Shaheed Bhai Amarjeet Singh Khemkaran

Shaheed Bhai Amarjeet Singh Khemkaran was born into the household of Sardar Kashmeer Singh & Mata Gurdeep Kaur in the year of 1953 in the village Khemkaran which nears the Pakistan border. Generally people hailing from the Majha area of Panjab are traditionally very fit, athletic and have strong muscular physique. Bhai Amarjeet Singh was no different, and due to this Bhai Sahib was accepted into the Panjab Police in 1972.

In 1978 Bhai Sahib was married to Bibi Malkeet Kaur, daughter of Sardar Gurmej Singh of village Mani Singh wala. In Vaisakhi (April 13) of the the same year the Narkdharis carried out a procession on the sacred land of Amritsar in which the Sikh Gurus and faith were being insulted. A group of Sikhs marched to protest against this procession, the group was fired upon by the Narkdharis with the assistance of police officials which resulted in the martyrdom of 13 Sikhs.

The procession and subsequent massacre outraged the entire Sikh Nation, Sikhs all over the world were left hurt and saddened and demanded justice against the perpetrators.

Bhai Sewa Singh and Shaheed Bhai Gurnam Singh

At this time Bhai Amarjeet Singh was on duty under the command of SSP Sardar Simranjeet Singh Mann. All officers under the command of Simranjeet Singh Mann became strict followers of the Sikh religion which was highly due to the parchar (preaching) of Bhai Amarjeet Singh within the station, along with colleagues Bhai Seva Singh & Bhai Gurnam Singh.

Following the Amritsar massacre Bhai Amarjeet Singh, Bhai Seva Singh & Bhai Gurnam Singh began to continue in their Panthic seva outwith the Panjab police and directed their attention to punishing the perpetrators of the Amritsar massacres.

Jathedar Talwinder Singh Babbar

On this journey Bhai Sahib was looking for like-minded individuals, this is how he came into contact with Jathedar Talwinder Singh Babbar. Bhai Amarjeet Singh secretly began working alongside the Babbar Khalsa who had been carrying out actions against the Narkdharis hierarchy.

Shaheed Jathedar Sukhdev Singh Singh Babbar and Shaheed Bhai Sulakhan Singh Babbar

In 1981 an important action was carried out upon officer Niranjan Singh, a follower of the Narkdhari sect. Bhai Amarjeet Singh, Bhai Sukhdev Singh Babbar, Bhai Sulakhan Singh Babbar reached the Chandigarh secretariat. Bhai Sulakhan Singh was sat outside on his motorcycle whilst Bhai Sukhdev Singh and Bhai Armajeet Singh entered the building with a revolver concealed in a register document.

Upon entering the building the Singhs spotted there target and opened fire, however Niranjan Singh managed to flee. Upon hearing the gunshots the public chaotically started running out of the building, both Singhs joined in the crowd, Bhai Amarjeet Singh managed to leave the building, but Bhai Sukhdev Singh was surrounded by the police.

Bhai Amarjeet Singh joined Bhai Sulakhan Singh and opened fire at the police and managed to free Bhai Sukhdev Singh and all 3 Singhs managed to escape unharmed.

Bhai Sahib continued to work for the Panjab Police whilst also performing his Panthic duties. Bhai Sahib and other Sikh officers would cover for one another when each officer was out punishing enemies of the Sikh Panth.

On November 19, 1981 upon completing there missions of punishing Narkdharis in the Jalandhar and Kapurthla districts, Bhai Sahib and Bhai Tarsem Singh had attended a meeting in the village of Daheru, district Ludhiana. Also present at this meeting were Bhai Vadhava Singh Babbar (present chief of Babbar Khalsa), Jathedar Talwinder Singh Babbar, Tarsem Singh Kalasanghian (currently in Netherlands) and Bhai Gurnam Singh (colleague of Bhai Amarjeet Singh).

The Panjab Police were informed of this by one of their touts, and headed by Inspector Pritam Singh Bajwa, the police in huge numbers descended upon Daheru village.

The police surrounded the house in which the Singhs were sitting, and the owner of the house Bibi Nachattar Kaur was taken into custody. Bhai Amarjeet Singh and Bhai Tarsem were on the open roof of the house, when the police attempted to enter the house they were greeted with a hail of bullets. A long encounter ensued in which 3 police officers were killed including Inspector Pritam Singh Bajwa and Constable Surat Singh. Both Singhs managed to escape from the Police and ran into the fields.

The police made an announcement stating that the Singhs were still in the village and if any local was to give them refuge or shelter, they would be regarded equally as guilty as the wanted Singhs. All villagers were strictly instructed to stay where they were and not to move. The farm workers were also told to stop what they were doing and be seated.

The police wanted to catch the Singhs at any cost, at first sniffer dogs were brought in but to no avail, then a helicopter circled the village with hundreds of officers patrolling on the ground. Mircalously the Singhs managed to escape from the village.

This was the first major encounter of the Sikh struggle movement, in which a handful of Singhs caused havoc amongst the police forces. From the ammunition recovered from the village, the police connected the Singhs to the Jalandhar and Kapurthla cases, and also discovered the identities of the 2 Singhs, Bhai Amarjeet Singh Khemkaran and Bhai Tarsem Singh.

The police began hassling the family of Bhai Amarjeet Singh as to his whereabouts. Each time a case was linked to Bhai Amarjeet Singh, the local police of the area in which the incident occurred would arrest Bibi Malkeet Kaur and take her away for questioning. 17 separate village panchayats were involved in the release of Bibi Malkeet Kaur, but the police continued to harass her. As Bhai Amarjeet Singh was carrying out his panthic duties whilst being underground, Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa sent a Jatha to Bhai Sahib’s family and offered them security within the Jatha. Bibi Malkeet Kaur along with her mother and brother Darshan Singh moved to Sri Darbar Sahib complex and lived under the guard of the Jatha Singhs.

In January 1984, Bhai Amarjeet Singh came to meet Sant Jarnail Singh at Sri Darbar Sahib and began staying with his family at Sri Darbar complex. By this time Bhai Darshan Singh had also taken up arms and was involved in the Jatha activities.

Shaheed Bhai Amarjeet Singh Khemkaran with Sant Jarnail Singh

Bhai Amarjeet Singh was a very clever individual and would often pick up on the dirty tricks being played by the government to dis-unite the kaum, such as the rumours of the Babbars dislike of Sant Ji and their Jatha Singhs. Bhai Sahib being close with both Jathas, would quickly root out the troublemakers. Whilst Bhai Sahib carried out many actions alongside the Babbar Khalsa Singhs, he was extremely close to Sant Jarnail Singh.

In June 1984, as the Indian army was planning an all out assault on Sri Darbar Sahib, Sant Jarnail Singh summoned all the Jujharoo Singhs inside the complex and instructed them to send their wife’s, kids, and relatives away from Sri Darbar Sahib.

On the 1st of June 1984, the battle between the Hindustani forces and the Jujharoo Singhs began which lasted over 7 hours. On the 3rd of June the firing once again started, and at this point Sant Jarnail Singh instructed all the women and children to leave Sri Darbar Sahib with Giani Puran Singh.

On the night of June 3rd, Bhai Sahib met with Bibi Malkeet Kaur and his 2 sons, Bhai Sarbjeet Singh & Bhai Gurpreet Singh at the home of Giani Mohan Singh. This was to be their last meeting.

Bhai Sahib was positioned at Ghanta Ghar alongside Bhai Darshan Singh, both Singh’s fought bravely to keep out the Indian Army from entering the complex. In the end their guns fell silent and both Singhs attained Shaheedi.

Written and compiled by NeverForget84.com

Shaheed Bhai Baljinder Singh Chaunkiman

Shaheed Bhai Baljinder Singh Chaunkiman was born into the household of Bapu Gurmail Singh & Mata Dalbeer Kaur. Bhai Sahib at a very young age became interested in Sikh affairs and would often read the Sikh awareness magazines of that time with a great deal of passion. Bhai Baljinder Singh was in the 9th grade when he left school to join the ranks of Sant Jarnail Singh and began to take an active role in the Dharam Yudh Morcha. Bhai Baljinder Singh was very highly influenced by Sant Jarnail Singh. With this the whole atmosphere of the house changed, with Gurbani recitations and Shabads being played non-stop, the household became one with a deep religious environment.

From childhood Bhai Sahib was a gentle, quiet and sensitive natured person. Bhai Sahib could not bear watching atrocities being carried out on innocents. Upon listening to the widely spread audio cassettes of Sant Jarnail Singh’s speeches with regards to discrimination against Sikhs, Bhai Sahib’s developed an intense passion and desire to help the Sikh community and would often discuss this with his friends. Some family members opposed to Bhai Sahib’s views, Bhai Sahib left his home and headed towards Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar.

Upon reaching Sri Darbar Sahib, initially Bhai Sahib met with a group of Gursikhs of the Babbar Khalsa Jathebandi, but began staying with Sant Jarnail Singh and his Jatha. When Sant Jarnail Singh first saw Bhai Sahib, Sant Ji told Bhai Sahib to return to his home as he was too young; however Bhai Sahib was adamant that he wished to stay with the Jatha. Sant Jarnail Singh admired Bhai Sahib’s dedication and let Bhai Sahib stay and told him to write a letter to his family to let them know of his whereabouts. Bhai Sahib wrote home stating that he was in a safe place and had found himself a great job.

Bhai Sahib came home to visit his family around 10-15 days before Operation Bluestar, but upon hearing news of the Indian Army’s plan to attack Sri Darbar Sahib, Bhai Baljinder Singh returned to the Darbar Sahib complex.

Finally the decisive day arrived when the faith and conviction of the Singh’s was to be tested. Bhai Baljinder Singh was victorious in this test.

A number of Bhai Sahib’s companions narrated to Mata Dalbeer that when fellow Singh’s of Bhai Baljinder were about to leave having decided to surrender to themselves to the Indian Forces, Bhai Baljinder Singh challenged them by shouting “Whilst your father’s house is being destroyed, you are running away like cowards. If you call yourselves warriors and true sons of your fathers, then stick to your guns and continue fighting.”

On the night of the 5th of June, Bhai Baljinder Singh whilst defending the honour of the Sikhs holiest shrine attained martyrdom.

Bapu Gurmail Singh & Mata Dalbeer Kaur

Mata Dalbeer Kaur is facing a number of family and financial problems, Mata Ji told of how one time an organisation provided financial support by giving the family 10,000Rs and that the family was also honoured by Panthic Jathebandis (Religious Organisations) at gatherings at Medhiana & Fatehgarh Sahib. However, Mata Ji stated that she is much happier when her son’s great sacrifice is remembered rather than the need of financial support. Mata Ji provides for her family by sewing clothes as per family tradition.

Article taken from Sikh Shahadat magazine.
Translated by NeverForget84.com

Shaheed Bhai Inderjeet Singh Jammu

Shaheed Bhai Inderjeet Singh Jammu was born on the 26th of January 1967 into the house of Bhai Gurcharan Singh Fauji and Bibi Amarjeet Kaur. Bhai Sahib’s family hailed from the village Batot, Guhar in the hill areas of Jammu & Kashmir. Bhai Sahib was the eldest of 6 brothers and sisters.

Bhai Inderjeet Singh became attached to Gurbani at a very young age and at the tender age of 10 was often on the Gurdwara Sahib stages reciting poems of Jujharoo Singh’s and talking of Panthic issues.

Bhai Sahib studied till 10th class at Government Secondary school before taking admission in ITI Electronics. Whilst completing his studies Bhai Sahib became very active in Gurmat Smagams. Bhai Sahib heard news of the unsettling situation of Panjab and decided to go to Amritsar. Upon reaching Amritsar Bhai Sahib met Singhs from Ajnala who took him to the residence of Sant Dyal Singh Lachmansar, however Bhai Sahib felt uncomfortable here and one day left to have a glimpse of Sri Darbar Sahib.

Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale

Bhai Sahib had desired to meet Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale as he had heard from many people that Sant Ji was a majestic saint. Upon meeting with Sant Jarnail Singh, Bhai Sahib expressed his wish to stay with Sant Jarnail Singh and the Jatha; Sant Jarnail Singh obliged and introduced Bhai Sahib to the rest of the Singhs. Sant Dyal Singh tried to stop Bhai Inderjeet Singh, but Bhai Sahib nevertheless went on to join Sant Ji and the Jatha.

Bhai Sahib’s family yearned to meet him, but he told them that he was now only dedicated to his service for the Kaum. A few days prior to the Indian Army attack on Sri Darbar Sahib, Bhai Sahib wrote a final letter to his parents, in which he mentioned the Army taking up positions around Sri Darbar Sahib.

Shaheed General Shabeg Singh

During the Indian Army’s attack on Sri Darbar Sahib, Bhai Inderjeet Singh was positioned at the water tanks by General Shabeg Singh Ji. From this position Bhai Sahib eliminated any officers advancing towards Darbar Sahib in a quick hail of bullets. Bhai Sahib used the advantages of being on the water tank very wisely; from here he had gained a height advantage and could locate the positions of the Indian Army and began eliminating those within firing range. Bhai Sahib fulfilled the duty assigned to him to the highest extent and caused major casualties within the Indian Army ranks thus stopping them from making any progress.

On the 3rd of June 1984, Bhai Sahib’s duty was changed; he was now assigned to the top floor of the Sham Singh Dera Building. This building is located on the Amritsar flour market side. From this positioning Bhai Sahib had a clear view of the Indian Army’s positions and was able to fire at them with ease. The brave warrior once again fulfilled the duty assigned to him by General Shabeg Singh Ji and continued causing heavy casualties and chaos amongst the Indian Army ranks.

On the morning of the 7th June, at 11am the Indian Army focused its attention on the Sham Singh Dera Building, the position was attacked with heavy force in which many Singh’s attained Shaheedi. The remaining Singh’s, including Bhai Inderjeet Singh, were now out of ammunition, they had no food supplies and had been hungry for days they had become very weak due to this. The Indian Army entered the building and arrested these Singh’s. These Singh’s were not spared by the brutal Indian Army Forces. Bhai Inderjeet Singh along with 21 other Singh’s were simultaneously fired upon, thus attaining Shaheedi.

The news of Bhai Sahib’s Shaheedi reached his family via Baba Dyal Singh.

The brave warrior son of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji (aged only 17 years and 5 months) did not only leave his name in the history books but left the world with the title all warriors pray for: Martyrdom.

After the Shaheedi of Bhai Inderjeet Singh Jammu, Sardar Gurcharan Singh Fauji and Mata Amarjeet Kaur felt no sorrow, but instead Mata Amarjeet Kaur said in her Ardaas

“Hey Sache Patshah! Main Apnay Putra’cho Apna Dasvand Day Ditta”
Oh My Beloved True Lord I paid my debt of dasvand (10%) in the form of my son.

Bhai Sahib’s family today still remember and keep the loving spirit of there brave son alive.

Article taken from Sikh Shahadat magazine.
Translated by NeverForget84.com

Shaheed Bhai Mengha Singh Babbar

“True Lord, may my body be a sacrifice unto your feet, Guru, father, may I not show my back in the field of battle, and may I be martyred battling the enemies of the faith. Guru, Father, have mercy on me, may the enemy’s bullets not hit my back, may I take them upon my chest. Satguru, do not think of my faults, please let me embrace your feet.” This was Bhai Sahib’s daily prayer before the Guru.

When the time comes for a Sikh to give his head for the Guru, he is overcome with eagerness. He considers it his great fortune to give his head for the Sikh faith. When it comes time to sacrifice for the faith, the Sikh doesn’t seek any examples, or justifications, or bribes. No force or fear can turn him away from his goal. Living his life according the Guru’s bestowed faith, he fights the enemy and gives his head for the pure faith and truth and is then called a Martyr. Such a warrior always wants that his head should be sacrificed for the cause of the Guru.

On June 1st 1984, the thankless Hindu government directed it’s evil eye towards the Sikh places of worship and Sackhkhand Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar. During this attack, Bhai Kulwant Singh Babbar aka. Bhai Mehnga Singh of the organisation Babbar Khalsa had the honour of being the first martyr to die fighting those who would defile the sanctity of Sri Darbar Saahib. Just as Bhai Kulwant Singh aka. Bhai Mengha Singh had the honour of being the first martyr in the Darbar Saahib attack, similarly, Bhai Kulwant Singh Nagoke had the honour of being the first martyr of the Dharam Yudh Morcha. On June 9th, 1982, Bhai Nagoke had every one of his limbs broken and after enduring countless tortures, achieved martyrdom and by doing so, gave the shattered Panth unity to fight together. During this time Bhai Amarjeet Singh Daheru gave his martyrdom and increased the Panth’s fervour to battle.

Shaheed Bhai Kulwant Singh Babbar a.k.a. Bhai Mengha Singh was born in Yumnanagar Jagadhri in 1957 in the house of Sardar Partap Singh located in Vishkarma Nagar. He completed his early education in Yamunanagar. After passing the ninth grade, he entered the ITI and took a year long course in welding and then began to work.

When, during the Vaisakhi of 1978, unarmed Singh’s went to protest the insult of Guru Sahib being done by the fake Nirankaris, the unarmed Singh’s were fired upon and 13 were martyred while countless others were injured.

The spilt blood of the martyrs had a deep effect on Bhai Kulwant Singh and as a result, he began attending kirtan samagams and would long for the blessing of Amrit day and night. By the grace of the Guru during the 1979 AKJ Holla Mohalla Samagam at Anandpur Sahib, he presented himself before the Punj Pyaaray and was blessed with Amrit. Bhai Sahib would read books on Sikh history and would try to mould his life to match those of old Singhs. He would always be consulting with other Singhs on the issue of punishing those who had killed Singhs. When the fake Nirankaris held a meeting in Jagadhri, Bhai Sahib and his companions attacked with fervor and caused the Nirankaris to run away in chaos.

The police lodged a murder case on these Singhs and Bhai Sahib’s companions fought the case with vigor. Bhai Sahib on the other hand refused to fight the case because in his words, “we don’t believe in this false government, so why should we go to courts of a government we have no faith in?” Bhai Sahib was acquitted along with the Singh’s who chose to attend court proceedings.

With a desire to serve the panth and punish the persecutors of the Singhs, Bhai Kulwant Singh left his home and came to Bibi Amarjeet Kaur, wife of Shaheed Bhai Fauja Singh, in Amritsar.

Shaheeds: Bhai Mengha Singh Babbar, Bhai Sukhdev Singh Babbar & Bhai Balwinder Singh Virhing

In September 1979, the Singhs held a camp in which the Singhs, in addition to learning gurmat, also learned weaponry. Bhai Sahib took part in this camp with a desire to learn the use of weapons. During this camp, Bhai Sahib met Bhai Sukhdev Singh, Bhai Kulwant Singh Nagoke, Bhai Sulakhan Singh, Bhai Balwinder Singh, Bhai Vadhava Singh, Bhai Anokh Singh, Bhai Manmohan Singh and many other Singhs. The Singhs who taught the use of weapons loved Bhai Sahib, and they began to stay together in the form of a Jathebandi. All the Singhs had the goal of finding and punishing the killers of Singhs and those who would insult Guru Sahib. The government had no idea who conducted these actions.

The government began to hunt the Singhs and as a result, the Singhs went underground. Only a few days had passed in hiding when this beloved of the Guru, Bhai Kulwant Singh, left to bathe in Sri Ramdas Sarovar and have darshan of Guru Sahib. He exclaimed “if the olden Singhs could cut through the cordon of their enemies, to have ishnaan and darshan at Darbar Sahib, so can I.” Even during this time in hiding Bhai Sahib would rise at Amrit vela, bathe in the sarovar and then attend Aasaa Dee Vaar kirtan at Darbar Sahib. After this, he would attend to the seva of the Singhs langar and also The Jora Ghar in addition to arranging weapons for the Jathebandi.

On June 1st 1984 at around 12pm, the CRPF and the BSF, in a government-sponsored scheme to eliminate the Sikhs, opened a rain of fire upon the Singhs at Sri Darbar Sahib, Darshani Deeorhi, Langar Building and Sri Akal Takhat Sahib. Bhai Sahib was at Baba Atal Sahib and took up a position there, killing three attacking soldiers. This warrior’s confidence increased and he went up to the top most floor of Baba Atal. A sniper fired at Bhai Sahib and the bullet hit him in the forehead. Bhai Sahib fell to the ground, but when a nearby Singh asked “Mengha Singh!!! How are you??” he replied “Chardi Kala!!!”

The Singh’s were informed that Bhai Sahib had been hit and Bhai Manmohan Singh and others were sent to retrieve him. The Singh’s with great effort in the rain of bullets brought Bhai Mengha Singh down from the top most floor of Baba Atal and carried him to Guru Nanak Nivas. There were no medical facilities or doctors, but the Singh’s cleaned the wound and dressed it. Around this warrior Gurbani began to be recited and only after the completion of Sukhmani Sahib did he go and take his place at the feet of the Guru. On one hand, the Singhs were fighting the enemy and on the other, some Singhs were taking care of the Shaheed’s body. Jathedar Sukhdev Singh Babbar asked the Gurbani continue to be recited.

Bhai Mengha Singh Babbar Shaheedi Saroop

All the Jathebandis in the complex, upon hearing the news of the Shaheedi did a final ardas for Bhai Mengha Singh, and upon seeing the Shaheed for the final time, heaped praise upon his bravery. Whoever meditates upon the Guru with a pure heart, for certain, gets the reward. May we be a sacrifice unto this first Shaheed, this blessed soul. This was the first Shaheed who’s body was cremated in the Darbar Sahib complex, despite the protestations of the SGPC president. Bhai Sahib was cremated close to Sri Manji Sahib.

By Gurdwara Tapoban Sahib Admin.

Jujharoo Singhs taking position before Operation Bluestar

This is based on an interview with Bhai Sukhvant Singh Jalalabad, a prisoner in Nabha Jail. He fought in the June 1984 attack on Darbar Sahib. Bhai Sukhvant Singh began staying with Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in 1982 along with 11 other young men from his village. Later, six of those Singh’s would become Shaheeds during Bluestar and the rest were arrested and sent to Jodhpur Jail. Bhai Sukhvant Singh was released in 1989 and joined the Sikh Resistance Movement. He was arrested and sent back to jail in 1997 where he has remained since, except for a brief four-month release in 2000. This is his account of the attack and how he and other Singhs fought back.

On June 4th, at Amrit vela, as the sweet sound of keertan was coming from Darbar Sahib, unexpectedly at 4.15am, a loud explosion was heard. It felt as though this explosion had taken place right near us. This was a signal for the bombing to begin. This all was part of a very carefully hatched plan by the Indian Government to attack the Sikh’s most important centre. All of a sudden a hail of bullets began to fly. All us Singhs became alert right away. We were about 20 Singhs in the Sindhi Hotel, which was near the Langar building.

Jujharoo Singhs

By daybreak, all the placements that had been made at high places had been completely obliterated. It’s important to say here that whatever placements had been made before June 3rd, and the government had noticed, were completely destroyed. Only those positions remained intact that had been made after June 3rd and which the government was unaware about.

General Shabegh Singh spent the entire night of June 3rd making new positions and those were the ones that caused to most damage to the army.

We came to a lower level of the Hotel and made new positions in the rooms and with our weapons we took them up. The bullets were flying at us so quickly that we couldn’t fire back.

We got in contact with the Langar Building and this was where Bhai Amrik Singh and Baba Thara Singh were commanding operations. They sent us a message at the Sindhi Hotel to leave there and to come to the Langar where all the Singhs would be gathering to fight together. This was because the Sindhi Hotel could have been surrounded at any time.

Darbar Sahib Burj

At about 11am, we left the Sindhi Hotel and went to the Langar. There all the Singhs gathered and had a meeting where different positions were assigned. I and some other Singhs were given our duty at the Burj, but when we got there, there was a storm of bullets being fired at it. The Burj was swaying and it seemed that it could fall at any moment. Inside it, the dust made it impossible to breathe. Our position here could not be successful so we came back to the Langar Building. So many bullets were being fired that no one could leave their morcha. But we would only shoot when we had a soldier in our sights. All of us were in contact with each other and we would go to each others morchas. If someone needed ammunition we could get it.

All night the fighting continued but the army did not have the courage to advance on foot. At around midnight, four helicopters began to hover around Darbar Sahib. They tried to drop Commandos but the Singhs with their fire did not let them. A helicopter hovered over the Langar Building for quite some time as well and Bhai Amrik Singh grabbed an LMG and fired at it. This one too couldn’t drop any Commandos.

The next day at around 5, the Langar building came under organized fire. Our placements on the top level were completely destroyed. Many Singhs were Shaheed and others were injured. There was no one to tend to the wounds but Guru Sahib was doing so much kirpa that the injured were still encouraging the rest of us to fight hard. The dead bodies of the Shaheed Singhs were lying in the placements but our hearts had become like stone and it didn’t matter anymore. In our hearts we all wanted to fight ill our final breath.

On the evening of June 5th, Bhai Amrik Singh and the others made a plan to go to Akal Takhat Sahib. We also got ready to go with Bhai Sahib because we had planned to bring ammunition from there.

Baba Thara Singh, Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale & Bhai Amrik Singh

Bhai Sahib and the rest of us went through the Parkarma, through a hail of bullets and reached Akal Takhat Sahib. We met Sant Mahapursh (Baba Jarnail Singh) there and he gave us a Fateh. Sant Ji asked Bhai Amrik Singh about the Langar side and what was going on and he asked us if we were in “Chardi Kala”. We replied that we were all in Chardi Kala. Sant Ji had a yellow keskee on his head and a Thompson Gun in his hands. He was in total Chardi Kala. We explained that we had come for ammunition and Sant Ji told Bhai Rachhpal Singh to get us what we needed. Bhai Rachhpal Singh took us to the basement and we took as much ammunition as we could carry. We then returned to the Langar Building. After this, we lost all contact with Akal Takhat Sahib.

We distributed the ammo and in total we were 60-70 Singhs at the Langar. There were bullets flying in every direction. We took up positions on the bottom most floor. As night fell, the Army sent 400 trained Commandos from the Ghanta Ghar gate, Baba Deep Singh gate and the Langar side. From the Langar side, we did not let even one Commando get into the Complex. On the other sides as well, not even one Commando survived. The army saw that they couldn’t advance by foot so around 11pm, tanks and armoured vehicles began to come from the Seraan side. They fired a hail of bullets at the Langar as they advanced.

Us Singhs in the Langar, Baba Thara Singh, Bhai Surinder Singh, Bhai Major Singh (Nagoke), Bhai Balvinder Singh, Bhai Svaran Singh, Bhai Dalbir Singh, etc had a meeting at the back side of the Langar Building. We decided to leave here and go to the Akal Takhat Sahib. Bhai Svaran Singh did an ardaas here that “Guru Sahib Jio! Give use the strength to combat this enemy.”

Akal Takhat building after Operation Bluestar

Chronology of Events

A situation which could have been resolved without a shot being fired was allowed to deteriorate to the point where the sacred sanctity of a place of worship was desecrated in the most brutal way with death and destruction. In addition to the followers of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, thousands of innocent pilgrims who had gathered to celebrate a religious festival also lost their lives in the attack.

The Akal Takht, the symbolic seat of supreme Sikh temporal authority was reduced to rubble. Gurdwara Darbar Sahib was damaged with over 300 bullets. The Sikh Reference Library with precious hand written manuscripts of the Gurus was burned to the ground. The Temple treasury Toshakhana with priceless historical artifacts of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was also burned.

Tuesday May 25th
100,000 Indian Army troops are mobilized and deployed throughout Punjab surrounding all important Gurdwars including the Golden Temple complex.

Friday June 1st
Thousands of pilgrims start to gather at the Golden Temple complex to celebrate the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan on June 3rd.

As Sant Jarnail Singh Bindranwale sits on the roof of the Langer hall, police snipers open fire on him. They miss and Sikh militants fired back. A seven hour skirmish during the night lasting until the morning leaves 11 dead and 25 injured. There were bullet holes in the Langer building, in the marble pavement (parkarma) surrounding the Golden Temple and in the Golden Temple itself.

Sunday June 3rd
All communications including phone lines to and from Punjab are cut. Road blocks prevent anyone from entering or leaving Punjab and all journalists are expelled from Punjab. A total curfew is imposed and as many as 10,000 pilgrims are trapped inside the temple complex.

Milk vendors from the villages who supply milk to the city of Amritsar are shot dead for violating the curfew orders.

Monday June 4th
The army starts firing on the temple complex and there is a gun battle lasting 5 hours. Using machine guns and mortars the army fires at dissident positions atop the two 18th century towers called Ramgarhia Bunga’s, and the water tank behind Teja Singh Samundri Hall as well as surrounding buildings. At least 100 are killed on both sides.

Tuesday June 5th
At 7:00 p.m. Operation Blue Star, the invasion of The Golden Temple begins with tanks of the 16th Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army moving to enclose the Golden Temple complex. Troops are briefed not to use their guns against the Golden Temple itself or the Akal Takht. Artillery is used to blast off the tops of the Ramgarhia Bungas and the water tank. Scores of buildings in and around the temple complex are blazing. One artillery shell lands more than 5 km away in the crowded city.

In the narrow alley behind the Akal Takht paramilitary commandos try to get into the temple. Some make it to the roof but are turned back due to the heavy gunfire. Meanwhile tanks move into the square in front of the northern entrance to the Golden Temple known as the clock tower entrance.

At 10:30 pm commandos from the 1st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment try to run down the steps under the clock tower onto the marble parkarma around the sacred pool. They face heavy gunfire, suffering casualties and are forced to retreat. A second wave of commandos manage to neutralize the machine gun posts on either side of the steps and get down to the parkarma.

The Akal Takht is heavily fortified with sandbags and brick gun emplacements in its windows and arches. From here and the surrounding buildings the dissidents are able to fire at any commandos who make their way in front of the Gurdwara.

Two companies of the 7th Garhwal Rifles enter the temple complex from the opposite side on the southern gate entrance and after a gun battle are able to establish a position on the roof of the Temple library. They are reinforced by two companies of the 15th Kumaons. Repeated unsuccessful attempts are made to storm the Akal Takht.

Wednesday June 6th
After midnight tanks are used to break down the steps leading to the parkarma from the hostel side and an 8-wheeled Polish-built armored personnel carrier makes it’s way towards the Akal Takht. It is destroyed by a Chinese-made rocket propelled grenade launcher.

Six or more Vijayanta tanks enter the temple complex crushing the delicate marble inlays of the parkarma and plow their way towards the Akal Takht. Orders arrive and the tanks start firing their large 105mm cannons equipped with high explosive squash-head shells into the Akal Takht. These shells are designed for hard targets like armour and fortifications. When the shells his a target, their heads spread or squash on the hard surface. Their fuses are arranged to allow a short delay between the impact and the shells igniting, so that a shock-wave passes through the target and a heavy slab of armour or masonry is forced away from the inside of the target armour or fortification.

The effect on the Akal Takht, the most sacred of the five Takhts, is devastating. Over 80 shells are pumped into the sacred Gurdwara. The entire front of the Takht is destroyed and fires break out in many of the different rooms blackening the marble walls and wrecking the delicate decorations dating back to the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Marble inlays, plaster and mirror work, filigree partitions and priceless old wall paintings are all destroyed.

The gold dome of the Akal Takht is also badly damaged by artillery fire. At one stage a 3.7 inch Howitzer gun is mounted on the roof of a building behind the shrine and fired a number of times at the beautiful dome.

At the other end of the Temple complex on the easternmost side a battalion of the Kumaon Regiment were invading the hostel complex where many of the innocent pilgrims were in hiding as well as the temple administration staff. There was no water because the water tower had been destroyed and it was very hot.

(Bhan Singh, Secretary of S.G.P.C.)
“They cut our electricity and water supplies. It was very hot in the rooms. There was no water. We had only two plastic buckets of water. Longowal had to place two people as guards over the buckets. Many people would squeeze their undershirts to drink their sweat to quench their thirst.”

Around 1:00 am the Army entered the hostel and administrative buildings and ordered everyone out and made them sit in the courtyard of the Guru Ram Das Hostel. There were about 250 people who came out.

Prithipal Singh (Sevadar, Akal Rest House)
” At 2 a.m. on June 6 the Army people came to the Rest House. They tore off all my clothes, stripped me naked, my kirpan was snatched, my head gear (patta) was untied to tie up my hands behind my back. They caught me by my hair and took me along with five others – who were all pilgrims – to the ruins of the water tank, there we were told, “don’t move or you’ll be shot.” They kept hitting us with the rifle butts. Then a Major came and ordered a soldier, shoot them, then shouted at us, “You must be Bhindranwale’s Chelas? You want Khalistan? I said “I am here to do my duty. I have nothing to do with all this.” “Six of us were in a line facing the Major, when a Pahari soldier started shooting from one end, killing four of us (with 3 bullets each). As my turn was coming, suddenly a Sikh Officer turned up and ordered, “Stop Shooting”. Thus I was saved.”

(Bhan Singh)
“Suddenly there was a big explosion. All hell broke loose. It was pitch dark. People started running back into the verandah and the rooms. I and Abhinashi Singh were sitting next to Gurcharan Singh, the former Secretary of the Akali Dal whom Bhindranwale accused of murdering Sodhi. Gurcharan was shot as he tried to run inside. We realized that soldiers were shooting at us. They thought someone from among the crowd had exploded the grenade. But it was probably thrown by extremists on the water tank overlooking the Guru Ram Das Serai (Hostel). We ran to Tohra’s room and told Longowal what was happening. Longowal came out and shouted at the Major. He said, ‘Don’t shoot these people. They are not extremists. They are employees of the S.G.P.C.’ The Major then ordered his men to stop shooting. Later in the morning we counted at least seventy dead bodies in the compound. There were women and children too.”

Among the dead were 35 women and 5 children. The survivors were made to sit in the courtyard of the Guru Ram Das Hostel until curfew was lifted the next evening. They were not given any food, water or medical aid. People drank whatever water was in puddles in the courtyard from the blown up water tank.

(Karnail Kaur, mother of 3 young children)
“When people begged for water some soldiers told them to drink the mixture of blood and urine on the ground.”

Many of the young men in the group of innocent unarmed civilians were then shot by the soldiers.

(Bhan Singh)
“I saw about 35 or 36 Sikhs lined up with their hands raised above their heads. And the major was about to order them to be shot. When I asked him for medical help, he got into a rage, tore my turban off my head, and ordered his men to shoot me. I turned back and fled, jumping over the bodies of the dead and injured, and saving my life crawling along the walls. I got to the room where Tohra and Sant Longowal were sitting and told them what I had seen. Sardar Karnail Singh Nag, who had followed me, also narrated what he had seen, as well as the killing of 35 to 36 young Sikhs by cannon fire. All of these young men were villagers.”

(Ranbir Kaur, School Teacher)
“Early on the sixth morning the army came into the Guru Ram Das Serai and ordered all of those in the rooms to come out. We were taken into the courtyard. The men were separated from the women. We were also divided into old and young women and I was separated from the children, but I managed to get back to the old women. When we were sitting there the army released 150 people from the basement. They were asked why they had not come out earlier. They said the door had been locked from the outside. They were asked to hold up their hands and then they were shot after 15 minutes. Other young men were told to untie their turbans. They were used to tie their hands behind their backs. The army hit them on the head with the butts of their rifles.”

(Sujjan Singh Margindpuri)
“The young men and some other pilgrims were staying in Room Number 61. The army searched all the rooms of the Serai. Nothing objectionable was found from their room. Nor did the army find anything objectionable on their persons. The army locked up 60 pilgrims in that room and shut not only the door but the window also. Electric supply was disconnected. The night between June 5th and June 6th was extremely hot. The locked-in young men felt very thirsty after some time, and loudly knocked on the door from inside to ask the army men on duty for water. They got abuses in return, but no water. The door was not opened. Feeling suffocated and extremely thirsty, the men inside began to faint and otherwise suffer untold misery. The door of the room was opened at 8 am on June 6th. By this time 55 out of the 60 had died. The remaining 5 were also semi-dead.”

By morning light, there is only sporadic sniper fire from the rubble of the Akal Takht. By late afternoon the army was firmly in control of the Temple complex and curfew was lifted for two hours to allow people who were still in hiding to come out.

(Giani Puran Singh)
“I went to the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) on 5th June around 7:30 in the evening because I had to ensure that religious ceremonies were performed. The moment I stepped on to the parkarma I stumbled across a body. Bullets were flying and I had to take shelter behind each and every pillar to reach the Darshani Deorhi. Another body was lying there. I ran a few yards and reached the Akal Takht. Night prayers start at Harmandir Sahib five minutes after they start at the Akal Takht. I wanted to find out if the path (recitation) had started there. I had a glimpse of Bhindranwale. We did not speak to each other. Around 7:45 I came out of the Akal Takht and ran into the Darshani Deorhi. I ran towards Harmandir Sahib, unmindful of the bullets flying past my ears. I began night prayers. Soon a colleague of mine, Giani Mohan Singh, joined me. Seeing the intensity of the fire we decided to close all the doors, barring the front door. Soon we completed all religious rites. We then took the Guru Granth Sahib to the top room to prevent any damage to the holy book. The Head Priest, Giani Sahib Singh, had given clear instructions that under no circumstances was the Guru Granth Sahib to be taken to the Akal Takht if the conditions were not right.

Looking through the window-pane from the first floor of the Harmandir Sahib, I saw a tank standing on the parkarma with its lights on. I thought for a moment that it was the fire brigade come to collect water from the srowar (holy pool) to put out the fire which was raging in almost every room. A few minutes later my belief was shattered when I saw the vehicle emitting fire instead of putting it out. By 10:30 or so around 13 tanks had collected on the parkarma. They had come after crushing the staircase from the eastern wing where Guru Ram Das Serai, the Langer and the Teja Singh Samundari Hall are situated. One after another the cannon fire lit the sky. When the first shell hit the bottom of the Darshani Deorhi, creating a hole in it, I saw the room with the historic chandni (canopy) presented by Maharaja Ranjit Singh catching fire. One after another the big bombs hit the Darshani Deorhi in quick succession, and what was once a lovely building was now on fire. The Toshakhana (Treasury) was also on fire. Occasionally a bullet would hit the Harmandir Sahib. We were 27 people inside, mostly ragis (singers) and sevadars (temple servants).

In the early hours of the morning of 6th June we took the holy book down and performed the religious rites that are performed every day, like maharaj da prakash karna (unfolding the holy book) and reciting hymns from the scriptures. The two side-doors were closed and the front and back doors were open. Bullets kept hitting the wall both inside and outside, ripping off the gold surface at various places. Soon after we finished reciting prayers one of our colleagues, Ragi Avtar Singh was hit. We pulled him into a corner. Another bullet came and hit the holy Granth Sahib. We have preserved this book.

In the meanwhile the pounding of the Akal Takht was continuing. There was no let-up in the fire in other places either. We were thirsty and desperate for water. We crawled to the holy pool to get water for ourselves and for the wounded colleague.

Around 5pm they announced on loudspeakers that those hiding in the Harmandir Sahib should come out and that they would not be shot dead. While myself and Giani Mohan Singh remained inside, others walked out with the arms above their heads.”

Over 300 bullet holes were counted in the Golden Temple itself.

With the lifting of the curfew innocent Sikhs thought that by coming out from hiding they would now be safe. Sadly this was not the case.

(Narinderjit Singh Nada, Temple Public Relations Officer)
“On the fifth night, the night of the real assault, mortars started throwing up plaster. My wife and I and my two daughters decided to go down from our flat on the first floor to the office, which is on the ground floor. At this point I thought of surrendering but I was told by a Bhindranwale man, ‘One more step outside the complex and you are a dead man’. Faced with this threat to my entire family plus the insecurity of the office room, I decided to move down to a small basement where there was a fridge. An exhaust fan outlet in the basement proved a life saver. I could hear soldiers speaking outside and different instructions from their commanders. Next to the basement was another cubicle facing the Temple where a sewadar used to sleep. I heard the army drag out this man. He was shot. Since extremists had been using all possible openings as pill boxes and grenade launchers the soldiers decided to lob grenades into all such openings, including my fan outlet. The minute I heard the order we all moved under a staircase. Minutes later two grenades came in. The splinters took three inches away from most of the walls. But luckily we escaped. We spent the night under the staircase. Eventually at about 11 am on the 6th my wife noticed an officer standing outside. She called out to him to attract his attention and requested him to rescue us. She told him that she had two young daughters. The officer behaved decently and said, ‘Don’t worry I too have two daughters. Nothing will happen to you. Stay put.’ He organized chapattis, pickles and drinking water. He eventually let us out when curfew lifted.

We had to step over dead bodies strewn everywhere. We were taken to the square in front of the main clock tower entrance. The minute the soldiers saw me, a male member of the group, they positioned their rifles on their shoulders with the barrels pointing at me. I think they were about to shoot me when a brigadier who recognized me intervened. We were then led by soldiers across the parkarma to the library side. A lieutenant accompanied us. Upon reaching the other side he asked me to stand against the wall and lined up a firing squad. He asked me to say my prayers. I requested to say good-bye to my wife and the two daughters. At this point the brigadier showed up again and shouted at the young officer, ‘What the hell are you doing!’ The officer said, ‘Sir, I misunderstood your order. I thought this man was to be shot.’

Now we were made to sit on the ground. My hands were tied behind my back. We were about 70 in that lot. All of us were told to keep our heads down. A slight movement of the head resulted in a sharp rifle butt. We spent the whole night sitting there.”

Outside the Temple complex the army troops were on a rampage, killing and looting surrounding houses of Sikhs.

(Subhash Kirpekar, Journalist)
“On the way back to the hotel (afternoon of June 6th) I witnessed a scene at the Kotwali which is blood curdling. This is where some soldiers were kicking some of the 11 suspected terrorists as they knelt on their bare knees and crawled on the hot road surface.”

(Giani Chet Singh)
“The people were taken out of their houses. Men’s hands were tied with their turbans. Women’s necks were sought to be asphyxiated with their plaits. Then they were shot in the chests. No quarter was shown to women, aged or children; in the eyes of the troops every Sikh was a terrorist. Those who survived died of thirst. Their houses were ransacked, and then put on fire. The area surrounding Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) was full of debris. What happened is beyond description of sight, hearing or words.”

As night fell the Army troops were given the order to storm the remains of the Akal Takht and shoot on site anyone they found inside. The troops encounter little resistance and find dead bodies and the smell of death everywhere.

Thursday June 7th
In the early hours of the morning the troops discover the bodies of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his closest followers in the basement of the Akal Takht.

(Apar Singh Bajwa, SP of Punjab Police)
“The Army officers in-charge ordered me to go home and I remained there until the morning of June 6 when I was summoned early in the morning. When I reached the kotwali [police station] near the temple, I saw the dead bodies of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Gen. Shabeg Singh, Thiara Singh and Amrik Singh lying there…I was asked to identify the bodies because I was familiar with all the dead men having often interacted with them as part of my duties as a police officer. The Army then requested me to arrange the cremations. We performed these, according to Sikh rites, at the nearby Gurudwara Shaheedan…A large majority of those who died inside the Golden Temple during Operation Bluestar were common devotees who had come to the shrine on June 3 on the occasion of the fifth Guru’s Martyrdom Day…Apart from Bhindranwale’s armed followers, I counted a little over 800 dead bodies inside the temple complex. My men and I were also tasked with clearing and cremating these bodies. Army and municipal officials helped transport them to the local cremation ground. While many innocents were killed in the crossfire between the Army and the militants, it is also true that the soldiers deliberately gunned down several devotees. You see they actually believed that anyone inside the temple was the ‘enemy.’ The soldiers had no notion of how they should tackle an unprecedented situation like the one that had developed inside the Golden Temple.”

The day was spent in clean up operations flushing out any remaining snipers and collecting the dead bodies. Soldiers were openly walking about the temple in their shoes, drinking alcohol as well as smoking. Blood and bodies were strewn all over the broken marble of the parkarma. With putrefying corpses floating in the sacred pool of nectar and the smell of death everywhere.

The Darshani Deori the entrance gate of the Golden Temple which houses many priceless treasures was destroyed and looted. Although fighting had now died down, the central library complex was mysteriously burned down. Many priceless manuscripts, some in the Gurus own handwriting were lost forever.

Aftermath

The number of people who lost their lives will never be known. The Army refused to let the Red Cross enter the complex and cremated the dead before the bodies could be identified or claimed by their families. The Amritsar municipal sweepers refused to clear the dead bodies away but were eventually persuaded by offers of rum and being allowed to strip the bodies of all valuables. They piled the dead into garbage trucks and unceremoniously cremated them. Family members were not allowed by the army to claim the remains or perform any traditional funeral rites. It is clear that thousands lost their lives in the Temple complex.

Total number of troops taking part in the attack is estimated at around 1,000 (Mark Tulley),

Child Prisoners

22 children between the ages of 2 and 16 years old were detained among the 1,592 terrorists apprehended by the army according to the government White Paper and on the  “most dangerous terrorists list”. They languished in jail suffering torture for over a year until social worker Kamala Devi petitioned the Supreme Court for their release from Ludihana jail.

Prisoner Mehrban Singh, Age 12
“We were repeatedly asked if we were Bhindranwale’s men. They hit us at Ludhiana jail, jabbing fingers into our necks, wanting us to confess that we had been filling magazines with bullets for Bhindranwale’s men.”

Prisoner Shamsher Singh, Age 11
“We were given very dirty food in the army camp. The food was better in the jail. We were regularly beaten in the jail. We were told we were Bhindranwale’s people and they wanted to know about Bhindranwale’s friends. They asked us where Bhindranwale kept his arms.”

Continuing Violence

Parallel to Operation Blue Star, another military operation called Operation Woodrose took place. Across Punjab the Indian Army attacked 42 to 74 Gurdwaras resulting in high casualties at Moga, Mukatsar, Faridkot, Patiala, Ropar and Chowk Mehta. The exact number of Sikhs killed are not know but 257 people were shot and killed during the storming of just a single Gurdwara in the operation, Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib in Patiala.

On October 31, 1984 Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot and killed by two bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh as revenge for Operation Blue Star. Over the next four days, as many as 3100 Sikhs were killed in retaliatory attacks, mainly in Delhi by Hindu mobs said to be organized and coordinated by Indian government officials. As many as 50,000 Sikhs were left homeless as their houses were burned to the ground.

In the 10 years following 1984 over 70,000 people were detained under emergency terrorism legislation (TADA), yet only 1 percent of them were eventually convicted of a crime.

Case of Sukhwinder Singh, 23 years old
Report for the Committee on Disappearances in Punjab
On 13 December 1991, Sukhwinder Singh accompanied by Lakhwinder Singh went to Munda Pind village on a tractor trolly to do some shopping. While returning, they were apprehended by the police of Munda Pind police post and handed over to Goindwal Sahib police. SHO Tegh Bahadur of Goindwal Sahib Police station and head constable Rachhpal Singh personally supervised Sukhwinder’s interrogation under torture during the course of his illegal detention for five days. The family members regularly visited him in the police station and served him food. Gian Singh met his son at Goindwal police station for the last time on 16 December 1991. Gian Singh, along with several other village elders had been talking to SHO Tegh Bahadur Singh to get Sukhwinder released from his custody. The SHO demanded a bribe of Rs 200,000 for Sukhwinder’s release. Gian Singh, a small farmer, was unable to raise such a large amount and beseeched the SHO to release his son for Rs. 50,000 but the SHO turned down the offer. Gian Singh was still struggling to raise the amount, demanded by the SHO for his son’s release when on 19 December 1991, several Punjabi newspapers reported the killing of Sukhwinder Singh and another unidentified militant in a supposed armed encounter with the police force. The cremation was carried out without the family’s knowledge.

Rebuilding

Kar Seva is the ceremonial cleaning of the sacred pool is normally undertaken every 50 years. A special Kar Seva was undertaken in 1985 to replace some of the damage. Tens of thousands of Sikhs participated and the sacred pool of nectar was completely drained and cleaned. The Akal Takht has been entirely rebuilt. The marble of the parkarma has been replaced in sections with new marble. Repair work on Harmandir Sahib included reguilding the temple dome and walls with new gold. The Ramgharia Bungas have been repaired and Teja Singh Samundri Hall has been left, pockmarked with bullet holes as a reminder of the tragedy.