Shaheed Bibi Hardeep Kaur Samrala

Babbar Khalsa

 

The shahadat of Bibi Hardeep Kaur by the hands of the cruel Indian government could have been forgotten by the Sikh nation if Bhai Baljit Singh Bhau had not attended the last Ardas of Bibi Ji. Ajit had this news all over the front pages of their newspapers on the 12th June 2007. The shahadat of Bibi Hardeep Kaur Samrala is a massive black spot in the Indian law and its police.

When Beant Singh came into power, he gave open orders to butchers like KPS Gill to kill Sikhs. From here Beant Singh and KPS Gill together created black cats, which infiltrated freedom fighting groups to disgrace the true and pure Sikh warriors that were fighting for freedom. Soon the day of judgement came for Beant Singh, under the command of Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara Babbar, Bhai Dilawar Singh Jaisinghwala Babbar became a human bomb and blew up Beant Singh into pieces at the Chandigarh secretariat, for the killings for thousands of young Sikhs around Punjab.

Some months after the killing of Beant Singh by the singhs of Babbar Khalsa, Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara Babbar was arrested from the Jalandhar bus station by a black cat turned police officer, Gurmeet Pinky. Then in 2004 Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara Babbar escaped from the Burail jail along with 3 other singhs by digging a tunnel underneath the jail. Now the sleep of Gurmeet Pinky had disappeared and he was living the sleepless nights, always watching his back. Then the investigation done in to the cinema bombings in June 2005, at the premiere of Sunny Deol’s ‘Jo Bole So Nihal’ movie, which was an insult to the Sikh faith, the police was managed to arrest Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara Babbar from Punjabi University of Patiala. From the mobile gained from Bhai Hawara, the police located over 200 families and after arresting them, they faced brutal torture of the Punjab police. Out of the 200 families, 20 women were arrested, who were brutally tortured by male police officers.

Bibi Hardeep Kaur Samrala was born in the house of Sardar Jageer Singh and from the womb of Mata Jaswant Kaur in the village of Prempura. From childhood Bibi Ji was into Sikhi and the values of Sikh faith. Bibi Ji believed in the equal treatment of all humans, anything Bibi Ji said was thought over several times before saying it and once said Bibi Ji would stick to it also.

When Bibi Ji was brought to the hospital of Patiala, after the police had brutally tortured her and Bibi Ji’s health was getting worse day by day. Both of Bibi Ji’s legs had stopped working and one of the arms was also losing its strength. When Bibi Baljit Kaur Samrala, Bhai Mokham Singh Ludhiana, Bhai Kulwinder Singh Khanpur and Bhai Baljit Singh Bhau came to the hospital to see Bibi Ji and she got emotional. Bibi Ji made a request to the singhs to do Ardas so she quickly passes away. On 4th June 2007, Bibi Hardeep Kaur Samrala attained shaheedi in Preet Cancer Hospital, Patiala in the arms of Bibi Baljit Kaur Samrala, who had been with Bibi Ji in the times of Sikh Freedom Movement. Bibi Hardeep Kaur Samrala may have left us, but her story will always stay with us.

The Punjab police had arrested Bibi Ji in June 2005, after the police got the information via Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara Babbar’s mobile. The police arrested Bibi Ji along with family members for accommodation Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara Babbar, while he was on the run from the Indian security forces. CIA of Sirhand kept Bibi Ji in their custody illegally for more than six months and was brutally tortured by the corrupt police officer, Gurmeet Pinky. Bibi Ji would be taken to the riverside at nights by the police and the officers would put a rifle next to her ear and let off bursts of fire. Bibi Ji was kept in dark and small cells for many months. The police would make Bibi Ji sign blank papers, which later were used as confessions by the police. Bibi Ji was also made a victim of third degree torture.

After Hawara and two of his accomplices made a dramatic escape from Burail Jail in Chandigarh in January 2004, he was asked to remain underground to evade detection. Hawara and his two accomplices remained together for about a fortnight after which he went to an old BKI activist seeking refuge at Samrala in Punjab. The 62-year-old BKI activist was so impressed with Hawara that he allowed him to stay with his daughter, Hardeep Kaur.

The Hindu Newspaper, 24th June 2005

The truth is when Bhai Hawara escaped from Burail jail, by digging an underground tunnel. Many Sikh families in Punjab opened their doors for Bhai Hawara to hide him from the Indian security forces. The panthic party, Akali Dal say they will do this and they will do that but why are they not saying anything regarding Bhai Hawara? Akali Dal are full of shame for not even trying to save Bibi Ji from the brutal torture of the cruel police, which led to Bibi Ji’s shaheedi. Parkash Badal the chief minister of Punjab did not even attend the last Ardas of Bibi Ji, but he sent all his media to keep an eye on who did attend the Sri Akhand Paath Sahib to pay their respects to Bibi Hardeep Kaur Samrala.

6th June 2005, Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara Babbar came under the radar of the Delhi special force and was arrested in Patiala. When Bibi Ji heard of Bhai Hawara being arrested, she went to a STD (phone booth) and rang Bhai Hawara to see if this was true. When the police got the mobile they traced Bibi Ji via the STD and arrested her. From here onwards the nightmare of torture started for Bibi Ji. The CIA of Sirhand did the ghotana torture tactics on Bibi Ji, which weakened both legs of Bibi Ji. Bibi Ji was also given shocks of electricity, which made some police officers look down in shame. The evil policemen tortured Bibi Ji so much by kicking her in the head, hitting the butts of their rifles in her head, this allowed the blood to go into Bibi Ji’s brain and clot up. As Bibi Ji was not given treatment quick enough these clots soon turned a deadly illness for Bibi Ji. Besides accommodating Bhai Hawara, the police also charged Bibi Ji with possession of weapons and explosives such as RDX. The family of Bibi Ji would not go and see Bibi Ji due to the harassment of the police. Even the solicitors fighting her case were unknown to the public, Bibi Ji had no one but one person to talk to in jail. Bibi Baljit Kaur was the wife of Bhai Lakhvir Singh, a close associate to Bhai Hawara. Bibi Baljit Kaur was also in the same jail as Bibi Ji and she also had faced blind torture at the hands of the Punjab police.

In the fast track court Bibi Ji was given bail after spending 7 months in Indian jails. Bibi Baljit Kaur arranged the fee of Bibi Ji’s bail and got her out of jail. While in jail, the wounds on Bibi Ji’s head got worse, her legs were not functioning and her left arm had lost strength. When Bibi Ji came out of jail, the family had closed the doors on Bibi Ji, from here Bibi Ji started staying at the gurudwara dependant on the Sikh sangat. After much persuasion by close friends, Bibi Ji agreed to medical tests on her head wounds. When the doctors checked her, they immediately advised Bibi Ji to have an operation done. But Bibi Ji had no money and no help, Sikhs who understood Bibi Ji’s struggle managed to collect 65,000 rupees, but time was running out and Bibi Ji’s health was getting worse daily. As Bibi Ji was continuously travelling to doctors and in this stressful time Bibi Ji forgot to attend a court hearing. The judge cancelled her bail and ordered her to be taken into the police custody, the judge did not even consider the health issues of Bibi Ji. The judge said one thing in the court and heartlessly forgot all about the case, “This case is not normal, the defendant is linked to an extreme group (Babbar Khalsa).” The judge thought that the cancer of Bibi Ji was dangerous to the people of India, he did not even look at the medical reports prepared by doctors. Bibi Ji and her lawyer tried their best to get their point across to the judge but deaf ears never hear.

In jail Bibi Ji was not treated for her cancer, when Bibi Ji started to spit blood only then the police sent her to the PGI hospital in Punjab. Even then the police guards were with her in case she escaped, this is how cruel the police was. The doctors at PGI hospital could not treat Bibi Ji and after 3 weeks they sent Bibi Ji to Rajindra hospital which was also in Patiala. Even here the doctors had no facilities for cancer patients and transferred Bibi Ji to Harpreet Cancer hospital in Ludhiana. The guards were always with Bibi Ji to stop her from escaping but there was no doctor to actually treat her. None of her legs were functioning, so how could she have escaped? The lawyers tried everything to get Bibi Ji treated but the blind and deaf law of India did what it is best at, ignore the Sikhs. The government of India was waiting for Bibi Ji to die.

28th April 2007, Bibi Ji was the weakest she ever has been, the court date was soon approaching, how could she attend the court when both of her legs were not walkable. In the end the court saw Bibi Ji’s conditions and had no choice but to bail Bibi Ji, so she doesn’t die in police custody and also the treatment period had passed. No one asked Bibi Ji, who did this to her? Who brutally tortured this woman?

4th June 2007, Bibi Ji spoke to Bibi Baljit Kaur Samrala and said, “Sister, look after my daughter, Gurshamsheer Kaur and say my Fateh to my singh. I am sorry I could not repay you for all your help.” Soon after saying these words Bibi Ji breathed her last breath in the arms of Bibi Baljit Kaur Samrala. A patient to die due to cancer in a hospital is not a new thing, but a patient to die with cancer that was caused by the brutal torture of the Punjab police was the first of a kind. Today people like Gurmeet Pinky are walking the streets of our Punjab and the defenders of Punjab are killed. The doctor, who was treating Bibi Ji said, “I am shocked to see this Bibi Ji’s courage, she truly is a brave spirit.” Bibi Baljit Kaur asked the panthic groups to help with the cremation of Bibi Ji. Soon as the Sikhs heard of Bibi Hardeep Kaur Samrala Babbar’s sacrifice, they immediately arranged the cremation of Bibi Ji. Every Sikh jathebandis played a part in the cremation of Bibi Ji, which took place in Samrala. Bhai Lakhvir Singh Samrala set fire to Bibi Ji at the cremation. Till her last breath, Bibi Hardeep Kaur Samrala Babbar never regretted any of her actions.

6th June 2007, the ashes of Bibi Ji were gathered and on 12th June 2007, in a gurudwara opposite the Samrala bus station the last Ardas of Bibi Ji was recited in front of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. At the gurudwara sadness was filled in everyone. Akhand Kirtani Jatha did the kirtan on the bhog day, Gursikh Sanstha and Shahbaaz Khalsa did the sewa of langar and shabeel. Bhai Narayan Singh Chorha, Bhai Kanwar Singh Dhami, Bhai Baljit Singh Bhau, Bhai Mokham Singh Ludhiana, Bhai Kulwinder Singh, Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu, Bhai Baljit Singh Khalsa of Khalsa Fatehnama and Bibi Sandeep Kaur are all present at the bhog. Messages from singhs/singhnia in Tihar jail, Burail jail and Nabha jail were read out to the sangat. No one from the Badal regime attended to pay their respects to this shaheed of the Sikh nation. All the expenditure of the Sri Akhand Paath Sahib and the responsibility of Bibi Gurshamsheer Kaur was taken by the Akhand Kirtani Jatha International UK.

Tavareekh Babbar Khalsa – Karamjit Singh Sikhanwala