Shaheed Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji

Khalistan Commando Force

 

In the Sikh struggle started by Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale, Shaheed Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani is regarded as one of the top generals of the Khalistan Commando Force. Whose loyalty, thinking, strategy and bravery towards the Sikh nation touched the peaks. The Jhujaru Singh we are going to mention in this biography was called the right arm of Shaheed Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani. The name of this brave man often shone on the headlines of newspapers and even the Indian forces used to tremble after hearing the name of Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji. Even in his old age, this brave man was successful in breaking the tightest police cordon. Bhai Sarwan Singh, who had retired from the Indian Army, was shaken after the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib in June 1984 and then joined the Sikh struggle for the fight for Khalistan.

 

Family background 

Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji was born in 1932 in the house of father, Sardar Bhag Singh and from the blessed womb of mother, Mata Har Kaur in village Chapaliye Wala, Bahawalpur state (now in Pakistan). Bhai Sahib was the eldest of five siblings. He has two younger sisters, Bibi Surjit Kaur, Bibi Jagir Kaur and two younger brothers, Bhai Jarnail Singh, Bhai Karnail Singh. Bhai Sahib studied up to 5th class. Bhai Sarwan Singh’s grandfather had 120 acres of land in Pakistan and he was from a very rich and well-off family. When Punjab was partitioned to form Pakistan in 1947, his entire household was uprooted from Pakistan and the family settled in the village of Thaman Wala near Moga district of Punjab in northern India. Bhai Sahib spent the rest of his childhood and grew up in this village.

 

Service in the army

At the age of twenty, Bhai Sahib joined the Indian Army. When the war between India and Pakistan took place, he fought with great valour, bravery and remained steadfast on the frontlines. India won these wars only because of the courage of the Sikh regiments. Pakistani military officers also stated in newspapers that, “We have lost wars to India only because of the Sikhs, the Sikhs have the immense blessings of the Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj and the Sikhs do not fear death but instead go straight into the clutches of their enemies.” After the victory of the war, the ministers of the central government and the army chief awarded Bhai Sarwan Singh along with other soldiers, with medals and promoted him to the rank of constable.

 

Anand Karaj

Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji married Bibi Balbir Kaur (village Musa, near Jhabbal) according to the complete Gur Maryada, and they had two daughters, Lakhwinder Kaur and Harjinder Kaur, and a son, Dharminder Singh.

 

Retirement

After serving in the army for 21 years, Bhai Sahib retired and started farming his land. In this way, while doing manual labour, he also continued to do public welfare work and was highly respected in the village. Bhai Sahib would wake up in the early hours of the morning to do his Nitnem (daily prayers), then he would go to the Gurdwara Sahib bowing his head down to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj, this had become an important part of Bhai Sahib’s daily routine. Bhai Sahib would take a tenth of the earnings and distribute it among the poor and the needy people. The people of the village used to call him ‘Fauji Sahib’.

 

Meeting with Sant Bhindranwale

Bhai Sahib often visited Rode village because his sister was married to Sardar Harcharan Singh Captain (brother of Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale). At that time, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale used to do agriculture and any spare time he had, Sant Ji would meditate in his village Rode. Bhai Sahib met Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale on several occasions on the basis of family and Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji was very impressed by the Sant Ji’s love and knowledge of Sikhi.

 

After the thirteenth head of Damdami Taksal, Sant Kartar Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale passed away in a car accident, on 25th August 1977, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale was chosen as the fourteenth head of Damdami Taksal. This revolutionary general and a saint soldier shook the Delhi government and launched a fierce struggle to liberate the Sikhs from the hell of slavery.

 

“Then a hero arose, the Jarnail of the generals.”

Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji used to visit Sant Bhindranwale once or twice a month at Chownk Mehta (Amritsar) and due to the company of the Jhujaru Singhs, Bhai Sarwan Singh became even more firm in his pledge to attain equal rights for the Sikhs of India. It’s worth mentioning that Bhai Sahib had taken Amrit while serving in the Indian army, but once again took Amrit from the Panj Pyare at the headquarters of Damdami Taksal at Chownk Mehta. Here he also received the Santhaya of Gurbani from the Singhs and also acquired the knowledge of Sikh history.

 

Serving the Jhujaru Singhs 

In June 1984, Indian army under the order of Indira Gandhi began wreaking havoc on the land of Punjab and the Brahmin government destroyed the holy places of the Sikhs, Sri Darbar Sahib and Sri Akaal Takht Sahib along with another 40 Gurdwaras were attacked, leaving many thousand Sikhs martyred. After this attack, the children (Sikhs) of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj took up arms and started a struggle for the creation of a sovereign independent Sikh state (Khalistan) in Punjab. Thousands of young men attained martyrdom in the battlefield to protect the Sikhs and the Sikh identity. Despite Punjab being a plain area, the Jhujaru Singhs kept the Indian government at bay for a whole decade (ten years) and the Khalsa rule was seen across the land of Punjab.  

 

Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji remained active in the Sikh freedom movement under the leadership of Bapu Joginder Singh Rode, the respected father of Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale. Bhai Sahib had also had been arrested and had spent some time in Ludhiana Jail. 

 

One day, Jhujaru Singhs came to have Langar at Bhai Sahib’s neighbours house in village Thaman Wala, but the owners of the house refused to serve Langar to Jhujaru Singhs due to fear of the Punjab police and they also expressed their compulsion to the Singhs. The owner of the house asked Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji, “Jhujaru Singhs has come to the house, but I cannot serve Langar nor can I give them shelter because if the police get this information, I will be skinned alive.” Upon hearing this, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji said, “I will meet the Jhujaru Singhs, I will serve the Singhs Langar with my own hands, this will be a blessing for me.” Thus, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji took the Jhujaru Singhs to his field and served the Singhs with great devotion and fed the Singhs with Saag (Spinach), Makki Di Roti (Corn Chapati) and lassi. This group of Jhujaru Singhs were under the command of Bhai Mukhtiar Singh Patli and they highly respected Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji and from there the Jhujaru Singhs started coming to his house from time to time for Langar and shelter. Bhai Sahib continued to secretly help the Jhujaru Singhs in the Sikh struggle.

 

Activity in armed struggle

Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji continued to associate with many other Jhujaru Singhs for two years, including Bhai Jagroop Singh (village Sada Singh Wala), Bhai Gurnam Singh, Bhai Gurmeet Singh Machaki, Bhai Nachhattar Singh Boghar, Baba Gurtej Singh Ghal Kalan, Bhai Lali Singh Pakhi, Bhai Shinda Singh Vadda Ghar, Bhai Roop Singh Gajjan Wala, Bhai Ranjit Singh Joga, Dr Sivia Singh etc. When all this group of Jhujaru Singhs attained martyrdom, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji started feeling restless and felt alone in his struggle. 

 

After some time, in the village of Daroli Bhai Ka, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji met Bhai Jarnail Singh Shatrana, a famous fighter of the Khalistan Commando Force. Bhai Jarnail Singh Shatrana was well educated and mature fighter, he was one of the most trusted Jhujaru Singhs of Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani’s group. When Bhai Jarnail Singh Shatrana introduced Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji to Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani, Bhai Sahib was impressed by Bhai Rajasthani’s ideas and goals. From here on, Bhai Sahib continued to serve in the Sikh struggle for the independence of Khalistan under the command of Khalistan Commando Force. 

 

Shipment of weapons

To devise a special strategy, Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani, Bhai Jarnail Singh Shatrana and Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji held a meeting in Malwa to discuss the need for weapons to take the struggle to the heights. Since the organization was feeling the shortage of weapons, they should arrange them quickly and bring them across the border into Punjab. By the grace of the Waheguru, Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani, with his enlightened mind, made a trolley, seeing which no one could say that it was a double trolley, but it could secretly store or hide goods. Out of the entire high command of the Khalistan Commando Force organisation, only four Jhujaru Singhs – Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani, Bhai Jarnail Singh Shatrana, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji and Bhai Jaswant Singh – could open the inner layer of this trolley, apart from them, no one else knew about secret of the trolley. 

 

While engaged in the Sikh struggle, Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani had made Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji his brother. Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji and Bhai Jarnail Singh Shatrana were called the right arms of Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani. Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani gave Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji the responsibility of bringing weapons into Punjab and only Bhai Sahib was capable of completing this great task. Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji took land on lease right near the border and also took the middle land of Chhamki village near Gharsana Mandi for cultivation. In this mission to import weapons, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji used his own tractor and tools. The Jhujaru Singh’s plan came to fruition and large number of weapons were acquired under the pretext of agriculture. Through that trolley, the Jhujaru Singhs of the Khalistan Commando Force brought heavy weapons to Punjab and selectively attacked the Indian forces, sending the enemies of the Sikh community on a death train. 

 

One day in the village of Thamman Wala, that trolley was parked at the house of Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji and the Patiala police arrived in large numbers and surrounded the entire village. They raided Bhai Sahib’s house and the police set up machine guns on the roofs of the surrounding houses. Bhai Sahib was not at home at this time, but after searching the entire house, when the police did not find anything incriminating, they started examining the trolley from all sides, but the police could not find anything abnormal about the trolley. However, the police had a strong suspicion that weapons were coming from the border through some secret compartment or layer in this trolley. The police officers kept checking the trolley for about half an hour, but when they did not find anything, a man came out of the police vehicle (who was wearing dark glasses and his face was completely covered). That man came close to the trolley and opened the secret compartment within seconds, from which the police recovered cardboard and weapons. The police were very surprised and angered by how the Jhujaru Singhs had fooled the Indian security forces in bringing weapons across the border. 

 

Harassment of the family 

After that, the police unleashed a great fury on the family and the police searched the area to catch Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji, but he had already left before the police arrived and thus on 11th March 1990, he permanently abandoned his family and went underground. 

 

The police took Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji’s son Dharminder Singh into custody and did not give any information to the family about where Dharminder Singh was kept. Bhai Sahib’s wife, Bibi Balbir Kaur kept wandering in police stations for four months in search of her son and kept enduring the scoldings of the policemen. On the other hand, Dharminder Singh was severely tortured and without being produced in court, the CIA staff kept him under remand in Faridkot and after four months, the police sent Dharminder Singh to Ferozepur jail after filing false cases against him.

 

Combative actions

During his underground activities, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji came into contact with a young man named Bhai Mahinder Singh Khalsa from the village of Lubana in Muktsar district and Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji introduced Bhai Mahinder Singh to the Khalistan Commando Force Generals, Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani and Bhai Jarnail Singh Shatrana. One day, the Punjab police raided the village of Lubana in large numbers to arrest Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani, Bhai Jarnail Singh Shatrana, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji and Bhai Mahinder Singh Khalsa, but the police could not reach the Jhujaru Singhs themselves, although they were present in the same village with weapons that day. 

 

Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani enlisted the services of Bhai Mahinder Singh Khalsa

in building the bases of the Jhujaru Singhs, a task in which Bhai Mahinder Singh was very skilled. Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani appointed Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji as Lieutenant General of the Khalistan Commando Force and Bhai Mahinder Singh Khalsa was made the chief advisor. On 26th December 1991, Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani and Bhai Mahinder Singh Khalsa were travelling towards Allupur on a cycle with medicine from Sardulgarh. On the tip-off of an informant, the police had set up a roadblock ahead. When the police spotted the Singhs they opened fire, Bhai Mahinder Singh was killed on the spot by police bullets. However, Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani jumped off the back of the cycle and entered a nearby mustard field and managed to break through the police cordon and escape.

 

Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani and Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji continued to conduct Jhujaru activities together, there Jhujaru group challenged the enemies of Khalistan and Sikhs, beating them according to the Khalsa traditions. Bhai Sahib also took out the Indian spies as well as many government ministers. While engaged in the Sikh struggle, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji assassinated many cats, traitors, touts, butcher policemen and Hindustani security personnel. The Jhujaru actions of the Khalistan Commando Force organisation were often published in the newspapers. Bhai Sahib’s name was widely known in the Malwa region. The government had placed a bounty of five lakh rupees on his head, but no one was ready to give up information on Bhai Sahib, in fact people were waiting to offer Langar to these Jhujaru Singhs.

 

Press note

An exact copy of a newspaper report dated 12th January 1991 – “According to the press note issued under the signatures of Khalistan Commando Force Deputy Chief Bhai Hardeep Singh Deepa Chhajjanwali, a meeting of the KCF was held yesterday under the chairmanship of Bhai Wassan Singh Zafferwal. In which Bhai Hardeep Singh Deepa Chhajjanwali, Lieutenant General Bhai Gurdas Singh Mansoorwala, Bhai Yadwinder Singh Yadu, Bhai Gurbachan Singh Aahlaan, Bhai Jassa Singh Santu Wala, Major General Bhai Bhupinder Singh Bhinda Booyan Wala, Area Commander Bhai Lakhbir Singh Lakha Kabarwala, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji Thaman Wala and around 100 militants participated. In the meeting they took responsibility for killing Davinder Singh of Patti City of Amritsar district, he said that he had martyred Bhai Gurnam Singh and 9 companions. He then took responsibility for killing Bakshish Singh and Hardial Singh of village Ladhu, saying that they used to loot Sikh families. Finally, grief was expressed over the martyrdom of Bhai Balwinder Singh Binder Nathewal and while paying tribute to him, he termed Bhai Binder’s death as an irreparable loss and vowed to avenge his martyrdom.

 

Punishing the enemy

  • Bhai Gurjant Singh Rajasthani and Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji killed a comrade in Bathinda City who used to talk a lot against Sikhi. 
  • A fierce encounter with the CRPF near Mansa City lasted for three hours and during this time, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji killed 12 CRPF soldiers and three policemen. After Bhai Sahib along with his companions broke the siege and went towards Ganganagar. 
  • Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji also killed a hypocrite from Rajasthan by riddling him with bullets.

 

Martyrdom

The police and army of three districts were completely determined to catch Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji, but the lion was untamed. Some police informers, disguised as Singhs (black cats), entered the Jhujaru ranks and started passing information about the real Jhujaru Singhs to the government. In this way, the police started to know the whereabouts of the Jhujaru Singhs and their hideouts were no more a secret. 

 

On 12th March 1992, in the village of Markhai in Ferozepur district, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji was having Langar from a Singh’s house and on the strong tip-off from an informant, the Punjab police surrounded the entire village and the house from all sides. Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji was unarmed and understood that it would be difficult to break the siege. Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji was also alone. Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji came out of the house and facing the police, he said, “This family is not at fault and this house is not my refuge or hiding place.” Saying this, Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji tried to protect the family. A police officer said, “Put your hand up, otherwise I will shoot you.!” Bhai Sahib laughed and said, “Oh you rascal! I am Sarwan Singh Fauji of Thaman Wala, and I am not going to die from your bullets.” When the police started running towards him, Bhai Sarwan Singh had swallowed a cyanide capsule, which he had already placed in his mouth and attained martyrdom before the enemy could reach him.

 

After capturing the martyred Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji, the police staged a fake police encounter at some other place the next day, and on 15th March 1992, the newspapers published Bhai Sarwan Singh’s picture and showed the recovery of weapons.

 

Ajit newspaper frontpage reported the following: 

Two militants were killed in two encounters in two different villages of Ferozepur district last night. SSP Anil Sharma said that last night, police and security personnel were setting up a checkpoint on a drain bridge near Kohala village of Mallanwala police station when two people were seen coming at around 12 midnight. When they were asked to stop, they started firing. In the retaliatory firing, one militant was killed and his accomplice escaped taking advantage of the darkness. According to the SSP, the slain militant was identified as Sarwan Singh Fauji, who was responsible for more than 50 murders and other incidents. An AK47 assault rifle, two magazines, 30 cartridges, 8 rockets, 10 plastic tubes and a Japanese walkie talkie set were recovered from his possession.

 

The following caption was written below the picture of the martyr and recovery:

The body of Lieutenant General Sarwan Singh alias Fauji of KCF, who was killed in an encounter with the police at Kohala police station in Ferozepur district on the intervening night of 13th and 14th March at the scene. Weapons and ammunition recovered from, including eight rockets.

 

The body of Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji was cremated by the police in the Zira crematorium and clothes and flowers were given to the family. In the memory of Shaheed Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji, Jhujaru Singhs of all the militant organisations performed the Bhog of Sri Akhand Paath Sahib and also issued advertisements of the martyrdom ceremony in the newspapers. The Sikh nation will always remember the great service rendered by Shaheed Bhai Sarwan Singh Fauji in the Khalistan struggle.

 

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