Shaheed Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka Valtoha

Bhindranwala Tiger Force of Khalistan

 

Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka was born in 1970 to the blessed womb of mother, Mata Gurdev Kaur and father, Jathedar Sardar Mukhtiar Singh in the village of Valtoha, Patti, district Amritsar. He was one of seven children with 3 brothers and 3 sisters – Bhai Bachittar Singh, Bhai Joga Singh, Bhai Chanan Singh, Bibi Karam Kaur, Bibi Harjinder Kaur, Bibi Sukhwinder Kaur and Bibi Narinder Kaur. Bhai Sahib’s father earned a living off farming their own land and selling the crops. Bhai Ranjit Singh did not pursue further studies due to financial struggles. But he was very well versed in his faith and religion.

 

From a very young age, Bhai Sahib was part of the Nihang Dal Baba Bidhi Chand under the leadership of Jathedar Sant Baba Daya Singh Ji Sursingh Wale. Bhai Ranjit Singh would daily command the full attire of a Nihang Singh. He had no desire for worldly or materialistic pleasures. He was content in his spirituality and connection with Waheguru. Majority of the time he would remain barefooted in his day-to-day activities. From this Sikh institution, he became well versed in the readings of the entire Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj, Sri Dasam Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj, Sri Sarbloh Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj and Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth. He also taught others and led Katha Vichars. Alongside this, he was an avid horse rider, an archer and a Gatka player. The Jatha Singhs would call him ‘Jhujaru’ (warrior freedom fighter).

 

His birth name was actually Harjit Singh, but from the time he joined the Jhujaru Singhs he was known as Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka. The word Kraka is an analogy used to express causing such a commotion of a situation that it would rile lightening jolts of fear in people. When Bhai Ranjit Singh would carry out any Jhujaru action, news would travel and the Indian forces and the Punjab police alike would be shivering in their boots. His work to eliminate many perpetrators would cause absolute mayhem for the Indian security forces. It was heard, police officers would hide under their desks fearing for their life exclaiming, “Oh no Kraka is here, we are going to die…”

 

Following the attack on Sri Harmandir Sahib in June 1984, many young Sikh males from his village and surrounding areas joined Jhujaru groups in the armed struggle and fight for Khalistan. Bhai Ranjit Singh also took to serving with militia groups anonymously here and there. But he felt a need to become fully dedicated to the cause. So, he asked for permission from Sant Baba Daya Singh Sursingh Wale to leave so that he could pursue the fight for freedom with the wish to lay down his life for the Guru-Panth. Sant Baba Daya Singh Ji Sursingh Wale performed an Ardas (standing prayer) and bestowed Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka with a Siropa round his neck (honorary shawl) and bid him farewell.

 

Then Bhai Ranjit Singh went on to join Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan, under the command of Lieutenant General Bhai Surjit Singh Seetal Jhakhar and Bhai Bagicha Singh Ji Khalsa. Bhai Ranjit Singh progressed to manage many important tasks and responsible for some very big Jhujaru actions. Bhai Ranjit Singh was very closed with another well-known senior Jhujaru of this group, Bhai Kulwinder Singh Deol. Both were very close, they lived together, ate together and carried out major Jhujaru actions together. They were dedicated to this movement with their very heart and soul. Majority of the pictures available, you will see the two together. Both Singhs also attained Shaheedi together.

 

Bhai Ranjit Singh spent a lot of his time reciting Gurbani and repeatedly meditating on Waheguru (God’s name). It was said, that prior to carrying out any actions the Jhujaru Singhs would stand in Ardas, led by Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka and every action would complete successfully. Bhai Ranjit Singh would encourage his fellow Jhujaru Singhs to also recite Gurbani as much as possible. In the evenings, he would take lead to recite Sri Rehras Sahib and ensure all the Jhujaru Singhs sat together. Bhai Ranjit Singh would also eat from Sarbloh utensils and rotate a Mala reciting Waheguru. When dressing in the full Khalsa attire and adorning his Dumalla, the Jhujaru Singhs would say we were being blessed with visions of Puratan Singhs of the 1800s. The villagers would commonly address Bhai Ranjit Singh as ‘Baba Ji’ out of respect.

 

In 1990, Bhai Ranjit Singh went onto join the branch group for Khalistan Tigers Force led by Bhai Surjit Singh Seetal Jhakhar and worked tirelessly for two years. On one occasion, narrated by Jinda Shaheed Bhai Sarabjit Singh Hero, that both Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka and Bhai Pipal Singh Toofan went to carry out an action in the village of Kalian Sakatran. There the both Jhujaru Singhs had a massive confrontation and battle with the CRPF soldiers. The two held back the CRPF and fought like no other. This news travelled back to the central Delhi (Govt). Following this action, Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka’s name became known far and wide amidst the names of many of the other well-known Jhujaru Singhs. Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal himself travelled back across the border from Pakistan to greet Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka and honour him on the great feats he had achieved. Their group was gifted firearms and weaponry brought across the border. As a pre-cursor to this action Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka and Bhai Pipal Singh Toofan had blown up two BSF and CRPF military vehicles eliminating eleven army men and injuring many more. Bhai Ranjit Singh was the true example of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj’s Nihang warriors. He tried many times to eliminate a known police black cat known as Ajit Phoola. But due to the high security provided to the tout at all times by the Indian government, the Jhujaru Singhs were unable to get to him.

 

Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka was busy fighting on the battlefield, but on the other side the butcher Thanedar Suba Sarhand had his men working overtime to harass Bhai Sahib’s family and make their lives a misery. Bhai Sahib’s father, Sardar Mukhtiar Singh was tortured to such a degree that he eventually succumbed to the trauma and injuries and passed away. His mother and brothers were continuously picked up and taken to the police station where they would be mercilessly tortured. But the family never wavered and accepted this as the will of God. They were in full support of the Khalistan movement and the fight for freedom. Nothing the Punjab police could do would stop them from standing against the oppression.

 

Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka continued to fight and undertake a number of Jhujaru actions to eliminate the endless black cats, police touts, traitors, butcher policemen and CRPF personnels. Bhai Ranjit Singh was the talk of the town and all hailed his praises in the name of Khalsa. The area of Valtoha was beginning to be known as the political hub of the movement. The area was that in control by the Jhujaru Singhs and Khalsa rule was in full force that it already felt like Khalistan was in existence. It had become unmanageable for the police forces. They then took to larger measures and ranked up resources. Another layer of black cats and informants were recruited on a large scale in an attempt to track down Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka and Bhai Kulwinder Singh Deol. As mentioned in Bhai Kulwinder Singh Deol’s biography, a well-known black cat by the name of Jella had infiltrated their Jhujaru group and got Bhai Kulwinder Singh Deol arrested. The same informant then had Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka arrested from Sri Anandpur Sahib at Gurdwara Dal Panth Baba Bidhi Chand. The Punjab police had surrounded the Gurdwara. At the time Bhai Sarabjit Singh Hero was also in the area. Incidentally, he was saved because he had gone to the local pharmacy store to collect medicine for his upset stomach. In that time, Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka had been arrested.

 

The police had now captured both Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka and Bhai Kulwinder Singh Deol, both Jhujaru Singhs were made to endure up to four days of blind torture. On 27th May 1992, the police took them both along three other Jhujaru Singhs to an area called Bhag Wala Shanna (Wara Teliya) and were killed in a fake encounter, with all Jhujaru Singhs attaining Shaheedi (martyrdom). The postmortem was hurriedly carried out at Patti hospital and their bodies were cremated without informing the family or upon waiting for their arrival. Once the families got to know of this, they rallied the sangat and went to the crematorium demanding their ashes. Under pressure the institutions handed over the remains of both Shaheed Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka and Shaheed Bhai Kulwinder Singh Deol. Bhai Ranjit Singh’s mother found and kept the Kara found amongst the ashes. She has kept it till this very day.

 

Whilst capturing the biography-story of Shaheed Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka, his dear mother thanked the team and said please include the photo of my dear son holding his well-kept firearms. It was a keen hobby and interest of his to keep firearms. He even slept with a firearm rested on his chest at night.

 

Information given by the family of Shaheed Bhai Ranjit Singh Kraka