Shaheed Jathedar Paramjit Singh Panjwar

Khalistan Commando Force

 

Bhai Paramjit Singh alias Pamma was born in the village of Panjwar, district Tarn Taran in 1960, his parents were Mata Mahinder Kaur and Sardar Kashmir Singh. Bhai Sahib was one of five brothers; eldest Bhai Sarabjit Singh, Bhai Amarjit Singh, Bhai Baldev Singh Fauji, Shaheed Jathedar Paramjit Singh Panjwar and the youngest Shaheed Bhai Rajwinder Singh Panjwar.

 

Panjwar village itself is famous for being the birthplace of Jhujaru Singhs, with the likes of Shaheed Dr Barjinder Singh and Shaheed Bhai Sukhdev Singh alias General Labh Singh were both born in Panjwar and also the childhood friends of Bhai Paramjit Singh. Their contribution to the freedom struggle is immense. Both these Jhujaru Singhs fought during the battle of Amritsar in June 1984 and after General Labh Singh’s arrest, Dr Barjinder Singh was one of the Singhs that undertook the mission to free General Labh Singh from prison. Bhai Paramjit Singh became a member of the Khalistan Commando Force in 1986. Bhai Manbir Singh Chaheru, the founder of KCF had been arrested, and General Labh Singh was made the Chief of Khalistan Commando Force at the time. In July 1988, General Labh became Shaheed during a gun battle with Indian security forces, the command of the Khalistan Commando Force was bestowed upon Bhai Paramjit Singh Panjwar.

 

In fighting the freedom struggle for the Sikh nation, Bhai Paramjit Singh carried out major revolutionary actions between 1988 and 1991. Conditions on the ground changed dramatically in 1991 and as a result Bhai Paramjit Singh had to cross the border into Pakistan. From there Bhai Sahib was fulfilling his role as the head of Khalistan Commando Force. On 6th May 2023, the warrior Bhai Paramjit Singh Panjwar was fired upon and martyred in an ambush attack in Lahore, Pakistan.

 

 

Jhujaru actions in which Bhai Paramjit Singh Panjwar was involved:

 

  • 1986 – Assassination attempt on Director-General Punjab Police, Julio Francis Ribeiro inside his headquarters in the city of Jalandhar. Sikhs infiltrated the HQ and fired upon Ribeiro, he was injured but survived.

 

  • 1986 – Assassination of General Vaidya for his role in June 1984.

 

  • 1987 – Punjab National Bank robbery in Ludhiana, where over $4.5 million dollars belonging to the Indian Reserve were looted to aid the Sikh struggle.

 

  • 1993 – Assassination attempt on Indian Youth Congress president Maninderjit Bitta. A remote bomb attack targeted his bullet proof vehicle, he was injured but survived.

 

  • 1995 – Assassination of Indian Chief Minister in Punjab, Beant Singh, in his high security secretariat in Chandigarh.

 

The Indian state was very fearful of the capabilities of Khalistan Commando Force and Bhai Paramjit Singh Panjwar. This is reflected in how Indian security forces treated Bhai Sahib’s family, and the increased security measures imposed when sightings of Bhai Paramjit Singh were reported. The police, paramilitary and army were deployed in Delhi and other areas when news of Bhai Paramjit Singh Panjwar’s return from Pakistan was heard.

 

On one such occasion in 1994, during the 10th anniversary of the June 1984 attack rumors reached Indian forces that Bhai Paramjit Singh had come to Amritsar for a meeting with the Jhujaru leadership to plan a big action. The police surrounded Amritsar and sealed off the town, and the homes of Jhujaru Singhs were searched all over Punjab. Indian police also took the opportunity to torture their family members, the father of Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda was tortured during this time. Related to this incident there were other rumors that Bhai Paramjit Singh would be coming to Delhi to carry out a major action. The army was put on high alert.

 

The Indian state feared Jhujaru Sikh leadership like Bhai Paramjit Singh, not only because they had access to powerful and sophisticated weaponry, including heavy arms and remote detonators, but also because during this phase of the Sikh struggle Jhujaru Singhs were able to revive Sikh traditions of leadership. The policies of the Khalsa Panth were once again being set by those who had demonstrated actual power in the battlefield. It was for these reasons, Bhai Paramjit Singh’s role in the battlefield and in Sikh leadership that the Indian state was vicious towards his family.

 

Bhai Paramjit Singh’s mother, Mata Mohinder Kaur was 65 years old when in 1992 she was abducted and tortured to death by Indian police. The oppressive forces of the unjust Delhi throne did not even return her corpse to her family. Bhai Paramjit Singh’s younger brother, Bhai Rajwinder Singh Panjwar alias Raju was also martyred, following Bhai Rajwinder Singh’s martyrdom his wife, four-month-old baby and his in-laws were arrested.

 

The remaining brothers of Bhai Paramjit Singh Panjwar, Bhai Baldev Singh Fauji, Bhai Amarjit Singh and Sarbjit Singh, his maternal uncle (Mama) and his children, his father’s sister (Bhua), all were arrested in 1991 and kept in Indian jails for 6 to 8 months. Following Bhai Paramjit Singh’s move to Pakistan Indian police forces harassed his family continually, to the point that Bhai Sahib’s family house was taken over and turned into a police station for 6 months.

 

Bhai Paramjit Singh’s wife, Bibi Paljeet Kaur who was living in exile in Germany for many years and passed away on 1st September 2022.

 

Information taken from various newspapers and fellow Jhujaru Singhs of Shaheed Jathedar Paramjit Singh Panjwar