Shaheed Bhai Surjit Singh Gadli

Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan

 

Just as in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Mughal government launched several fierce attacks on Sri Darbar Sahib and selectively killed the followers of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj, and to defend themselves, the Sikhs fought a guerrilla war under guidance of Sikh principles and values. Similarly, in the last two decades of the twentieth century, history repeated itself once again, but the only difference was that now the oppressive government was not that of the Mughals, but of the Hindus. In June 1984, the Brahmin govt of India spread its evil war from Delhi to Punjab, targeting Sri Darbar Sahib and Sri Akaal Takht Sahib, and played Holi to the full with the blood of countless Sikhs. To erase the existence and distinct identity of the Sikhs, the Indian government took a heinous step and in November 1984, it officially organised a massive massacre of the Sikh community in Delhi and other states of the country. These were the dangerous times for the Sikhs and the Sikhs had to take up arms and jump into the battlefield to protect their religion and culture and to kill the evil that had taken the form of barbarity. Although this path was not easy, there was no other choice.

 

In the ongoing struggle for Khalistan, the Jhujaru Singhs made great sacrifices and attained martyred. In the chain of these martyrs, the name of the brave young martyr, Bhai Surjit Singh Gadli from the Majha region of Punjab also shines like a star.

 

Family Information

Jhujaru Singh of Bhindranwala Tiger Force of Khalistan, Shaheed Bhai Surjit Singh was born on 19th October 1965 to father, Sardar Tarlok Singh and mother, Mata Jasbir Kaur in village Gadli, near Jandiala Guru, district Sri Amritsar Sahib. The details of the five siblings are as follows: Bhai Jagjit Singh, Bhai Surjit Singh (Shaheed), Bhai Malkit Singh, Bibi Sukhraj Kaur, Bhai Bhupinder Singh. Bhai Sahib completed his education up to the eighth standard from Dasmesh Nagar School in his village. Everyone in the family fondly called him Satta. Sardar Tarlok Singh worked in the agriculture industry and had bought a plot of land in the village of Rath (Pilibhit) in Uttar Pardesh and mostly lived there, Bhai Sahib used to go to UP to join his father. Bhai Sahib inherited Sikhi from his ancestors, hence he was religiously inclined since childhood and was very interested in reading about Sikh history. Bhai Sahib loved visiting historical institutions such as Sri Darbar Sahib and Sri Anandpur Sahib with his family for worship.

 

Influenced by the Speeches of Sant Ji 

One day, Bhai Sahib went to Sri Amritsar, at that time a Dharam Yudh Morcha was being organised for the rights of the Punjab State and for the Sikhs in India. Thousands of Sikh youths as well as elders, from the villages and cities of Punjab were participating in this movement with great enthusiasm. After hearing the passionate speeches of the highly respected and influential personality of the Sikh nation, namely the fourteenth head of Damdami Taksal, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale at Sri Manji Sahib, Bhai Sahib became convinced and felt a pull within him to meet the Sant Ji. Bhai Sahib first met Bhai Amrik Singh, the President of All India Sikh Students Federation, and told him about his inner wish. Then Bhai Amrik Singh introduced Bhai Sahib to Sant Bhindranwale on the roof of the Langar Hall. 

 

Bhai Sahib was so delighted to see Sant Ji up close and expressed his desire to serve the Sikh nation to Sant Bhindranwale. Sant Ji laughed and said, “Gurmukh, Satguru Sache Patshah will be gracious, and when the time comes, he will take service from you in the struggle, read the Gurbani.” After this meeting, Bhai Sahib went to UP and spent some time there with his father. 

 

Battle of Amritsar & Sikh Genocide

In Punjab, the army of the evil Indira Gandhi marched towards Amritsar and, under the orders of the Hindu rulers of the Delhi Court, destroyed the holy city of the Sikh nation in June 1984. Cannons and bullets began to rain down on Sri Darbar Sahib and Sri Akaal Takht Sahib. The brave defenders of faith fought with valour against the invading Indian army and drank the nectar of martyrdom. The Indian soldiers also tortured and martyred thousands of devotees who had come to worship as well as set fire to the priceless historical treasures of the Sikh faith and took possession of many valuable items. The arrested Sikhs are inhumanely tortured and given long jail sentences. Then in November 1984, Hindu mobs massacred a large number of Sikhs in places like Delhi, Kanpur, Bihar etc. They burnt down and looted Sikh properties and businesses. Sikhs were also massacred in Uttar Pardesh. Hindutva mobs set fire to Gurdwaras and raped Sikh women and girls.

 

Punishing Anti-Sikh Elements 

Bhai Sahib’s family also had to bear the brunt of this massacre. During December 1984, Bhai Sahib came to Delhi and here he met Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, who was relative of Bhai Sahib. Bhai Surjit Singh Gadli, along with Bhai Surjit Singh Painta carried out many top Jhujaru actions in Delhi to teach the Indian government a lesson and which raised the cries of the ministers. Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda, Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha, Bhai Nirmal Singh Nimma, Bhai Mathra Singh, Bhai Sukhwinder Singh alias KC Sharma started living in the house of Bhai Painta in Delhi. Bhai Surjit Singh Gadli also had a close relationship with Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda and both of them from the same village Gadli, where their family homes were very close to each other. Bhai Surjit Singh Painta was a young man of about 16 years at that time. With great intelligence, he carried out reconnaissance of Lalit Maken and Arjan Das, the main accused in the Delhi Sikh massacre, and shared the information with fellow Jhujaru Singhs, about where they go, when they go, where they live, and what the surrounding environment is like. After getting this information, Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda and Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha assassinated Lalit Maken and Arjan Das in broad daylight. 

 

Two Hindu villains, Puran Sheri and Majal, living in different areas of Delhi, had openly paraded Sikh daughters and sisters naked in the markets during the Delhi Sikh massacre in November 1984, robbed them of their dignity, and had set many Sikhs on fire by putting tyres around their necks and killing many others by beating them with a metal bars. These two villains were identified as Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, Bhai Paramjit Singh Kala, Bhai Avtar Singh Patwari and Bhai Surjit Singh Gadli, they were both gunned down in broad daylight. These Jhujaru Singhs also assassinated a Colonel in Sant Nagar, Delhi, who had massacred many Sikhs and this action was in the newspapers for many days. This way, Bhai Sahib’s Jhujaru group selected and killed the enemies of Sikhs in Delhi.

 

On 10th August 1986, Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda and Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha assassinated Indian army general, Arun Sridhar Vaidya (who had led the Indian Army during the attack on Sri Akaal Takht Sahib) in Pune. After the Delhi police identified Bhai Jinda and Bhai Sukha, a few days later it was also learned that Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda, Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha and Bhai Nirmal Singh Nimma were staying at Bhai Surjit Singh Painta’s house in Delhi. So now the police also arrested Bhai Painta’s father Sardar Swaran Singh, mother Mata Mahinder Kaur, maternal uncle Bhai Ranjit Singh Rania (Shaheed) and put them behind the bars of Tihar Jail under the black law of the TADA Act. After this, Bhai Surjit Singh Painta came to Punjab (village Chhajjalwadi) with his sibling and Bhai Surjit Singh Satta Gadli also came and started living in his village Gadli. Both the brothers, Bhai Surjit Singh Painta and Bhai Paramjit Singh Kala started serving in the freedom struggle of Khalistan under the command of Jathedar Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal, the head of the Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan, but on the other hand, Bhai Surjit Singh Satta Gadli was subjected to government wrath.

 

Arrest & Torture 

The Jandiala police arrested Bhai Surjit Singh Gadli from his house. For several days, the oppressors tortured him blindly and after filing several cases, they sent him to Mirankot (Amritsar) jail. Four months later, when Bhai Sahib was released on bail and came out of jail, Thanedar Suri of Jandiala police station arrested him again from outside the jail gate. For a week, the police brutally tortured him and then filed false cases again to send him to jail. After spending three months in jail, Bhai Sahib returned home after being released on bail. The very next day, police team under the guidance of Thanedar Suri came and stood at Bhai Sahib’s door and took him into custody again and once again he faced blind torture at the hands of Punjab police. In police custody, Bhai Sahib’s body was electrocuted, his private parts were damaged, his ribs were broken, he was made to lie on the ice and then beaten with batons. Bhai Sahib’s body was half dead. Out of greed, Thanedar Suri was planning on killing Bhai Sahib in a fake encounter, so he could cash in on the reward. Luckily, the local villagers came to know about this and after the insistence of the local Panchayats, the police had no choice but to released him, but on the condition that Bhai Sahib would have to come to the police station every day and report. During this period, the family’s land was also sold and their financial situation also became very precarious. The torture inflicted on Bhai Surjit Singh Gadli and the bars of prison shook him to the core and forced him to return to the Sikh struggle.

 

In the Khalistan Struggle  

Then a few days later, when Bhai Sahib returned home after taking Amrit from the Panj Pyare at Damdami Taksal Chownk Mehta, the police started raiding his house again harassing family members. Bhai Sahib had already seen police torture. Therefore, he decided that it was better to do something for the Sikh nation and give his life with honour than to face daily humiliation. Bhai Surjit Singh Gadli once again came in contact with Bhai Surjit Singh Painta (Lieutenant General Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan) and started to punish the anti-Sikh elements and traitors of the Sikh nation. The names of some of the Jhujaru Singhs he did service with are as follows: – Jathedar Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal, Bhai Sukhwinder Singh Sangha, Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, Bhai Rashpal Singh Chhandran, Bhai Paramjit Singh Kala, Bhai Avtar Singh Patwari, Bhai Kabal Singh Bhullar, Bhai Vijaypal Singh Lidder, Bhai Charanjit Singh Channa, Bhai Sukhjit Singh Kaka, Bhai Harwant Singh, Bhai Sarwan Singh Saidpur, Bhai Puran Singh Seron, Bhai Baldev Singh Pindia, Bhai Major Singh etc. 

 

  • A comrade from the village of Jaspal (Raiya) who used to disrespect the local Gurudwara every day and used to talk a lot against the Sikh principles, he also used to call the holy scripture of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj an ordinary book and used to say that, “Sikhs have gone mad who go around bowing their foreheads to piles of papers!” The comrade did not even allow Sri Akhand Path Sahib to be held in the village Gurdwara and one day he came into the presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj wearing shoes. When the Sikh youth of the village conveyed the news of his deeds to the Jhujaru Singhs, Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, Bhai Paramjit Singh Kala and Bhai Surjit Singh Satta Gadli caught this comrade and poured kerosene oil on him and set him on fire.

 

  • One day in the village of Nagoke, Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, Bhai Sarwan Singh Saidpur and Bhai Surjit Singh Satta Gadli were surrounded by the CRPF soldiers, but the three brave warriors fought the Indian forces with such courage that the CRPF had to run backwards for their lives. The brave Singhs broke through the Indian encirclement and came out shouting slogans of Khalistan. 

 

  • One day in village Kaleke, Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, Bhai Sarwan Singh Saidpur and Bhai Surjit Singh Satta Gadli had a fierce encounter with Punjab police and CRPF for three hours. In this encounter, the police and the CRPF soldiers had to abandon their vehicles and flee because they were powerless against the three Jhujaru Singhs, who escaped shouting slogans of Sant Bhindranwale Zindabad, Khalistan Zindabad. 

 

  • In village Naushera Pannuan, Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, Bhai Sarwan Singh Saidpur, Bhai Surjit Singh Satta Gadli and other fellow Jhujaru Singhs attacked a police station by throwing grenades. Seeing the Jhujaru Singhs, the police force was helpless and did not even dare to fire their weapons. Instead, they locked themselves inside the police station. The Jhujaru Singhs vacated the area shouting the slogans of, “Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akaal, Khalistan Zindabad!”

 

  • In village Muchal, there was a so-called Akali leader who had embezzled tens thousands of Rupees from the money box of Gurdwara Baba Bakala Sahib and had set up an armed security team at his house. Under the protection of this security team, the minister would challenge the Jhujaru Singhs. Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, Bhai Surjit Singh Satta Gadli and fellow Jhujaru Singhs attacked his house and challenged the minister to come out. The minister’s hired goons fired their rifles upon the Jhujaru Singhs, this turned into a fierce battle between the 2 sides. The minister managed to escape, but his father and the hired goons were killed by the Jhujaru Singhs. The Jhujaru Singhs took all security team’s weapons into their possession and escaped. 

 

  • An officer of the Beas Electricity Board along with his three associates were punished by Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, Bhai Paramjit Singh Kala and Bhai Surjit Singh Gadli because he used to beat up poor farmers a lot and every other day, he would harass the farmers. In the end, fed up and persecuted by this, the farmers came to the Jhujaru Singh and told their problems. The Singhs first reprimanded the officer, the officer of the Electricity Board, but he did not take the warning seriously. The officer continued to harass the farmers and then the Jhujaru Singhs assassinated his team along with him. At the location where the Jhujaru Singhs killed the officer, CRPF soldiers were also deployed in the area. The sound of bullets attracted the CRPF and a fierce battle erupted between the Jhujaru Singhs and the Indian security forces, but the sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj managed to escape unharmed. 

 

  • In Bhindrin village, a miscreant named Pal Singh honoured the DGP of Punjab Julio Ribeiro, the murderer of Sikhs, with Siropa. He also gave a statement in a newspaper against the Jhujaru Singhs, in which he praised Julio Ribeiro that he was doing a great service to the country by killing the militants. Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, Bhai Surjit Singh Satta Gadli and fellow Jhujaru Singhs assassinated Pal Singh for his deeds and sent him to hell with no return ticket. 

 

  • Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, Bhai Avtar Singh Patwari and Bhai Surjit Singh Gadli killed about 14 Hindu miscreants living in Chitranjan Park area of Delhi in one action. This was done because these Hindus had destroyed and looted Sikh houses in November 1984 and had set fire to Sikh properties and brutally raped Sikh women. When the 3 Jhujarus, Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, Bhai Avtar Singh Patwari and Bhai Surjit Singh Satta Gadli were leaving the Chitranjan Park area, the Delhi police had set up checkpoints ahead and were searching vehicles. From here all the 3 Singhs went their separate ways, Bhai Avtar Singh Patwari entered the army quarters nearby. According to Bhai Harcharan Singh alias Giani (brother of Shaheed Bhai Surjit Singh Painta), the Indian forces martyred Bhai Avtar Singh Patwari here. 

 

Bhai Sahib’s group also carried out many other Jhujaru actions which are as follows: – 

 

  • Assassination of known butcher, Inspector KK Sharma in Tarn Taran. 
  • Assassination of Tommy Dusht in Amritsar’s Chownk Moni. 
  • Assassination of Shiv Sena’s Amritsar district president, Raman Chand.
  • Assassination of Shiv Sena’s president, Ravi Kumar. 
  • Attack on the so-called Saint, Harbhajan Singh of Maluwal village in which his 2 gunmen and the Sarpanch of Maluwal were killed. 
  • Assassination of Comrade Gurnam Uppal. 
  • Assassination of MLA Dhawan Comrade. 
  • Assassination of Jagbani journalist, Narinder Kumar. 
  • Killing of 6 Shiv Sena men near the Kalka Mandir in Amritsar. 
  • Killing of 4 CID officer in the village of Sakheera. 
  • Assassination of Sub-Inspector Budh Singh near Nakodar City. 
  • Assassination of Delhi’s Butcher, Kala in Amritsar. 
  • Assassination of military officer in Greater Kailash area of Delhi. During this action, the Jhujaru Singhs also killed hired goons and 4 police men who were deployed to protect the military officer. 
  • Assassination of a hypocrite saint in Puranpur Uttar Pardesh and the killing of 6 police officers in the same attack. 
  • Assassination of Chairman Sukhdev Singh Umranangal. 
  • Assassination of the evil Jhirmal Singh in village Janiya. 
  • Killing of 4 evil people in village Bhorsi Rajput. 
  • Killing of ten Shiv Sena goons at the bus station of village Majari in Hoshiarpur. 
  • Assassination of Satnam Singh Daniyal near village Kaleke. 
  • Assassination of Jagbani journalist, Bant Singh in Jalandhar. 
  • Killing of 7 Shiv Sena members in Mandi Phattanganj in Jalandhar. 

 

Bhai Surjit Singh Satta Gadli was more than 6 feet tall. Because of this, all the Jhujaru Singhs nicknamed him Lambu, and he became the right-hand man of Bhai Surjit Singh Painta. During his Jhujaru life, Bhai Sahib remained steadfast in the daily routine of reciting Gurbani along with the Jhujaru Singhs. The tyrannical Hindu government had placed a reward on his head.

 

Martyrdom

At the end of February 1988, on the tip-off of an informer from village Jaspal, Bhai Surjit Singh Satta Gadli and Bhai Mangal Singh alias Bhai Pargat Singh (village Talwandi Salem, district Jalandhar) were surrounded and arrested by the Kalchian police and CRPF. In police custody, both Jhujaru Singhs were subjected to unspeakable and unbearable inhuman torture for ten days continuously, but these sons of tenth Sikh Guru kept chanting Satnam-Waheguru loudly.  They didn’t even tell the police their name, let alone give information on their Jhujaru brothers. Finally, on 4th March 1988, the police staged a fake encounter and martyred Bhai Surjit Singh Satta Gadli alias Lambu and his companion. Both the Singhs, fighting for the freedom of the nation, laid their bodies in the lap of the Sikh nation. 

 

1984tribute.com team member, Bhai Ranjit Singh Damdami Taksal got all this information written by the brother of Shaheed Bhai Surjit Singh Painta, Bhai Harcharan Singh Giani (village Chhajjalwadi) and some other elder Singhs and the parents of Shaheed Bhai Surjit Singh Gadli. It took us a long time to write this biography of Bhai Sahib and we had to do a lot of research day and night. Bhai Sahib has done immense service in such little time and the Delhi trembled by the Jhujaru actions of this group. 

 

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