Shaheed Bhai Surinder Singh Kurala

Khalistan Commando Force

Bhai Surinder Singh Shinda was born in the year 1964 to the blessed womb of his mother, Mata Avtar Kaur and father, Sardar Dhanpat Singh in their home village of Kurala, near Tanda, district Hoshiarpur. Bhai Surinder Singh was the youngest of seven children. His father was a farmer by profession and made a living from cultivating their family-owned land and selling their home grown produce. Bhai Surinder Singh studied up to tenth grade and then went on to work at a bus workshop in Hoshiarpur City. A well-known Shaheed from the 1978 Amritsar Massacre, Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Kurala was from the same village as Bhai Surinder Singh and was known to be as a brother to his grandmother.

During the Dharam Yudh Morcha headed by Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale, Bhai Surinder Singh’s eldest brother, Bhai Gian Singh gave himself for self-arrest along with Baba Ram Singh Rampur Khera and Baba Nihal Singh Harian Vela Nihang Dal. Bhai Gian Singh would join Baba Ram Singh Ankhi Dhadi Jatha to sing verses on the great Khalistani Jhujaru Singhs and Singhnia.

Whilst working in Hoshiarpur, Bhai Surinder Singh came into contact with the leader of Khalistan Commando Force, Jathedar Bhai Manbir Singh Chaheru. Under his command, Bhai Surinder Singh began to serve the cause and fight for Khalistan. Prior to joining the Jhujaru Singhs of Khalistan Commando Force, Bhai Surinder Singh had spent some time at the Damdami Taksal institution and did sangat of Sant Baba Thakur Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale. Bhai Surinder Singh also served with the All-India Sikh Students Federation and then took the step to be blessed with Amrit and become fully baptised.

In the year 1987, the police got to know of Bhai Surinder Singh’s participation in the armed struggle. The Punjab police began to raid his family home and brutally harass his family. The first time Bhai Surinder Singh was arrested by the police they had planned to kill him in a fake encounter. Before they had the chance, Bhai Surinder Singh’s family quickly arranged for his bail. SP Suresh Arora and Swaran Ghotna arrested Bhai Surinder Singh three times and he had to endure brutal torture at the hands of these Indian monsters. The heinous police also picked up his brother, Bhai Kuldeep Singh who also had to experience severe torture.

Bhai Surinder Singh was once again picked up during his final days in May 1991 and taken to Hoshiarpur police station. There Bhai Surinder Singh received help from the local Sikh community and managed to get him released from the police station. The Jhujaru Singhs then arranged for him to travel to a safe place outside of Punjab via Bus. Enroute the bus was stopped at a CRPF check point and the police began to search all passengers. Incidentally, an Akali Dal leader Jasjeet Singh Thiara was passing by in his vehicle. They stopped and his personal gunman recognised Bhai Surinder Singh and signalled him to come sit in their car, saving him from the wrath of the police.

But it was not without betrayal. It was the year 1991 and the Vidhan Sabha elections were due and it was well known that the Akali Dal leaders were power hungry and were only working for their own selfish motives. For this reason, there was mistrust and feuds between the Akali Dal leaders and the Jhujaru Singhs. The Jhujaru Singhs were fighting for a free homeland Khalistan but the Akali Dal leaders failed to support the vision.

As they were travelling, Jasjeet Singh made a stop, stepped out the car and walked over to speak to a group of men who he knew. Jasjeet Singh Thiara as a very suspicious individual and was on the hitlist of the Jhujaru Singhs. He was known to tout on Jhujaru Singhs to the police, after which he would go get them released only to expect loyalty and gratitude in return. He expected special treatment for being the one who freed Jhujaru Singhs, but the Jhujaru Singhs knew he was not to be trusted.

Shortly after this, Bhai Surinder Singh was moved from the security gunmen vehicle to the front car of the convoy in which Jasjeet Singh Thiara was sat. On this very day 4th June 1991, in the village of Araan Kuntaan (near Bullowal village, district Hoshiarpur), Bhai Surinderjit Singh Mulewal and Bhai Iqbal Singh Bagha’s Jhujaru group had gathered in the nearby fields to carry out action and eliminate Jasjeet Singh Thiara. As Jasjeet Singh Thiara’s vehicle was approaching his home, this Jhujaru Singhs were already in position in anticipation and so began firing at the vehicle. They riddled the car with bullets. They did not know Bhai Surinder Singh Shinda was in the car. Unfortunately, Jasjeet Singh Thiara survived but Bhai Surinder Singh Shinda did not and became the bait of an unintended target and was killed, attaining Shaheedi.

Bhai Gian Singh and Bhai Kuldeep Singh, the brothers of Bhai Surinder Singh Shinda exclaimed how their brother had forsaken the family and home in service of the Quam and Khalsa Panth, spent time in jail, endured such torture, even we had to endure the wrath of the police. But how unfortunate he had to take his last breaths by the hands of his own fellow Jhujaru Singhs.

 

Khalsa Fatehnama – January 2021