Shaheed Bhai Sukhwinder Singh Devidas

Khalistan Commando Force

 

Bhai Sukhwinder Singh was born in the house of Sardar Avtar Singh and from the womb of Mata Bir Kaur in village Devidaspur, near Dhariwal. Bhai Sahib was the eldest brother to a sister and another brother. Sardar Avtar Singh was a farmer and were fairly wealthy also. Bhai Sahib had studied up to 7th/8th class at the local government school. Being the eldest son of the family, Bhai Sahib started taking responsibilities of running the household and doing farming with his father.

 

From a young age Bhai Sahib was of religious personality and deeply attached to Sikh way of life. Seeing this, Sardar Avtar Singh also enrolled Bhai Sahib in Tarna Dal Nihang Dal, of Baba Bakala. Bhai Sahib spent a year here and came back home as a full Nihang Singh. At the Nihang Dal, Bhai Sahib learnt Santhaya of Gurbani and Sikh history. Bhai Sahib remained in Nihang Singh attire for some times after returning home, but due to not having a religious atmosphere at home, he soon went back to wearing western clothes.

 

Bhai Sahib was very close friend of Bhai Balbir Singh Bira of Theh Tikha village. Both Singhs lived like brothers and travel together also. During the years of 1983-84, All India Sikh Student Federation started holding conferences across Punjab to unite the Sikh youth. Bhai Sahib along with Bhai Bira would attend these conferences and soon became very active protests that took place for the basic human rights of the Sikhs in India. After the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib in June 1984, in which the Indian army killed thousands of innocent Sikhs, Bhai Sahib was left in dismay and in shock due to what had taken place. Bhai Sahib saw this attack as an attack on all Sikhs around the world.

 

Post the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib in June 1984, the Sikh struggle for Khalistan had started to reach its peak. Bhai Sahib and Bhai Balbir Singh Bira decided to join their Jhujaru brothers and fight for Khalistan, as they knew only a Sikh homeland can guarantee the safety of Sikhs and others. At first Bhai Sahib joined the Jhujaru Singhs under the command of Bhai Manjit Singh Khujala, then short time later he joined Khalistan Commando Force, under the command of Bhai Wassan Singh Zaffarwal.

 

On 23rd August 1987 at roughly 8 o’clock at night, Bhai Sahib was staying at the house of Bhai Pritam Singh in the village of Sohal, Dhariwal. Bhai Sahib was with his Jhujaru brother, Bhai Balbir Singh Bira. These Singhs were waiting for a person by the name of Bagha, but unfortunately Bagha had joined the Punjab police and had become a police cat. Bhai Sahib and Singhs were all unarmed as they weapons were in another room and when Bagha came, they all moved forward to greet him. As Bhai Sahib hugged this traitor, Bagha pulled his pistol out and shot him making him a martyr on the spot. Then Bagha shot Bhai Pritam Singh making him a martyr also. When Bagha pointed his pistol at Bhai Balbir Singh Bira, he was wrestled down by Bhai Bira. In the scuffle Bhai Bira was shot in the shoulder. In the wounded state, Bhai Bira ran towards his weapon which was in another room. But as Bhai Bira came out of the room, Bhai Pritam Singh’s wife stopped him from starting a battle as if this was to happen the police will then kill all of her family. Listening to this plea, Bhai Bira tried to surrender himself to the police who had surrounded the house of Bhai Pritam Singh but the police started firing soon as they saw Bhai Bira, making him a martyr.

 

Like this the diamonds of Sikh nation were made martyrs due to the betrayal of such touts. After the martyrdom of all 3 Jhujaru Singhs, their bodies were not given to the families. The bodies were cremated by the police in Gurdaspur.

 

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Sukhwinder Singh Devidas