Shaheed Bhai Bhola Singh Rode
Shaheed Bhai Bhola Singh Rode
The Jhujaru Singh of the Sikh nation and Damdami Taksal, Bhai Bhola Singh Rode was born in 1955, from the blessed womb of Mata Dalip Kaur and in the house of Sardar Mahinder Singh in village Rode, district Faridkot (today known as Moga). Bhai Sahib studied upto 7th class. Bhai Sahib was the eldest of his siblings, he had 2 younger brothers, Bhai Jagtar Singh, Bhai Ajit Singh and 2 younger sisters, Bibi Sharan Kaur, Bibi Binder Kaur. Sardar Mahinder Singh farmed on the land he had leased. In 1975, Indian prime minister, Indira Gandhi announced an emergency in the country, Sardar Mahinder Singh protested against this with other Akali Dal leaders and spent some time in different jails. Sardar Mahinder Singh had also won elections to become a member of the Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
When 13 Sikhs were martyred by the adopted goons of the Narakhdharis and the police in Amritsar on 13th April 1978, the news of this bloody tragedy shook Bhai Bhola Singh to the core and Bhai Sahib attended the Bhog ceremony of the martyrs in Amritsar. Here Bhai Sahib told the 14th chief of Damdami Taksal, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale, “Sant Ji! Those wicked people who shot and martyred our brothers, I want to punish those culprits, give me the order and put this service in my laps…” Sant Ji replied, “Gurmukha! Akaalpurakh Waheguru will surely do justice, if the law of Hindustan does not punish them, then Singhs like you will surely punish these wicked people according to Khalsa traditions. First you take Amrit and become a Singh…” Inspired by the words of Sant Ji, Bhai Bhola Singh went to Chownk Mehta and took Amrit from the Panj Pyare of Damdami Taksal. Bhai Sahib used to read Gurbani every moment and did Ardas, “O Waheguru, grant me courage, strength and ability so that I can eliminate the head of the hell-dwellers and avenge the blood of the martyrs…”
When the anti-Sikh law of Hindustan acquitted the head of the Narakhdharis, Gurbachana, along with his 63 murderous disciples on 4th January 1980, Sant Ji gave the duty to Bhai Ranjit Singh, Bhai Swaran Singh Rode, Bhai Kabal Singh and Bhai Bhola Singh to assassinate Gurbachana. These Singhs were assigned to go to Delhi and Bhai Gyan Singh, who was already living there. The Singhs started planning and made a policy to assassinate Gurbachana. On 24th April 1980, in the Nirankari Bhavan of Delhi, the Singhs corrected Gurbachana by riddling him with bullets. The Delhi Police also filed a case of killing Gurbachana against Bhai Ranjit Singh and Bhai Kabal Singh along with Bhai Bhola Singh because Bhai Sahib also played a significant role in killing the Narakhdhari leader. The police started raiding Bhai Sahib’s house. Bhai Sahib stayed around for some time and then went straight to Sant Ji. Bhai Kabal Singh alias Nirantar Singh and Bhai Bhola Singh, started serving as Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale’s bodyguards. Bhai Bhola Singh’s brother, Bhai Jagtar Singh also came to Sant Ji and started living with the Singhs because the police had harassed the family a lot in the murder case of Narakhdhari Gurbachana. The police had implicated Sardar Mahinder Singh and other relatives in this case and imprisoned them in Faridkot and Moga jails, they were released on bail after two and a half years.
When on 13th September 1981, the police surrounded the village of Chando Kalan in Haryana with the intention of killing Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale on the pretext of arresting him, the police also looted valuable goods worth about 3 lakh rupees during the search of the houses. Two buses of Damdami Taksal, Sanchis of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj, Sundar Gutkas, Pothis and religious literature were also burnt. Bhai Bhola Singh was with Sant Ji during this time and managed to escape from the siege of Chando Kalan.
On 20th September 1981, Sant Ji gave his voluntary arrest from Chownk Mehta for the murder case of Lala Jagat Narain. On that day the Brahmins of Kaunke village distributed sweets and celebrated this arrest. During this celebrations, Bhai Bhola Singh’s brother, Bhai Jagtar Singh shot 2 Shiv Sena workers who were dishing out sweets on their scooter. Another Hindu businessman, Davinder Sharma from Moga used to speak very badly against Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale. This man also gave 25,000 rupees to the jail authorities to harass the Sant Ji in jail. Bhai Bhola Singh’s brother Bhai Jagtar Singh Rode, Bhai Baldev Singh Chaddik, Bhai Joginder Singh Gillan and Bhai Angrej Singh Gillan shot and killed Davinder Sharma near the petrol pump of Moga during the day and the Singhs escaped in an ambassador car.
When the Moga bomb blast happened in July 1982 and the police included Bhai Bhola Singh’s name in that case and the police started raiding his family house. Bhai Bhola Singh’s younger brother, Bhai Jagtar Singh used to work at the Chungi of Bagha Purana. In those days, Bhai Sahib’s family had started living in Moga because the police used to come to the house a lot in the Gurbachana case. Bhai Jagtar Singh went into hiding from the Chungi. Someone had also warned the family at home that the police are raiding houses, the women of the household left home but were then arrested by police at the local police station. The arrested women were, Mata Dalip Kaur, Bibi Manjit Kaur (wife of Bhai Jagtar Singh) and the sisters of Bhai Sahib, Bibi Sharan Kaur, Bibi Binder Kaur. The police took these women to Ghal Kalan police station. Butcher and infamous Thanedar Gurcharan Singh insulted the women in the police station, drunk policemen inflicted blind torture on these women. Bhai Jagtar Singh went straight to Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale in Amritsar and told the whole story. Sant Ji told his elder brother, Bhai Jagjit Singh Rode to immediately get the women released. Bhai Jagjit Singh Rode did just that and had all 4 women released. The woman had been beaten, Sant Ji had arranged for them to be treated at a hospital in Amritsar. Sant Bhindranwale also mentioned in one of his speeches that Thanedar Gurbachana will not be forgiven for the atrocities he has committed against women in the Gall Kalan police station. Shortly after, the Singhs assassinated Thanedar Gurbachana for his crimes against humanity.
SSP DR Bhatti, was the police officer who desecrated the Gurbani books in Chando Kalan and wreaked havoc upon the Sikh congregation, Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale assigned the duty of killing him to Bhai Bhola Singh and Bhai Kashmir Singh. When giving information, Bhai Jagtar Singh told us that Bhai Bhola Singh and others went to Ludhiana and rented a house. Here Bhai Paramjit Singh was meant assist the Singhs in carrying out the action. But the news of this plan got to the elder brother of Bhai Paramjit Singh, who then presented Bhai Paramjit Singh to the Ludhiana police. The police non-stop tortured Bhai Paramjit Singh, but on the other hand, Bhai Bhola Singh and Bhai Kashmir Singh were waiting for Bhai Paramjit Singh at the rented house. On the fourth day, the police raided the rented house. With large number of weapons, the police arrested Bhai Bhola Singh and Kashmir Singh and they were taken to CIA staff where the police tortured both the Singhs inhumanly and made them half-dead. The next day on 16th November 1982, they took Bhai Bhola Singh and Bhai Kashmir Singh near Moga and martyred them in a fake encounter. After getting the postmortem of Bhai Bhola Singh’s body, the police cremated him under their supervision without the family and did not even give the ashes to the family.
According to a government news published in the Ajit Newspaper from Chandigarh on 17th November 1982:
Wanted Bhola Singh and Kashmir Singh, killed near Moga, in a police encounter.
The accused were wanted in the Nirankari chief murder case and bomb blast cases. Yesterday morning near Moga, it was reported that Bhola Singh and Kashmir Singh were killed in a clash with the police. It is said that Bhola Singh was a wanted accused in the Nirankari chief murder case. Both are said to be guilty in the Moga bomb blast that took place this year, in which 2 people were killed. Bhola Singh was also wanted by the police in various blasts in the state. According to government sources, Bhola Singh was a resident of Rode, village of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. It has also been learned that Bhola Singh is the son of Sardar Mahinder Singh, member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. Sardar Mahinder Singh’s name has also been mentioned in some cases. Kashmir Singh is also said to have been involved in some violent incidents in the state. According to our correspondent from Moga, these two accused were also involved in the bombing of a clothing showroom on the night of 12th November. After this incident, the police raided several places to arrest the accused. On the intervening night of 14/15th November, the police received information that both the accused were hiding in a house behind the Industrial Training Institute and the police challenged them to surrender, they fired at the police. On this, the police fired in self-defence. On this, the accused threw a desi hand grenade at the police which could not explode. After this there was firing from both sides again. When there was no firing from inside the house for a long time, the police went inside and saw that both the accused were dead. The police recovered a revolver, a pistol, 4 hand grenades of military mark, a large number of cartridges and a TNT slab from the scene. In the bomb blast that happened in July 1982, 2 people were killed and 8 were injured. In February 1982, the son of Nirankari chief of Moga, Suraj Prakash, was shot at, in which Suraj Prakash was seriously injured. Both of them were also wanted by the police in connection with the petrol pump and robbery at Malot. Bhola Singh’s father Sardar Mahinder Singh is also in police custody. During this time, Akali Dal President Sant Harchand Singh Longowal strongly condemned the killing of two innocent Sikh youths, Kashmir Singh Muktsar and Bhola Singh, by creating a false police encounter. In a statement, he said that if anyone is guilty, he should be punished according to the law. The police have no right to shoot down youths without proving their guilt. He said that at this time there is no such thing as law and order in Punjab and there is complete police rule. Holi is being played with the blood of people without reason. Sant Longowal demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident. According to PTI information, Bhola Singh and Kashmira Singh alias Billa were cremated yesterday evening after post-mortem. According to police sources, no one came to claim the bodies of both of them.
After hearing the news of Shaheed Bhai Bhola Singh Ride’s martyrdom, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale said, “Even if the traitors who martyred our warriors hide in the underworld, we will not leave those evil people at any cost, we will definitely take revenge.”
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