Shaheed Bhai Joginder Singh alias Nikku

Khalistan Liberation Force

 

Bhai Joginder Singh was born in 1971 to the blessed womb of mother, Mata Mohinder Kaur and father, Sardar Kaka Singh in the village of Sudhan, near Makhu. He was one of six children, with two brothers and three sisters – Bhai Surinder Singh, Bibi Gurmej Kaur, Bibi Kashmir Kaur, (himself), Bhai Mohinder Singh and Bibi Veer Kaur. Bhai Joginder Singh completed his first half of schooling up to fifth grade at his local village school. Then went on to study up to eighth grade at the secondary school in the larger town of Makhu. After this he went on to work alongside his father and family in agriculture and farming their land. Bhai Joginder Singh was of a great physical stature and athletic.

 

He would regularly attend the crop market due to their family business. Here he came to meet Bhai Nishan Singh Makhu of Khalistan Liberation Force, who was a very devout Gursikh and had very close ties with the Sikh freedom movement. Having got to know more about the freedom movement, Bhai Joginder Singh decided to participate and serve the movement wherever he could. This was at a mere sixteen years of age. Unfortunately, the local touts came to know of this and immediately tipped the police. It was the year 1988, the Punjab police requested his family to present him to the police and hand himself in. The family pressured Bhai Joginder Singh to attend the police station for his own safety and the fear of him being killed. However, he did not go unscathed, the police brutally tortured him and took a bribe of 10,000 Rupees before letting him go.

 

Following this, he decided it would be for the best to continue living a family life and not be involved with the Jhujaru Singhs for his own safety and that of his family. However, now that he was on the police radar they still continued to harass him and his family. This caused him much frustration. Bhai Joginder Singh felt what was the point of trying to live a normal life when the police continued to disturb him and his family. He did not stand for this and decided he would continue service with the Jhujaru Singhs. However, this came at an expense. His family were continually harassed and upset. Once again, the Punjab police summoned his family for Bhai Joginder Singh to hand himself into the police station. Bhai Joginder Singh’s family requested him to go. Again, for the sake of his family’s safety he went to the police station. This time again, he was severely tortured and another bribe of 15,000 rupees before they let him go. The police had found the weakness and continued to use him as an opportunity to bribe more money.

 

Bhai Joginder Singh saw no option but to go completely underground and serve indefinitely with the Jhujaru Singhs. He was now fully part of the Khalistan Liberation Force group under the command of Bhai Nishan Singh Makhu. Bhai Joginder Singh participated and took senior level responsibilities in many actions in eliminating anti-Sikh elements and targeted attacks. During his time serving the movement, not once did he ever be the reason of blame or tainted for any of his actions. He was steadfast and honest in all his actions, succeeding to complete all missions. All who knew Bhai Joginder Singh in his area and locality had much love and respect for him. He was a very brave individual and was always ready to lay his head on the line. He fully sacrificed himself to his Guru and Guru-Panth. To this effect, he knew one day he would meet his end during the movement and so he always kept a cyanide capsule on him, should the time come.

 

Bhai Joginder Singh served alongside many well respected Jhujaru Singhs such as Bhai Balwinder Singh Mallanwala, Bhai Naseeb Singh Alias Shibu from Mallanwala, Bhai Sukhmandir Singh Nihalke, Bhai Gurbachan Singh Aahlan. Having served in the organisation at such a young age was an achievement and he had gained much respect from his fellow Jhujaru Singhs. During the time Bhai Joginder Singh alias Nikku selflessly served the movement, his family also had to suffer the backlash. The Punjab police were merciless and brutal. Bhai Joginder Singh’s father died at the hands of the police who tortured him so much that he died because of the injuries inflicted. Bhai Joginder Singh’s eldest brother was tortured to a point where he became mentally unstable.

 

Martyrdom & Massacre of Killi Bodla (https://1984tribute.com/bhai-ajit-singh-killi-bodla/)

In the evening of 7th October 1991, Bhai Joginder Singh Nikku and his three companions came to the house of Bhai Ajit Singh to eat dinner. Coincidentally, two police jeeps also came to the village in searching for the Sikh fighters. They grabbed the Sarpanch (head of the village) and forced him to tell Bhai Ajit Singh to open the door because they had received a tip from someone that Bhai Ajit Singh’s family sympathized with the Sikh freedom movement and provided food and shelter to the Sikh fighters. The police had come there to threaten the family and had no knowledge of the presence of the Sikh fighters. As soon as inspector Balkar Singh and ASI Jarnail Singh along with the Sarpanch entered the house, the Sikh fighters opened fire and killed both of the senior police officers. One low rank policeman was injured and the rest ran back. The Sarpanch hid behind a tree though he was never fired upon by the Sikh freedom fighters.

 

The Jhujaru Singhs quickly left the house shouting slogans of victory and challenged the Punjab police to follow them and fight them in the fields. The Jhujaru Singh’s intent was to turn the Punjab police’s intentions towards them so that the family of Bhai Ajit Singh could be saved. Bhai Joginder Singh Nikku did not want the police to arrest the family members so instead of hiding he started walking on the open road. Unfortunately, another police jeep showed up in front of him and the police opened fire on him with automatic machine guns. Bhai Joginder Singh Nikku became injured and fell on the ground but instead of being captured he took cyanide capsule and attained martyrdom.

 

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Joginder Singh alias Nikku