Shaheed Bhai Gurdev Singh Navapind
Shaheed Bhai Gurdev Singh Navapind
Khalistan Commando Force
Whenever the Sikh nation has been oppressed and tortured by the governments of the time, the Sikhs have always taken the path of struggle, whether they were the Sikhs of ancient times or of the present day. The Gurus have not made us priests of peace, that you should close your eyes or turn a blind eye when you see oppression, but instead have ordered us to take up arms against oppression, so that by defeating the tyrants, we can protect the poor and the oppressed and get our rights.
In the twentieth century, for the sake of the rights of the Sikh nation, there is a long line of heroes who drank the supreme cup of martyrdom in the struggle of Khalistan started by Sant Giani Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale. Shaheed Bhai Gurdev Singh was a real pearl in the garland of these martyrs. This warrior was born on 16th February 1971, in the house of Sardar Baghel Singh and from the blessed womb of Mata Balwinder Kaur in village Navapind Fatehpur, near Algon Kothi-Bhikhiwind, in present day Tarn Taran Sahib district. Bhai Gurdev Singh was the youngest of seven siblings, his four elder brothers are Bhai Baldev Singh, Bhai Davinder Singh, Bhai Jatinder Singh, Bhai Darshan Singh and two sisters Bibi Daljit Kaur and Bibi Rajwinder Kaur. The parents brought up their beloved son Gurdev Singh with great desire and his siblings also loved him very much. His father Sardar Baghel Singh was a full-fledged Gursikh and adhered the Sikh attire all the time, his life was very straightforward and he was the owner of fearless and courageous personality, he had firm faith in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj. Bhai Gurdev Singh’s great grandfather, Baba Mangal Gir, was a well-known Udasi Mahatma Saint. Bhai Gurdev Singh’s family got the foundation of moral and religious life from Baba Mangal Gir.
Bhai Sahib was admitted to the village school for his primary education. At that time, Sardar Baghel Singh had retired from the army and was working at Nangal Dam in the Public Works Department. Bhai Sahib also came to Nangal Dam with his mother and started his primary education here. Bhai Sahib’s father would often go to Anandan di Puri (Sri Anandpur Sahib) where he would actively participate in the maintenance work going on in the Gurughar, this was mainly because Sardar Baghel Singh had great love for Sant Baba Sewa Singh Ji and Sant Baba Labh Singh Ji Kar Sewa Wale. Bhai Gurdev Singh’s grandfather, Sardar Kundan Singh whose life was very idealistic and principled. He started his primary education from Sursingh village due to which he had a great love for Jathedar Sant Baba Sohan Singh Ji of Dal Panth Baba Bidhi Chand Ji. That is why even at that time there was a lot of desire towards the Sikh struggle in the family due to participating more and more in Sikh activism, and the independence of the Gurdwaras and country.
An example of Bhai Sahib’s desire to do something, his fearlessness and his strong will can be found from an incident in his childhood. Bhai Sahib was kidnapped from school by some men, when he was about six years old while studying in Nangal school. When the abductors stopped the car to drink tea, Bhai Sahib managed to escape by breaking the glass of the car very cleverly and bravely. He left there and directly reached to Baba Sewa Singh Kar Sewa Wale at Sri Anandpur Sahib and told the whole incident, everyone was very surprised. Baba Sewa Singh sent a message for Sardar Baghel Singh to come and take Bhai Sahib home. When Sardar Baghel Singh reached there, Baba Sewa Singh explained everything and said, “Baghel Singh, your son will do something big for the Sikh nation when he grows up.” The words of the great wise man proved to be true. After that, Bhai Sahib moved in with his Bhua, Bibi Surjit Kaur at her in-laws in village Maniala and continued his studies here.
Along with his studies, Bhai Sahib remained connected with Sikh principles because his uncle/ Fufar, Bhai Gurmej Singh was a well connected to his Sikh way of life and would be seen praying at all times. Bhai Gurdev Singh had taken Amrit from the Panj Pyare of Damdami Taksal in his childhood and soon Bhai Sahib had mesmerised all the daily Sikh prayers. He was not attached to family and other worldly affairs from the beginning. Whenever a Nagar Kirtan was held, Bhai Sahib would do the Sewa as one of the Panj Pyare. When the Dharam Yudh Morcha was at its peak, Bhai Gurdev Singh gave his voluntary arrest along with the Sikh congregation of Sant Baba Harnam Singh Ji Rampur Khera and continued to participate in other Sikh activities.
When the Brahmin government of India attacked Sri Darbar Sahib in June 1984 and demolished Sri Akaal Takht Sahib with tanks and cannons, Bhai Sahib’s heart was deeply hurt and he started looking for an opportunity to punish the culprits for their sins. For some time, Bhai Sahib worked at the Sokhi Screw Industry in Amritsar, but those who have a desire to do something for the nation and the pain of the nation, their mind continues make attempts to get on to the path to fight against oppression. Bhai Bakshish Singh Shisha, the cousin of Bhai Sahib, was the Lieutenant General of the Khalistan Commando Force at that time, and was a frequent visitor to Bhai Gurdev Singh’s house. So, Bhai Sahib also decided to join the struggle with the Jhujaru Singhs to serve the Sikh nation by fighting for Khalistan. Bhai Gurdev Singh started doing Jhujaru actions under the command of General Labh Singh Panjwar and Bhai Paramjit Singh Panjwar along with Bhai Bakshish Singh Shisha. Bhai Sahib had left home and started living underground with the Jhujaru Singhs. By joining this Jhujaru organization, he participated in many small and big actions and brought down the big towers of the Delhi government.
Bhai Gurdev Singh’s loyalty to the struggle, fearlessness, courage and bravery touched the heights, he showed great feats at an early age. All the Jhujaru Singhs of the organization respected him very much. The names of some of his Jhujaru brothers are as follows: – Shaheed Bhai Bakhshish Singh Shisha, Shaheed Bhai Narinder Singh Bhola, Shaheed Bhai Ram Singh Maniala, Shaheed Bhai Manjinder Singh Mand, Shaheed Bhai Harbhajan Singh Sursingh, Shaheed Bhai Sukhraj Singh Raju Kirthowal, Shaheed Bhai Paramjit Singh Kirthowal, Shaheed Bhai Balwinder Singh Pakhoke, Bhai Kashmir Singh Sheera alias Baba Darji (Patti), Baba Hari Singh etc.
A police cat Ajit Poohla (so-called Nihang) hiding in Khalsa disguise, in collaboration with the government was doing a lot of damage to the Sikh struggle and killing the Jhujaru Singhs and their family members. Bhai Bakhshish Singh Shisha and Bhai Gurdev Singh attacked him three times to read the Kirtan Sohila of this evil man, but continued to survive, perhaps God had something else in store for him.
The principles of the Jhujaru Singhs of Khalistan Commando Force were that before every Jhujaru action was carried out they would do Ardas in front Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj, recite Sikh prayers throughout the action, not allowing any poor person to be oppressed, protecting all the daughters and sisters, not allowing any kind of drugs to be sold and not targeting any innocent person, but challenging the enemies of Sikhism and then taking responsibility by sticking it in the newspapers the next day. Do not ask the name of any family member or tell your name to anyone in the house or place where food and shelter is provided.
Bhai Gurdev Singh’s group had no shortage of weapons because the fighters of his organization often crossed the border to reach Pakistan and arranged weapons according to the needs of the struggle. Bhai Gurdev Singh had many fierce battles with the Punjab police and CRPF in different places and he continued to fight with the enemy forces with full speed and he punished many policemen, black cats, traitors, informers, touts and soldiers of Hindustani force. Once Bhai Sahib had a fierce battle with soldiers of CRPF in village Dibipura, near Amarkot, the Jhujaru Singhs taught the Indian soldiers a lesson, after that encounter, the Indian government’s sleep had become lost. Bhai Sahib also punished a black cat by the name of Surjit in village Kotli, sending him to hell with no return ticket. So, in this way, Bhai Sahib made a great contribution to keep the principles of Sikhism alive, to maintain the respect of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj and to protect the dignity of our daughters and sisters.
Police forces started to roam throughout Punjab to catch Bhai Bakhshish Singh Shisha and Bhai Gurdev Singh. While serving the Sikh struggle, Bhai Gurdev Singh, Bhai Bakhshish Singh and three other fighters were staying overnight at a house between the villages of Ladhu and Chhanna. An informant reported the Singh’s location to the local police station. The next day, on 21st November 1988, around 4am, police and CRPF surrounded the Jhujaru Singhs and the village in their thousands. As soon as the encirclement was detected, the Jhujaru Singhs shouted slogans of ‘Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akaal’ and ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ and opened fire and the battle started on both sides. On one side, thousands of soldiers of the Indian government were armed with the latest weapons and on the other side, the five brave Saint-Soldiers of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj were on the path to write their names in golden ink in the history of independence of Khalistan by attaining martyrdom.
There was a thick fog and the sound of gunshots was thundering in the sky, the 5 Jhujaru Singhs came into the fields and did not allow the forces of Hindustan to take a single step towards them and in this encounter that lasted for six hours, the Singhs broke the backbone of the Punjab police and CRPF. The Indian security forces had to call for more vehicles for back-up. The way Bhai Gurdev Singh and other Jhujaru Singhs were fighting, the police kept thinking that the number of Jhujaru Singhs was very high, but they probably forgot that every single Singh is equivalent to 125,000 soldiers. Until their last breath, the Jhujaru Singh continued to fight. When the police and CRPF realised they could not tame the Jhujaru Singhs, and seeing their defeat, the CRPF soldiers hurled bombs at the Singhs, with which Bhai Gurdev Singh Navapind, Bhai Bakshish Singh Shisha, Bhai Sukhraj Singh Raju, Bhai Paramjit Singh Kirthowal, Bhai Balwinder Singh Pakhoke were martyred and fell at the feet of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj.
The people of the area said that even after the martyrdom of the Jhujaru Singhs, the police avoided going near them and the CRPF officers also put their hands on their ears saying that what clay were these Singhs made from and everyone was singing the praises of the bravery of the Jhujaru Singhs, the lions had fought bravely. The police brought the martyred bodies of the five Singhs to the Bhikhiwind police station. By noon the local public came to know about the martyrdom of the Singhs, the public along with the families of the martyrs staged a sit-in in front of the police station to collect the bodies of the martyrs. The bodies of the five martyred Singhs were handed over to their families. The martyred bodies of Bhai Gurdev Singh Navapind and Bhai Bakshish Singh Shisha were cremated according to full Sikh rituals at the Gurdwara Sahib of their village. Police forces were also present in large numbers.
Tavareekh Shaheed-E-Khalistan – Bhai Ranjit Singh Damdami Taksal