Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Bai

Babbar Khalsa

 

Bhai Avtar Singh Bai was born in the year 1967, to the blessed womb of mother, Mata Baldev Kaur and father, Sardar Sadhu Singh, in the village of Tarsikka, district Amritsar. Bhai Avtar Singh was the middle of three children with an older brother and younger sister. They lived a traditional village life and farming was their main means of earning and livelihood. The entire family was Gursikh and devoted to their faith.

 

Bhai Avtar Singh’s father was said to be a freedom fighter during the time of the 1947 partition. Their father had spent many years in jail due to his involvement and contribution in the fight to free India from the British. He then went on to serve in the free India Army. For his tenure in the army and contribution, their father was assigned a lifelong pension from the government. He went on to marry later in life and then had three children. It is from his father, that Bhai Avtar Singh had inherited the fight for righteousness and the passion to fight for what you believe.

 

Bhai Avtar Singh studied up to eighth grade from his village school. He was blessed with Amrit (baptised) from a very young age and was very knowledgeable about his history and religion. He went on to work alongside his father and family in farming their land. In 1982, the Dharam Yudh Morcha was initiated by the great Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale. At this time, Bhai Avtar Singh was only 15 years old. Yet, he was very aware of the political and religious situation in the region and was fully supportive of the Panthic movement. During the Morcha, Bhai Avtar Singh too participated in self-arrest and became active with many other Panthic supporters.

 

In 1986, Bhai Avtar Singh retaliated against another pogrom by the Indian Government to flush out Jhujaru Singhs (who they would call extremists) from Sri Harmandir Sahib Complex. This was known as Operation Black Thunder. On his exit out from the battle of Black Thunder, Bhai Avtar Singh was arrested and imprisoned for eighteen months. From this day forward he made an oath with his soul, that he would dedicate the rest of his life to the fight for Khalistan. After his release, the police continued to harass him and his family.

 

It was now 1990. Bhai Avtar Singh had his Anand Karaj arranged and was married to Bibi Jasbir Kaur. They were blessed with a son, Jasroop Singh. Bhai Avtar Singh still dedicated his life to the armed struggle and the fight for Khalistan. He was serving closely alongside other Jhujaru Singhs from the Babbar Khalsa militia group from his village. He was also known to have served alongside a well-respected Jhujaru Singh, Bhai Sham Singh Mattewal (Babbar Khalsa).

 

On 10th September 1992, Bhai Avtar Singh Bai was going about his business and had gone to cover some important business for his Bhua Ji (Aunt – Father’s sister). An informant had tipped off the police on his whereabouts. Bhai Avtar Singh was unarmed and the police cowardly surrounded him in the village of Vallah, Amritsar and was captured. The police took Bhai Avtar Singh to an undisclosed location and killed him in a fake encounter, where he attained Shaheedi (martyrdom).

 

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Bai