Shaheed Bhai Balbir Singh Changiara

Khalistan Commando Force

 

Shaheed Bhai Balbir Singh Bira alias Changiara was born on 15th March 1968 in the house of Sardar Avtar Singh and from the blessed womb of Mata Nasib Kaur in Village Mahna, Post Office Bassi Kalan, near Chabbewal, District Hoshiarpur. Bhai Sahib had an elder brother, Bhai Surjit Singh and a younger brother, Bhai Amarjit Singh. Bhai Balbir Singh completed his 12th class education from Sant Hari Singh Khalsa School in Chabbewal, and later worked in agriculture with his family. During his studies, Balbir Singh used to quarrel with the teachers because he never tolerated wrongdoing and he requested the teachers to conduct classes on time and also complained to the principal about teachers who were coming late in the classes.

 

Once some depraved boys of Jatpur village molested the girls of Mahina village, when Bhai Balbir Singh found out, he beat up those four or five boys with full force and the boys apologise to the girls. When the Dharam Yudh Morcha was held at Sri Amritsar to achieve the resolution of Anandpur Sahib, thousands of Sikhs from villages and cities were participating in this movement. The 14th head of Damdami Taksal, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale, gave speeches from the stage of Sri Manji Sahib Diwan Hall, and listening to his powerful words, the desire to die for righteousness would arise in the youth. Respected father of Bhai Balbir Singh Changiara, Sardar Avtar Singh gave his voluntary arrest amongst the group of Jathedar Baba Nihal Singh Ji Harian Vela Nihang Dal during the Dharam Yudh Morcha and Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale also honoured this group with his blessed hands. Sardar Avtar Singh spent a week detained in Amritsar jail. Often, Sardar Avtar Singh along with his family used to go to Sri Darbar Sahib (Amritsar) and as well as listening to the speeches of Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale, the family also did Sewa around the Sri Harimandir Sahib Complex. At an early age, Bhai Balbir Singh was greatly influenced by the words of Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale and Bhai Sahib began to strictly guard the Sikh principles.

 

When the Indian government attacked Sri Darbar Sahib in June 1984 to suppress the Dharam Yudh Morcha and commit genocide of the Sikhs, then Bhai Balbir Singh’s heart was shattered. After a few days, Bhai Balbir Singh went to Sri Amritsar and saw the demolished Sri Akaal Takht Sahib, he cried out and his heart was shaken to the core. As soon as he came out of Sri Darbar Sahib, the Indian army arrested Bhai Balbir Singh and took him to the camp and interrogated him blindly. Then the police filed a false case and sent him to Amritsar jail. In jail, Bhai Balbir Singh met with like-minded Singh who was from nearby village of Tarn Taran, and both took an oath, “After being released from jail, we will serve the Sikh nation to the fullest, and we will teach those who attacked our holiest shrines an unforgettable lesson that even their posterity will remember.” After spending six months in Amritsar jail, Bhai Balbir Singh was transferred to Hoshiarpur jail. After spending some time in jail here, Bhai Sahib was released and he came back to his home. Three months after Bhai Sahib’s release, the Singh he met in jail was also released from jail and he came to Bhai Sahib’s home to meet him, staying the night here. The following morning, both Singhs left for Pakistan to get trained in guerrilla warfare. Bhai Sahib’s family only found out about this when they went looking for their son at the village of the Singh who met Bhai Sahib in jail.

 

While living in Pakistan, Bhai Balbir Singh met the Singhs of Khalistan Commando Force (Panjwar Group) and started training in firing weapons. Bhai Balbir Singh soon became a top marksman and mastered all types of weapons. He took the Amrit from Panj Pyare at Sri Nankana Sahib while living in Pakistan. Soon Bhai Sahib had mesmerised all Nitnem prayers. After returning to Punjab, Bhai Balbir Singh came in contact with Khalistan Commando Force’s Jhujaru Singh, Bhai Daljit Singh Bhikhi, and together both encouraged many Sikh youths of the Doaba area to join their Jhujaru group. Bhai Sahib also had a lot of association with the Jhujaru Singhs of Dusht Sodh Commando Force and Bhindranwala Tiger Force of Khalistan (Sangha), they carried out many major Jhujaru actions jointly. Bhai Balbir Singh started dishing out one-way tickets to hell to the enemies of Sikhs nation and his name started echoing in the headlines of newspapers. Bhai Balbir Singh was a very agile and determined fighter and was called ‘Changiara’ in the fighting ranks.

 

  • Bhai Balbir Singh fired at a contractor of village Handowal, he was injured but escaped death. This contractor was a member of the team that were working on releasing the water from the Bhakra Dam and by obeying the government’s order, he wanted to kill the people of Punjab by releasing water from the Dam.

 

  • At a hideout near Tanda, Bhai Sahib along with other Jhujaru Singhs of the Khalistan Commando Force were heavily surrounded by the police, while fighting, the Jhujaru Singhs broke the siege and escape, but some weapons were left behind in the area, which the police did not get hold of. On the same night, Bhai Balbir Singh Changiara went back avoiding the police and brought those weapons back.

 

  • Near Garhshankar, Bhai Balbir Singh Changiara and Bhai Daljit Singh Bhikhi had a fierce battle for two hours with the CRPF soldiers and the Singhs killed eight soldiers of the Hindustani forces, and they managed to get out of there by changing their disguise.

 

  • Comrade Sohan Singh, a resident of Harsi village near Tanda City of Hoshiarpur district, used to talk a lot of nonsense against Sikhi and Sikhs. He was using poisonous language which deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikh nation. In fact, this comrade was an informer of the government, and used to get reward by giving the intelligence of the Jhujaru Singhs to the police. The Jhujaru Singhs warned this comrade many times, but he did not listen and continued to challenge the Singhs under the patronage of the government (before this, his father also used to speak loudly against the Sikh struggle, for which the Jhujaru Singhs assassinated him in February 1989). Finally, on 28th April 1989, this comrade Sohan Singh along with one of his companions Surat Singh and a gunman were shot dead by the Jhujaru Singhs in broad daylight in Tanda. Bhai Balbir Singh Changiara, Bhai Daljit Singh Bhikhi, Bhai Charanjit Singh Khudda and Bhai Bikram Singh Bikkar were involved in this joint action. Singhs vacated the area and went in different directions.

 

The police started looking for the Jhujaru Singhs responsible for the comrade killing. The following day, on 29th April 1989, the police arrested Bhai Sahib from Moranwali village and arrested Bhai Bikram Singh Bikkar and Bhai Charanjit Singh Khudda from Khudda village. Bhai Balbir Singh Changiara was brought to the Haryana City police station and the police subjected Bhai Balbir Singh’s body to inhuman torture for four days. On the night of 3rd May 1989, Bhai Balbir Singh Changiara was killed in a false encounter by the police at village Pandori (near Dasuya). The police cremated the martyred body of Bhai Sahib in the Dasuya cremation ground themselves, and did not even give the ashes to the family.

 

Then on the 5th May 1989, the news appeared in Ajit newspaper:

“Balbir Singh Changiara killed – According to the information from Hoshiarpur, the police claimed that Balbir Singh Changiara of the Dusht Sodh Commando Force was killed in police encounter last night. According to the police, 3 men were riding on a motorcycle and the police checkpoint near Pandori signalled them to stop. Instead, they started firing at the police team and in return fire one suspect was killed, while the other two managed to escape. The killed suspect was identified as Bhai Balbir Singh alias Bira Changiara, a resident of village Mahna in the Hoshiarpur district. According to police, a AK47 Chinese assault rifle, 33 cartridges and 12 used cartridges were recovered from the spot. According to the police, Balbir Singh was wanted for the murders of CPI Leader Comrade Sohan Singh and his colleague Surat Singh, SPO Dev Raj, Hawaldar Jaswant Singh and others.”

 

Tavareekh Shaheed-E-Khalistan – Bhai Ranjit Singh Damdami Taksal