Shaheed Bhai Inderjit Singh Jattana

Babbar Khalsa

 

Shaheed Bhai Inderjit Singh, a fighter of the Sikh Students Federation and Babbar Khalsa was born in 1964 in the house of father, Sardar Bachan Singh and from the blessed womb of mother, Mata Kartar Kaur in village Jattana, near Sri Chamkaur Sahib, District Ropar. Bhai Sahib had 3. sisters, Bibi Jaswant Kaur, Bibi Dharamjit Kaur, Bibi Karamjit Kaur and a brother, Bhai Balveer Singh. He passed his 5th class from Jattana village and then passed his 12th class from SD High School of Chamkaur Sahib. He used to help his father in farming. Then Bhai Sahib’s went to his sister, Bibi Jaswant Kaur in Pathankot and he became associated with the Gursikhs of Akhand Kirtani Jatha. Due to which Bhai Sahib started attending Rain Sabai Kirtan programs. 

 

In 1981, Bhai Sahib met the 14th chief of Damdami Taksal, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale and the President of All India Sikh Students Federation, Bhai Amrik Singh Ji and from here on Bhai Sahib became an active member of the federation. At that time, Bhai Sahib took Amrit from the Panj Pyare at Damdami Taksal headquarters in Chownk Mehta. Bhai Sahib also took an active role in the Dharam Yudh Morcha, attending Amritsar regularly to give his voluntary arrests. 

 

Then, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had Indian forces deployed to Sri Darbar Sahib as soon as the month of June began, Bhai Sahib got angry and started walking towards Sri Amritsar to join the Jhujaru Singhs in defending the complex. On the way, Bhai Sahib along with other Singhs did Ardas at the historic Gurdwara Sri Chamkaur Sahib and as soon as they came out, the police arrested roughly 15 Singhs and after keeping them in the police station for 1 month, they were sent to Nabha Jail. At that time, the government had imposed NSA on Bhai Sahib. Then, after a year and a half, he was released. After being released, Bhai Sahib became an active member of the Federation. Bhai Balwinder Singh Jattana, a warrior from your village, was also active with Bhai Sahib and Bhai Jattana joined the Federation only because of Bhai Sahib’s inspiration.

 

In those days, the police harassed Bhai Sahib a lot and he mostly stayed in Pathankot. But one day, someone snatched a revolver from a person at a brick kiln in Khamanon, the police blamed Bhai Sahib in that incident and raided his house in village Jattana and arrested his brother. After this, in 1987, Bhai Inderjit Singh Jattana went into hiding permanently. Before that, Bhai Balwinder Singh Jattana had left his home and college studies in Vaisakhi 1986. Both of you started fighting in the armed struggle for the independence of Khalistan through the Jhujaru organisation of Babbar Khalsa. During this time, Bhai Sahib carefully selected and punished many anti-Sikh elements and kept the government on its toes. Bhai Sahib, along with Bhai Balwinder Singh Jattana, Bhai Charanjit Singh Channa, Bhai Baldev Singh Hawara, Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara, Bhai Jaswant Singh Daher and Bhai Mann Singh Daher, challenged and punished a butcher Thanedar Gurmukh Singh of Marinda along with his two security guards. Taking inspiration from Bhai Sahib, many Sikh youths of this area became active in the struggle. 

 

Finally, near Jalandhar, the police had set up a checkpoint on the main road outside village Kala Bakra. Bhai Sahib was traveling from Jalandhar to Pathankot by bus and the police had confirmed information about his whereabouts. On the orders of butcher police officer Muhammad Mustafa, on 5th June 1988, the police stopped the bus and arrested Bhai Inderjit Singh Jattana and one of his companions, at that time Bhai Sahib did not have any weapons. After the arrest, Bhai Sahib was brought to Ropar and tortured relentlessly for 3 days and then on the night of 8th June 1988, Bhai Sahib was martyred. Then the next day a false encounter of Shaheed Bhai Inderjit Singh Jattana was shown in village Sarnana near Jalandhar. 

 

On 10th June 1988, Ajit newspaper reported the following: 

Near village Sarnana, Jalandhar, a militant was killed in an encounter with security forces and the district police. The security forces had set up a blockade at village Bohani, when a terrorist was seen approaching. When the police signalled him to stop, he fired back. In response, the security forces also returned fire, in which the militant was killed and the killed was identified as Inderjit Singh who was a resident of village Jattana, district Ropar. A foreign pistol was recovered from the spot, one cartridge and four empty cartridges were also found. Inderjit Singh was wanted by the police in several murders.

 

Reading the news, it is known that the police has played Holi with the blood of young Sikh men by creating false encounters. The police had imprisoned Bhai Sahib’s brother, Bhai Balveer Singh and brother-in-law, Bhai Didar Singh in Patiala Jail at that time, who were accused of harbouring Jhujaru Singhs. At the time of martyrdom, the police arrested Sardar Bachan Singh also. He was told about the martyrdom of his son, Shaheed Bhai Inderjit Singh but the body of the martyr was not identified. The police, violating the rules of law, neither handed over the body of Bhai Sahib to the family nor gave them his ashes.

 

Tavareekh Shaheed-E-Khalistan 3 – Ranjit Singh Damdami Taksal