Shaheed Bhai Gurdial Singh Mintu

 

Bhai Gurdial Singh Mintu was born on 15th December 1970 at the house of Sardar Mahinder Singh from the blessed womb of Mata Harjit Kaur in village Lalpura in Tehsil Khadur Sahib of District Tarn Taran. Bhai Mintu had 5 sisters: Bibi Sarabjit Kaur, Bibi Kulwinder Kaur, Bibi Rajwinder Kaur, Bibi Baljit Kaur and Bibi Sukhwinder Kaur. He completed his education up to 10th class from a government school in his village. Sardar Mahinder Singh was retired from the army and was engaged in agriculture. Fed up with police atrocities, Bhai Harbhej Singh Bheja alias Cyanide, the youngest son of Bhai Mintu’s uncle, Sardar Joginder Singh, had joined the armed struggle for the independence of Khalistan since 1987-88 and was a very famous Jhujaru Singh. At that time, the families of Bhai Harbhej Singh and Bhai Gurdial Singh lived together in the same house.

 

In those days, the police inflicted great cruelty on Bhai Mintu’s family, his father spent many years in jail. Bhai Gurdial Singh had a lot of love and affection for Bhai Harbhej Singh because both of them had played and studied together in their childhood. When Bhai Harbhej Singh blew up the police and CRPF vehicles in village Lalpura with explosives, the next day, Bhai Gurdial Singh Mintu and one of his associates Bhai Sarabjit Singh Saba were going to Sri Darbar Sahib (Tarn Taran) from village Lalpura on 11th July 1991, the police and CRPF arrested both of these Singhs. 

 

The police brutally tortured Bhai Gurdial Singh and Bhai Sarabjit Singh after taking them to Tarn Taran police station. The police kept asking Bhai Gurdial Singh about the whereabouts of Bhai Harbhej Singh, but Bhai Gurdial Singh kept chanting, “Waheguru Waheguru.” Despite knowing everything, Bhai Mintu did not utter a single word. Inspector Darshan Singh asked him, “Quickly tell me, where is Harbhej?” Bhai Mintu pointed at his heart and said, “He is in my heart, if you have the courage, then take him out.” After this, the police tortured him and broke his hands and feet, pulled his nails off from his flesh, broke his ribs and cut his body into pieces and threw them into the Harike River. But the police could not get him to reveal the secret hideouts of Bhai Harbhej Singh. Although, he was not directly part of the armed struggle, the police illegally arrested Bhai Gurdial Singh Mintu, tortured him and martyred him because he was the cousin of a Jhujaru Singh, Bhai Harbhej Singh Bheja. 

 

Bhai Gurdial Singh Mintu, Bhai Sarabjit Singh Saba were disappeared by the police, and no trace of them has been found till date. Bhai Gurdial Singh’s parents spent years in police stations, courts and jails trying to find their son, but the corrupt and anti-Sikh system did not provide any justice. Bibi Paramjit Kaur Khalra, wife of martyr, Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra, fought hard to get justice for this family. Shaheed Bhai Gurdial Singh Mintu’s mother helped the Jhujaru Singhs a lot during the Sikh struggle, raising them like her sons. Talking to our team, Mata Ji said, “I am sad not only for my son, but for all the sons who were martyred at a young age, they were all like my sons.”

 

Tavareekh Shaheed-E-Khalistan 2 – Ranjit Singh Damdami Taksal