Article by Rajveer Singh Head Of Khalsa Diary, conflict and funding none

A Sikh is a born sovereign. From the moment a Sikh is born they are given the blessing that they will be part of a kingdom, established by Guru Nanak Sahib that they as part of the Khalsa Panth will lead and vanquish evil.

Evil in the eyes of the Khalsa falls under two categories, the first is anyone who is tyrannical and cares about bringing uniformity. The world is built upon diversity, and without it, the world would be amazingly boring. So the Khalsa would defend against those who thought it was okay to forcefully change people’s perspectives and bring about uniformity. The second is any person involved in killing a member of the Khalsa panth unjustly. The Japanese clan masters when in disagreement would take part in duels, a fair one on one fight that could be deemed a true battle. However, in the case of the Sikhs, there has never really been an occasion where we were on equal terms with our opponents. So on occasions where the violence was just completely unjustified, or where a holocaust took place or where Guru Granth Sahib Ji was threatened, could also be deemed as evil. 

Such an evil person was General Arun Vaidiya, the man who led the charge for the Indian army to storm Sachkhand Sri Darbar Sahib, and over 63 different Gurdwaras, killing thousands of Sikhs, along with the greatest Sikh in the 20th century, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale. The list of atrocities committed in these 10 days of terror are so long, that listing them all would take many years. From branding 12-year-old and younger children as dangerous terrorists to raping women and drinking alcohol in Darbar Sahib, to the destruction of the Sikhs sovereign throne, the Akal Takht. 

The terror didn’t stop there though. When Indira Gandhi was punished for her decision to attack Darbar Sahib by Bhai Beant Singh and Bhai Satwant Singh, somehow every single Sikh was now a target for mass murder and genocide. Now it is clear that this was all a preplanned scheme, the fact that in just a few hours, mobs armed to the teeth were killing Sikhs and those Sikhs who had followed Sant Ji’s advice and had kept weapons, were disarmed by the police before being mercilessly killed. Sinners such as Arjun Das and Lalit Maken who had enticed people to kill, rape, loot and slaughter the Sikhs of Delhi, Kanpur and many other places, were now given MP tickets and prizes for their “commitment to their nation.”

In response to the terror, the Khalsa Panth rose like the great phoenix and was prepared to go to any lengths to reclaim their sovereignty and their nation. Jathedar Sukhdev Singh Babbar, Bhai Avtar Singh Brahma, Bhai Gurbachan Singh Manochahal, Bhai Manvir Singh Chaheru, Bhai Jugraj Singh Toofan, Bhai Sukhwinder Singh Sangha and countless other Kharku Singhs took it upon themselves to take revenge for what had happened. After all, court cases had been left in the air, and pleas had fallen on deaf ears. The Singhs then decided to seek out their own justice, just as Guru Sahib mentions in Zafarnama;

ਚੁ ਕਾਰ ਅਜ਼ ਹਮਹ ਹੀਲਤੇ ਦਰ ਗੁਜ਼ਸ਼ਤ ॥

ch kaar az hameh heelate dhar guzashat ||

When all other methods of communication have failed,

ਹਲਾਲ ਅਸਤੁ ਬੁਰਦਨ ਬ ਸ਼ਮਸ਼ੇਰ ਦਸਤ ॥੨੨॥

halaal asat buradhan b shamasher dhasat ||22||

It is righteous to take the sword in hand.22.

Guru Granth Sahib Ji even gives us this message as well; 

ਜੇ ਜੀਵੈ ਪਤਿ ਲਥੀ ਜਾਇ ॥

je jeevai pat lathee jai ||

those who merely live shall depart in dishonour;

ਸਭੁ ਹਰਾਮੁ ਜੇਤਾ ਕਿਛੁ ਖਾਇ ॥

sabh haraam jetaa kichh khai ||

everything they eat is impure.

With this, the Singhs started to punish those who were guilty of this unrelenting violence against the Sikh Panth. And from these many Singhs, were two Singhs, Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda, and Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha, that took the name of the Khalsa to a completely different level. Most of the Kharku Singhs were working within Punjab, maintaining the peace and keeping civilians safe from police brutality. Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda, and Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha, had decided to go towards Delhi, to punish those who incited the violence against the Sikhs. Arjun das had told Hindu mobs to make the Sikhs run for their lives in Delhi. So when Arjun das met his end Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda, and Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha chased him through the streets of Delhi before shooting him dead. Lalit Maken was another person who was also suspected of supplying weapons to the mobs. He was shot in his home, just like many Sikhs were slaughtered in theirs. The government was shocked at the tenacity of these two Singhs, who easily infiltrated India’s heart and killed some of their most precious minions. After this Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda was named the most wanted man in India, and even the mention of his name was enough to make the government tremble in fear. 

When Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda was caught for the first time in Gujrat, he escaped the police when they were taking him to the court. The way Bhai Sahib escaped the first time from Ahmedabad is very much like Hindi movies. Bhai Sahib requested the police officials to open his handcuffs as he had to go to the bathroom. As soon as Bhai Sahib was released he ran away and vanished into the crowd. It is said that he walked his way to Punjab because he did not want to travel in buses or trains because there were police looking for him all over.

This was still not enough to quell the rage of the Khalsa Panth. Sikhs were being taken out of their homes and killed daily and the Kharku Singhs could only do so much. The Sikhs still had one stigma left on their heads. See throughout Sikh History, Darbar Sahib has been attacked many times, and each time the people responsible were dealt with within 153 days. However it had now been almost two years since the attack on Darbar Sahib, and the commanding general, General Arun Vaidiya was living his best life in Puna. So these two warriors set off to once again reclaim the honour of the Khalsa Panth. 

On August 17th 1986 they arrived in Puna, where they found out that Vaidiya has moved houses. The next day they went in the general direction they were told to by an old servant of Vaidya’s house and managed to find his home. They spent time figuring out his timings when he would leave. On 19th August 1986, at 11 am, Vaidya left with his wife on a shopping trip. Vaidiya himself decided to drive the car. On their way back, Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda was driving a motorcycle with Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha on the back. They pulled up beside vaidiya and open fired. Vaidiya was left a bloody mess, and the Singhs yelled out jaikaaray before leaving the scene. From here they took a bus to Bombay. 

On September 17, 1986, Bhai Sukha returned to Poona to get the weapons that were left there. He along with Bhai Nirmal Singh got into an accident with a truck and were arrested. They were tortured for five months and then for a year and a half were kept in leg irons.

In the meantime, Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda along with General Labh Singh planned and executed the biggest bank robbery in the history of not India but Asia. They looted 6 crore rupees in the mid-eighties and it is equivalent to about 6 million US dollars in today’s money. This money was used to finance the militant movement and was partly responsible for the increase in militancy after this robbery.

There are several incidents that depict the quick thinking of Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda. At one time Bhai Jinda and General Labh Singh were travelling together. They were stopped by police at a checkpoint. The police got suspicious of them and before they could say anything, Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda spoke out in a typical Punjab Police accent of Punjabi starting with a Gaal (bad word) and ordered them to salute. The police constable and soldiers were taken aback and by that time Bhai Jinda and General Labh Singh escaped. Now that is what I call confidence and quick thinking. Bhai Jinda and General Labh Singh fooled them to think that they were police officers.

Finally, after one year Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda along with Bhai Satnam Singh Bawa was caught in Delhi at Gurdwara Majnoo Daa Tilla. It is said that he was in Dehli to send Buta Singh to Dharam Raj but before he could do that he was caught by police after a brief encounter. Bhai Sahib did not have any weapons at that time so he could not give them a tough time. He was shot in the leg during the encounter. He was severely tortured, salt was applied to his bullet wounds and other inhumane methods were used. Bhai Sahib remained in Chardikala despite their threats to chip of his legs in an operation. He even fought police officers who came into his cell. 

These two lions woke up at 12 am, bathed and did path. They ate some yoghurt and one apple each. Dressing in white Cholas and Kesri dastaars and kamarkassas. Both of the Singhs thanked the jail officials before walking towards their deaths. They shouted jaikaaray on death row, climbed the gallows and kissed the nooses. The nooses were placed around their necks and Bhai Nirmal Singh says that Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda shouted out to Bhai Sukhdev singh Sukha to roar out the Fateh. Then everything went silent.

Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda, and Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha, were kept hanging for 30 minutes. The government was worried that they might come alive again! They were hung together. For the execution, 4 Deputy Police Commissioners, 10 assistant Police Commissioners, 14 inspectors, 145 sub-inspectors and 1275 officers had been assigned.

The Khalsa Panth has always been sovereign and will remain to be. When the rest of the kaum understands that, well only time will tell. But when it does happen, be prepared for Shaheedi, a great battle and your benevolent rule.

Professor Puran Singh described the nature of the son’s of sovereign Punjab’s mothers:

The son’s of Punjab’s Mothers

They don’t live life cautiously

They aren’t afraid to sacrifice their lives

And they don’t turn away from the battlefield.

The new Sikh generation now must take responsibility to fulfil the dream of Khalsa Raj. Awake Youngmen of Punjab, Awake! Take and wear the Double-Edged Sword of the timeless.