Shaheed Bhai Shinderpal Singh Dharamkot

Khalistan Armed Force

Bhai Shinderpal Singh’s family are amongst those families that have sacrificed their all 3 sons in the Sikh Freedom Movement. Sardar Didar Singh and Mata Sadajit had 3 sons Bhai Sukhdev Singh Bittu (18th Bhadon 1967), Bhai Shinderpal Singh (9th Saun 1970), Bhai Dilbagh Singh and 2 daughters Bibi Kuljit Kaur, Bibi Rashpal Singh. This family lived in the village of Dharamkot, near Khujala district Sri Hargobindpur. Sardar Didar Singh had decent living from the family farms and the whole family lived happily. Bhai Sahib completed his 10th class at a government school in Khujala village. Bhai Sukhdev Singh Bittu had completed 12 classes and after started helping his father in the farms. Due to bad health, Bhai Dilbagh Singh had only managed to study up to 9th class. All 3 brothers were deeply attached the core principles and values of Sikhi, in fact the whole family would stand for Sikhi where needed.

After the Sikh genocide of June/November 1984, the whole family started supporting the Sikh Freedom Movement. Bhai Sahib’s house was very big and Jhujaru Singhs would come and stay here regularly. Jhujaru Singhs under the command of Bhai Kanwaljit Singh Waheguru, Bhai Jagtar Singh Chananke and Bhai Mathra Singh Shikar Mashian would regularly stay at Bhai Sahib’s house and the family would serve the Jhujaru Singhs Langar. Bhai Sahib’s family secretly helped the Jhujaru Singhs with anything they could, the family never said no to any sewa. Bhai Sahib and Bhai Sukhdev Singh Bittu were very much interested in doing sewa side by side with their Jhujaru brothers. Both brothers had started doing actions with the Jhujaru Singhs of Khalistan Armed Force and everytime before doing any action Bhai Sahib would do Ardas to Dhan Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj, “Hey Satguru, please give me the blessing of martyrdom on the battlefield and don’t allow me to attain martyrdom while being tortured.”

Bhai Sukhdev Singh Bittu was also doing actions with honesty and bravery. Bhai Sukhdev Singh Bittu recited Gurbani all the time, he would help the needy families of his area and he also taught lessons to the local alcoholics about quitting drugs and alcohol. Due to the family of Bhai Sahib helping Jhujaru Singhs, the Punjab police also started harassing and interrogating the family, but the family still continued to support the Sikh struggle. Bhai Sahib along with his family had earned the respect of different Jhujaru Singhs due to the loyalty and sewa. The police would regularly arrest Bhai Sahib and Bhai Sukhdev Singh Bittu and after interrogation and torture the police would release them due to lack of evidence.

In the year of 1990, Bhai Santokh Singh and Bhai Sarabjeet Singh both from the same village as Bhai Sahib (Dharamkot) attained martyrdom, this had a deep impact on Bhai Sahib and Bhai Sukhdev Singh Bittu. Bhai Sahib decided to jump into the battlefield permanently. The first action of Bhai Sahib was to take assassinate the police officer that were celebrating the martyrdom of Bhai Santokh Singh and Bhai Sarabjeet Singh only few days after their martyrdom. Bhai Sahib was given the weapons by Bhai Mathra Singh Shikar Mashian to carry out this action. Now Bhai Sahib was living away from home and doing Jhujaru actions while Bhai Sukhdev Singh Bittu took on the responsibility of home.

On 5th July 1992, civil clothed police black cats raided Bhai Sahib’s house and made Bhai Sukhdev Singh a martyr by shooting him while he was looking after the cattle of the household. Then on 30th July 1992, Bhai Sahib was coming home to meet his mother after the martyrdom of his brother. Bhai Sahib was recongnised by a police informant and minutes later Bhai Sahib was arrested from a roadside restaurant. Bhai Sahib was taken to the brick factory of Gurdas Nangal village and made a martyr in fake encounter. This was not enough satisfaction for the Punjab police, they arrested Bhai Sahib’s younger brother, Bhai Dilbagh Singh. The police blindly tortured the already ill brother of Bhai Sahib. Due to ill treatment of Punjab police, on 24th December 1994 Bhai Dilbagh Singh attained martyrdom in Batala hospital. The doctors had said the injuries attained during the police torture were pure act of evil and Bhai Dilbagh Singh had been injected with poison during interrogation also.

Information given by Shaheed Bhai Shinderpal Singh Dharamkot