Sahib, one day Baba Bachan Singh, who was the next in charge of Kar Sewa after Baba Harbans Singh shouted at Bhai Sahib, after this Bhai Sahib left Delhi and went Amritsar to Baba Kharak Singh. In Amritsar Bhai Sahib came in contact with the singhs of Babbar Khalsa. After sharing his views and thoughts with the singhs of Babbar Khalsa, Bhai Sahib joined the Babbars and even here Bhai Sahib was given the sewa of langar which once again was fulfilled with love by Bhai Sahib.

1st June 1984, Bhai Sahib together with the singhs of Babbar Khalsa faught against the invading Indian army and caused much damage to the army. Whichever bunker Bhai Sahib was sent to, Bhai Sahib would go to that bunker with the speed of lightening and fulfil his sewa with responsibility as well as bravery. After all the ammunition of Babbar Khalsa had finished on 5thJune 1984 the Babbars vacated Sri Harimandir Sahib and lived to fight another day. On 6th June 1984 the Babbars found a weakness within the curfew that had taken place in Amritsar and made their escape towards the Tarn Taran through the farms and back roads. When the Bhai Sahib and singhs was reached the village of Varpal, the army spotted them and arrested the singhs. In the hot summer of Punjab, Bhai Sahibs arms were tied and was left to burn in the sun for 3 days, the floor would heat up with the heat wave and the army would torture Bhai Sahib blindly. Bhai Sahib was locked up in the police station of Guru Ka Jandiala and after much more torture of the police, Bhai Sahib was charged with crime number 751 and sent to jail. After many months in jail, Baba Darshan Singh who was in charge after Baba Kharak Singh paid for the bail of Bhai Sahib. When Bhai Sahib came out of jail, Bhai Sahib searched for singhs of Babbar Khalsa and met one Babbar who Bhai Sahib did many actions with for the panth.

The police was after Bhai Sahib and had surrounded the village and the house where Bhai Sahib was staying. When Bhai Sahib stepped out of his house, the police pounced on him and arrested him and sent him to jail after charging him with explosions and murders.

After spending some time in jail, Bhai Sahib came out. For a long while Bhai Sahib could not come in touch with the singhs of Babbar Khalsa. The body of Bhai Sahib was weak due to the brutal torture of the police and poor food given at prison, but still that did not stop Bhai Sahib from searching for the Babbars. Bhai Sahib had travelled from gurudwara to gurudwara, when eventually Bhai Sahib reached the Kar Sewa of Sri Anandpur Sahib, from here Bhai Sahib went Delhi and finally came in contact with Bhai Surjit Singh Babbar, who forwarded Bhai Sahib to Bhai Anokh Singh Babbar. Once again Bhai Sahib had jumped back into the battlefield to fight against the oppression of Indian government.

Bhai Sahib was so brave and intelligent that the next action will explain. Bhai Sahib was labelled as a terrorist by the Indian government but still Bhai Sahib rented a room under a different name and lived here for more than 2 years. Bhai Sahib had told the landlord that he was a doctor and kept medicine at home, if anyone was ill in his area, Bhai Sahib would give them medicine. Slowly Bhai Sahib was liked by the locals. While treating people in the daytime, Bhai Sahib did some of the top actions with Babbar Khalsa at night. No one could have guessed that Bhai Sahib was a freedom fighter of the Sikh nation.

Bhai Sahib continued his sewa for the panth. Bhai Sahib had made a decision of not coming into the hands of the police alive. The singhs of Babbar Khalsa were known to take a Sy-Nyde capsule which would kill them rather than being captured by the police and being tortured. The police had soon got onto Bhai Sahib and surrounded him, Bhai Sahib knew there was no way out but to take the Sy-Nyde capsule. Bhai Sahib took the capsule before the police could pounce on him and arrest him alive. Within couple of minutes Bhai Sahib had attained shaheedi. For every action Bhai Sahib did, Bhai Sahib had no regrets, instead Bhai Sahib was proud of everything that he took part in.

Sant Sipahi