Shaheed Bhai Santokh Singh Dharamkot

Khalistan Armed Force

Bhai Santokh Singh was born in the year of 1968, in the house of Sardar Chainchal Singh and from the womb of Mata Jagir Kaur in the village of Dharamkot, near Khujala, district Sri Hargobindpur. Bhai Sahib was the second eldest of 5 brothers and 3 sisters. Sardar Chainchal Singh made his honest living from farming. Bhai Sahib had deep attachment to Sikhi from childhood, he had taken Amrit from the Panj Pyare at a very young age. Bhai Sahib studied up to 9th class at a school in nearby village of Khujala. As well as studying, Bhai Sahib also did Rauls of Dhan Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj at his local Gurudwara.

Once, while studying on 9th class, some people burnt the shop of a Hindu business man in Dharamkot. This incident was reported to the police and Bhai Sahib along with another 4/5 Sikh youths of the village were arrested in connection to this. Bhai Sahib along with other Sikh youths was innocent in this case. Bhai Sahib was jailed for 6 months, during this time Bhai Sahib was tortured blindly. In jail, Bhai Sahib met Bhai Kanwaljeet Singh Waheguru and it was from here Bhai Sahib pledged to fight against the injustices that were happening upon Sikhs. Due to being in jail, Bhai Sahib left his studies. After 6 months, Bhai Sahib was released from the courts in relation to the false case. Upon being released Bhai Sahib started doing actions in secret with the Jhujaru Singhs of Khalistan Armed Force under the command of Bhai Kanwaljeet Singh Waheguru.

Now the police started harassing Bhai Sahib, he would get arrested and after lengthy torture would be released. In the end Bhai Sahib had enough of police brutality and after saying his final farewell to his family, Bhai Sahib jumped into the battlefield and started punishing the anti-Sikh elements. Under the command of Bhai Waheguru, Bhai Sahib completely every task he was given with honesty and bravery. Bhai Sahib was also joined by another Jhujaru Singh from his village of Dharamkot, Bhai Sarabjeet Singh who with Bhai Sahib did many actions. Within the Sikh Freedom Movement, Bhai Sahib did actions with the likes of Bhai Kuldeep Singh Fauji (Village Bham, near Qaddian), a Bhai Kabal Singh Fauji (Jalalpur, Sham Nagar, Amritsar), Bhai Gurmej Singh Geja (Dera Baba Nanak), Bhai Sohanjit Singh (Village Bhaniar, Gurdaspur), Bhai Baljit Singh Bara (Village Dhariwal), Bhai Baljit Singh Gurdaspuri and many more.

On 20th November 1990, Bhai Sahib along with his Jhujaru brothers was travelling to Sri Hargobindpur from Batala. On the way, Bhai Sahib and Bhai Sarabjeet Singh Dharamkot somehow separated from rest of the Jhujaru Singhs. Bhai Sahib was on a motorcycle. As these Jhujaru brothers travelled through the villages of Chaura Madhra and Kohli, at roughly 3:15pm Bhai Sahib met the Indian security forces head on. Both Jhujaru Singhs had only one AK74 between them. Soon as Bhai Sarabjeet Singh saw the police, he turned his motorcycle but this was too late the enemy had spotted the Singhs and started firing towards the Jhujaru Singhs and Bhai Sahib was also shooting at the police from his AK74 as he was sitting at the back. Further up during this chase of police jeeps and Jhujaru Singhs motorcycle, Bhai Sarabjeet Singh, who was riding the motorcycle, had a collision with a tree. Now both Jhujaru Singhs were seriously injured. The Singhs dumped the motorcycle and ran into the sugarcane fields, where they tried to bandage and care for their wounds. During this time the Indian security forces had surrounded the whole area. CRPF and BSF had been called as well as the bulletproof tractors. The Jhujaru Singhs only had limited ammunition and continued to fight against the enemy. In the end at 5:30pm, both Jhujaru Singhs attained martyrdom.

After the police declared the bodies of the Singhs as unidentified and cremated both bodies in Batala. The following the newspapers, TV and radio reported the martyrdom of Bhai Santokh Singh Dharamkot and Bhai Sarabjeet Singh Dharamkot. Soon as the Bhai Sahib’s family got the news, they gathered the locals and in 3/4 buses full made their way to Batala and demanded the bodies of the martyrs. But the police had already cremated the bodies and in the end gave the ashes of both martyrs to their families.

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Santokh Singh Dharamkot