Shaheed Bhai Gurdev Singh Nandachor

Sikh Student Federation

 

The name of Shaheed Bhai Gurdev Singh alias Hakam Singh is among the warriors who sacrificed their lives laughingly while fighting for the freedom and pride of the Sikh nation. This warrior was born on 24th December 1963 from the blessed womb of Mata Jagir Kaur and in the house of Sardar Channan Singh in village Nandachor, near Bullowal, district Hoshiarpur. The details of the six siblings are as follows: – eldest bring Bibi Swaran Kaur, Bhai Gurdeep Singh, Bibi Jaswinder Kaur, Bhai Gurmeet Singh, Bibi Harjinder Kaur and the youngest, Bhai Gurdev Singh (Shaheed). Bhai Gurdev Singh passed eighth grade from the government school of his village and then started farming with his father and later he opened a flour mill in the village and took care of all the work himself.

 

When Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale started the Dharma Yudh Morcha in 1982, Bhai Sahib started participating in this movement knowing his Panthic duty. During the Dharam Yudh Morcha, Bhai Sahib gave his voluntary arrest many times and after being released Bhai Sahib would get back to being more involved with the movement. He had become very close to Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale, Bhai Sahib would often gather the youth of the village and take them to Sri Darbar Sahib and had deep discussions with Sant Ji and Bhai Amrik Singh for the progress and success of the Dharam Yudh Morcha. Bhai Gurdev Singh lived in the rooms of Guru Nanak Niwas during the Dharam Yudh Morcha amongst the Singhs of Akaal Federation, such as the President, Bhai Kanwar Singh Dhami, Jathedar Jagjit Singh Nihang, Bhai Swaran Singh Nihang, Bhai Gurmeet Singh Khudda, Bhai Manjit Singh Bolewal etc.

 

When the Brahmin government of India attacked Sachkhand Sri Darbar Sahib in June 1984, the central shrine of the Sikhs and Sri Akaal Takht Sahib, the symbol of the union of Miri-Piri, with tanks and cannons, Bhai Sahib’s mind was shaken, his heart was filled with anger against the Indian government and he started to devise the next strategy to teach the Indian tyrants a lesson. After some time, Bhai Sahib left home and joined his Jhujaru brothers to fight for Khalistan. He had crossed the border into Pakistan to get trained in guerrilla warfare. This news was given to the family by Bhai Satnam Singh Satta (village Atalgarh, district Hoshiarpur). In Pakistan, he got in touch with many Jhujaru Singhs and there he got training in firing weapons. He also had mesmerised many Sikh prayers and spent most of his time in chanting the name of true lord, Waheguru.

 

After about one and a half years, Bhai Sahib came to his village at night, and the family members were surprised to see their son/brother. Bhai Sahib stayed at home for a week, and then he left, and started serving in the Sikh struggle along with the Sikh Students Federation (Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu Group). The Jhujaru Singhs started coming and going to Bhai Sahib’s house for food and shelter, his family served the Singhs endlessly with great devotion.

 

  • Together with his friend Bhai Sarabjit Singh Johal, they assassinated the butcher Hawaldar, Swaran Singh in broad daylight in Tanda. This Hawaldar use to harass the families of Jhujaru Singhs, due to his greed for a promotion and reward.

  • Bhai Sahib assassinated 3 police touts in middle of the main Bazar in Kartarpur.

 

On 13th September 1987, Bhai Sahib was staying at someone’s house at village Khaira (district Kapurthala) and was looking for his companion, Bhai Sarabjit Singh Johal, as he had been arrested by the police. Here, an informer also gave the location of Bhai Sahib to the police and the Jalandhar police arrested him while he was sleeping at night. The police took Bhai Sahib to Garhshankar police station, where he was subjected to inhuman torture and hot press was applied on his body and hot rods were passed through his body, but he kept reciting Waheguru, like the Puratan Singhs and did not reveal a single secret of the Khalistan movement to the police. The police martyred Bhai Gurdev Singh Nandachor on 15th September 1987, due to blind torture and the next day a fake police encounter was shown in the newspapers.

 

After his martyrdom, the police did not hand over his body to the family and cremated him as an unclaimed person. With great difficulty, the family got a picture of his martyred body from a photographer. On 24th September 1987, the family of Shaheed Bhai Gurdev Singh Nandachor alias Hakam Singh held a Sri Akhand Paath Sahib. The Raagi Singhs of Damdami Taksal performed Kirtan and countless devotees paid tribute to this warrior of Khalistan.

 

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