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Behla Carnage
Day of June
8th is of high importance for the people of Taran
Taaran. On this day in 1992 took place an historic encounter
between the government police and Sikh freedom fighters.
Although, news of police encounters with the Sikhs were
published daily in which only Sikh lives were lost and
police’s bravery was portrayed but Sikhs very well knew that
such encounters were fake. They were well informed that the
police arrested the Sikhs and then killed them in fake
encounters. Visible scars and wounds on the bodies clearly
showed that they had been tortured to death. At last, the
“brave” police officials had the opportunity to have a real
encounter with the real Sikh freedom fighters which showed
just how brave the police were.
The real
encounter between the Sikhs and the government police took
place in village Behla, Taran Taaran. One of the residents of
Behla was Bhai Surjeet Singh. He was a Lieutenant of
Bhindranwala Tigers Force (BTF) and right hand man of Baba
Gurbachan Singh Manochahal. He had built a bunker in an
uninhabited house outside of the village and turned in into
his residence. The police of Taran Taaran received a tip from
a secret informer about the bunker of Bhai Surjeet Singh. Many
police officers including SSP Ajit Sandhu, SP Khoobi Raam and
many DSPs and inspectors took several policemen under their
commands and left for Behla. Their intent was to obtain
weapons from the bunker and thought that Bhai Surjeet Singh
was not present there. Upon reaching Behla, the police
surrounded the uninhabited house. The police officers sent few
policemen inside on search and destroy mission and to find the
bunker. After a while, the policemen returned unsuccessful.
Then the police called the person who had built the bunker and
asked him to pinpoint the location of the bunker. The person
pointed at a wall that had a secret door to the bunker but the
police failed to open it since it was locked from the inside.
He then took the police officers on the roof of the bunker and
told them to blow it up.
Now, the
police was convinced that the bunker was locked from inside
very securely so they became eager to blow up the roof to get
into the bunker. They brought necessary tools and had some
policemen start drilling a hole in the roof. When Bhai Surjeet
Singh and two of his companions heard the sounds they
instantly knew that it was the police. Without saying any
words to each other they took up their arms and decided to
fight back. Holding their guns, they opened the door from
inside and opened fired at the police. Four policemen died at
the spot and the reaming police officers dropped all of their
two-way radios and ran up the stairs to the third floor. The
police surrounding the house opened fire at the Sikh fighters
and thus began the real encounter.
The bunker
was on the second floor of the house and Bhai Sahib did not
know that many of the police officers had run up to the third
floor and there was no way out. The police surrounding the
house wanted to confirm the safety of their officers so they
started to send messages on the radios but the officers had
dropped them on the second floor next to the bunker and could
not receive any signal. However, Bhai Behla heard the message
and decided to go up to the roof to punish all of the police
officers who had played a major role in killing Sikhs in large
numbers in Majha area. Bhai Sahib’s one companion had become
shaheed soon after the firing started and the other was still
alive. Bhai Sahib ordered him to stay put and cover for him
while he went upstairs. Bhai Sahib tried to get to the third
floor but the stairs were directly in target of the police so
they opened heavy fires on the stairs. Police officers trapped
on the top were really scared and were also firing on Bhai
Sahib to stop him. For this reason Bhai Sahib could not get to
the stairs. The officers later admitted that had he become
successful in getting to the roof he would’ve killed all of
the key figures of the police in Majha.
In any
case, after a while Bhai Sahib’s second companion also became
Shaheed. According to the locals, there were only two real
fighters and the third used to bring food and supplies to
them. After both of his companions became Shaheed, he alone
started to fight back. He held the police back for 36 hours
which clearly shows his bravery and cowardice of the police.
Bhai Sahib was surrounded from all sides and had no supply of
food and water for as long as he fought. No policeman dared to
step forward. They all stayed back and kept firing. After more
than 36 hours had passed, the police was still unsuccessful.
They had realized that the real encounter was not as easy as
the fake one. So they came up with a notorious plan. They knew
that Behla would not fire upon any innocents especially his
locals. So they gathered all the villagers and used them as a
shield. They also brought 3mm automatic machine guns, armored
vehicles and grenades. The police forced the villagers to walk
towards the house and they walked behind them to save
themselves. In the meantime, they started throwing grenades
and had armored vehicles break into the house. After some
time, they became successful in killing the brave Sikh warrior
by emptying their automatic machine guns in his chest. Only
then the officers stuck on the roof came down.
Only two
Sikhs fought the Indian police equipped with heavy artillery
for 36 hours which was very shameful to the police. They took
six villagers and shot them dead. They gave statements to the
newspapers that nine Sikh fighters had been killed in an
encounter. The villagers became enraged and exposed the true
faces of the police. Since then, Human Rights Organizations
have been trying to get justice for the victim families but so
far they have been unsuccessful. The bravery of the true Sikhs
showed that even today they are capable of repeating the
history of their ancestors by fighting thousands.
Bhai Ajit
Singh and Family
In order to
suppress the Sikh movement and eradicate the Sikh fighters
from Punjab, the Indian government had given full authority to
the police. To accomplish this mission they were given the
right to use any means necessary. Besides picking up innocent
Sikhs and killing them in fake encounters, the police also
targeted those who sympathized with the Sikh movement. Many of
the Sikh families had no links with the movement but only
provided shelter and food for the Sikh fighters. For this
crime these families had to go through unbearable suffering
and oppression of the government. One of such families is that
of Bhai Ajit Singh. If someone was to walk in his house today,
the walls and floors will reveal the truth and show them the
glimpse of Indian brutality.
Bhai Ajit Singh
as an Agriculture Inspector lived a happy life with his family
in village Killi Bodla. His brother, Dalbir Singh, and his
family also lived with them under the same roof. They were
middle class family and were blessed with everything they
needed. But their happiness did not last long. When the police
started hunting down the Sikh families for giving food and
shelter to the Sikh freedom fighters, they came on top of the
list. In the evening of October 7, 1991, Bhai Joginder Singh
Nikku and his three companions came to the house of 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 Ajit
Singh to open the door because they had received a tip from
someone that Ajit Singh’s family sympathized with the Sikh
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 and A.S.I. Jarnail along with Sarpanch
entered the house, the Sikh fighters opened fired and killed
both police officers. One policeman was injured and the rest
ran back. The Sarpanch hid behind a tree though he was never
fired upon.
The Singhs
quickly left the house shouting slogans of the victory and
challenged the police to follow them and fight them in the
fields. Their intent was to turn the police’s intentions
towards them so that the family could be saved. Bhai Joginder
Singh 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 became injured and fell on the ground but
instead of being captured he took cyanide capsule and died.
This did not calm the police. They wanted to avenge the death
of their officers by punishing the family that had sheltered
the Sikh fighters. D.S.P. Dev Raj Sharma and S.S.P. Satish
Koshal came to the village with a large force and rounded the
family members. At that time the following members of the
family were present:
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Bibi Iqbaal
Kaur – Age 90 |
Bhai Ajit
Singh, elder son of Bibi Iqbaal Kaur – Age 50 |
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Bibi
Lakhwinder Kaur, wife of Bhai Ajit Singh – Age 45
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Manjit Kaur,
daughter-in-law of Bhai Ajit Singh – Age 26
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Jaswinder
Kaur, wife of Dalbir Singh, brother of Ajit Singh – Age 40 |
Sukhwinder
Singh, son of Dalbir Singh - Age 21 |
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Rajwinder
Singh, son of Dalbir Singh – Age 15 years
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Narinder Kaur and
Ravinderpal Singh (children of Manjit Kaur – Age 3 and 1.5
years) were also present in the house. Dalbir Singh himself
was not present in the house and his daughter Jasbir Kaur had
gone to Gurdwara Nanaksar along with her grandfather, Malook
Singh. For this reason all three were saved.
The police
started their brutal activities under the command of Dev Raj
Sharma. All of the family members including women were
stripped naked and tied to a tree with metal chains. In
Punjabi culture, not covering head is considered a shameful
act for a woman but Indian forces dropping far below the
morality level stripped naked a sister in front a brother and
a daughter in front of her father. This was the greatest
harassment they had faced but it was only the beginning. The
police officials then harassed and dishonored the women. Then
they grated the skin of all the family members. Their heart
piercing screams could be heard in the entire village. The
police did not stop its lunacy and kept on grating the skin
from legs and arms.
Skinning the
Sikhs alive did not satisfy the police. The police warmed the
tar in the kitchen and poured it on the wounds of the Sikhs.
Then they poured diesel on the wounds. The screams of the
victims had no effect on the police. Instead, the brutal
torturous methods increased their excitement as the screams of
the Sikhs increased. It was as if the police had turned in the
form of a Satan. The Indian forces surpassed the Mughals when
it came to torturing the innocent Sikhs. In the Mughal Empire,
Sikh women were given the punishment of grinding the flour and
were deprived of food and water. Their children were cut into
pieces but incidents of rape and skinning women alive were
very rare if not none. By skinning women alive and then
pouring diesel on the wounds the Hindu forces would sure have
terrified the souls of the Mughals.
The police
stopped its vicious activities when the half burnt Sikhs
because unconscious and some of their fingers had separated
from the body. Then the police decided to lay them on the
floor after which they were fired upon and killed. One and a
half years old child Ravinderpal Singh became unconscious
after suffering an injury from a bullet that slightly hit his
forehead. When the police were picking up the dead bodies and
throwing them in the van, Dev Raj Sharma kicked the body of
Ravinderpal Singh and ordered his men to throw him in the van
also. Narinder Kaur, three year old daughter of Manjit Kaur
was playing outside before the police started its game of
torture. She became scared and hid in the bushes. Dev Raj
Sharma had ordered not to spare anyone but a home-guard with
the help of his fellow workers managed to hide her and kept
her in his house. Later on she was handed over to her family
members.
To hide its
criminality the police opened fire on the walls of the house
and threw grenade on the roof and blew a hole in it. The
police fabricated the story that the family members were
caught in the crossfire of an encounter with the Sikh fighters
and died. When the remaining family members returned home they
could easily tell what had happened by looking at the walls
and diesel and tar spills in the kitchen. Pieces of flesh were
still stuck in the grater. After more than 15 years, their
memories are still fresh in the minds of the remaining family
members. The walls are still in the same condition. Parts of
metal chains are still tied to the tree and discoloration
caused by tar and diesel spills are still there. Ravinderpal
Singh has become a teenager and scar of the bullet on his
forehead reminds him of his family members that were brutally
murdered by the Indian forces.
This incident was
brought to the notice of media and Human Rights Organizations.
They publicized this case and demanded the justice to be
served but it was all in vain. India is the only country in
which brutal and cruel officers are not only protected after
committing inhuman crimes but also promoted. Furthermore, the
government does not get tired of praising them for
establishing “peace” in Punjab and “eradicating” terrorism.
The government, however, is ignoring the fact that “peace”
that cost the lives of thousands of innocent Sikhs is not
peace but terror of oppression, injustice and cruelty. The day
will come when Sikhs of Punjab will rise up, take arms and
bring the criminals to justice because the government has yet
to see the last of Sikh movement.
Bhai
Surjeet Singh – An Unidentified Body
 In
order to suppress the Sikh movement in Punjab, the police
adapted the policy of picking up innocent Sikhs, killing them
in fake encounters and then either cremating them as
unidentified bodies or throwing them in the rivers. Before
cremation the bodies were taken to local hospitals for
post-mortems. One of such hospitals was Civil Hospital of
Patti where according to the records the police had brought at
least six bodies of Sikhs everyday between the periods of 1984
to 1994. Bringing in bodies for post-mortem and then cremating
them had become very common for not only the staff members of
the hospital but also for local shopkeepers. But the bodies
brought in on the day of October 30th, 1993 turned
the common practice to a rare incident.
 On
October 30th, 1993 police of Bhikhivind brought two
bodies for post mortem to the hospital of Patti. The police
stationed two guards on duty and the rest of them left. The
guards were drinking tea and everyone else was doing
everything they had been doing for the last 10 years which was
usual as everyday. The janitor, Karamveer, was responsible for
cleaning the room where the dead bodies were kept. This was
his regular job. When he entered the room, he saw one dead
body on the table and another on the floor. He lifted the
cloth from the face of the dead body and just like he expected
the body was of a young Sikh who was not more than 23 years
old. He then uncovered the face of the body that was placed on
the floor. He observed that this body was of a Sikh about 20
years old. Before he could cover the face back up, the young
Sikh opened his eyes. Karamveer, the janitor, was terrified as
this had never happened before. He thought it was a ghost as
no one could survive a bullet shot in the head. He ran back
and when he opened the door to get out the Sikh said, “Water.”
He came back to the body slowly and confirmed that it was
indeed the Sikh who was speaking and not a ghost. The Sikh
again said, “Water.”
Karamveer
was very scared. He quickly left the room and came back with a
glass of water and put some in the mouth of the Sikh. After
few minutes, he left the room and locked the door from
outside. Hiding from the police he went to the office of
Pharmacist Bikaramjit Singh who after hearing the incident was
very shocked. They both went to Dr. Jaswant Singh and informed
him of the incident. Dr. Jaswant Singh quickly assembled a
team of doctors and nurses and went to the room where dead
bodies were being kept. The policemen were surprised to see
the team of hospital staff. The doctor quickly opened the door
and observed the body that had come back to life. He
instructed his team to take the body to the treatment room.
Both policemen were shocked and had no idea what had happened.
They tried to stop the doctors and urged that the bodies had
been brought for post-mortem. But the doctors angrily replied,
“Our duty is also to save lives and this Sikh is not dead
yet.” The policemen had nothing more to say and both of them
went to local PCO.
All local
police officers were informed. S.P. Khoobi Raam from Taran
Taaran, Paramjit Teja from Bhikhivind and Inspector Seeta Raam
from Valhota quickly left with their policemen and reached
hospital of Patti. In the hospital, Dr. Jaswant Singh had
begun treating the patient. The Sikh was speaking very lowly
and the hospital staff understood only two of the words he
spoke, “Cold….blanket…” Quickly he was rapped in a blanket.
The doctor gave him some shots and after a while the patient
started to get better. The doctor wanted to inquire the
background and living address of the patient so he could send
a message to his parents but the patient could not say
anything as he had lost most of his hearing due to a bullet
shot that was fired in his head at point blank range. He said
to the doctor, “Write it down. I can’t hear you.” The doctor
wrote down his question and showed it to the patient. After
reading the question, he replied, “I am son of Harbhajan
Singh, resident of Valhota. My name is Surjeet Singh. I was
picked up by the police 16 days ago and kept in Bhikhivind
jail where I was tortured on daily basis. Today, they created
the incident of an encounter by shooting me and then brought
me here.”
Hearing the
brutality of the police everyone was left surprised. The Sikh
patient further told that a young girl from his village worked
in the hospital as a nurse. The nurse was not present there at
the time but her father Mahanvaar was there and the doctor
told him to inform the parents of the patient. A few minutes
later, the police vehicles and many police officers came to
the hospital. Seeta Raam was wearing an undershirt, a dhoti
and slippers. He had left his house right after he received a
call from Khoobi Raam. By this time, the news of a dead body
coming to life had spread all around the area and a large
crowd had gathered in front of the hospital. In the large
crowd there was present a Human Rights Organization worker,
Surinder Singh who had informed many high ranking government
officials and requested them to take action as he feared the
police might take away Surjeet Singh again and kill him in
another fake encounter.
 Inspector
Seeta Raam quickly went to the treatment room to pick up
Surjeet Singh. The doctors tried their best to stop them but
were unable to do anything in front of the police assault.
Seeta Raam quickly grabbed Surjeet Singh and with the
help of his constables threw him in the jeep and took him away
through the crowd. According to the eye witnesses, shots of
bullet fires were heard. The police had shot Surjeet Singh at
the same spot in the head and after confirming his death took
him back to the hospital after half an hour. After his
post-mortem they took the dead body to a grave yard. By this
time, parents of Surjeet Singh had arrived and found out
everything from the hospital staff. They quickly ran to the
grave yard but were stopped by the police. One policeman said,
“Where do you think you are going?” The mother replied, “Son,
I just want to identify the dead bodies.” Another policeman
recognized her and said, “She is the mother of that guy.”
Hearing this, the mother started crying and requested, “If you
know I am his mother then why don’t you show me my son’s
body?” In reply to this, the mother was physically assaulted
and right in front of her eyes her son was cremated as an
unidentified body just like thousands of other Sikhs.
Does this
leave any doubt that the Indian government and its officials
are the real terrorists who eliminated an entire generation of
Sikhs in the name of terrorism? The family received no
justice. The police officers were promoted and encouraged to
continue their campaigns of terrorism which they happily did.
Bloodbath of a
Sikh Family
 This
is the story of Mata Tarnaam Kaur and her family. It has been
more than a decade since her family members have disappeared
but tears of grievance have not disappeared from her eyes. The
Indian government had given the full authority to the police
to kill as many Sikhs as possible. Following the order the
police eliminated thousands of Sikh families one of which is
of Mata Tarnaam Kaur. Her husband, one son, and five grandsons
were killed by the police. Tarnaam Kaur was married to Bhai
Sadhu Singh and together they had four sons: Inder Singh,
Khzan Singh, Sajjan Singh and Gurdeep Singh. All four sons
were married and had kids some of which were young, teenagers
and adults. The entire family was very religious but had no
connection with the Sikh freedom movement. They had never
attended any Sikh convention or took part in ceremony in the
remembrance of Sikh martyrs. Even then they couldn’t escape
the brutality of the Indian police that was hunting down Sikhs
from village to village regardless of their ideology about the
Sikh movement.
On the
night of 29 October, 1991 the Indian police lead by D.S.P.
Baldev Seikhon raided their house at about five in the
morning. Some of the family members were captured from the
fields and some were sleeping in the house. From a large
family the police picked out seven members and took them away.
The family members were:
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Bhai
Sadhu Singh (85 years) |
Bhai
Gurdeep Singh (42 years) |
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Son of
Bhai Gurdeep Singh, Amanjeet Singh (17 years)
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Son of
Bhai Inder Singh, Hardev Singh (22 years)
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Son of
Bhai Khzan Singh, Davinder Singh (22 years) |
Son of
Bhai Khzan Singh, Sukhdev Singh (17 years) |
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Son of
Bhai Sajjan Singh, Sharanjeet Singh (13 years)
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Davinder
Singh was happily married and had two daughters. The youngest
daughter was 8 days old at that time.
Baldev
Seikhon threw them all in the police vehicle and yelled at the
remaining family members, “Unless my brother returns by
evening, I will kill them all and then come after you.” No one
in the family understood what D.S.P. Baldev meant. Later on
the family found out the real story. D.S.P. Baldev’s younger
brother Kuldeep Guglee had been working as a Cat in the group
of Bhai Seetal Singh Mattewal. Baldev had promised his brother
to hire him as an Inspector in the police if he managed to
turn in Bhai Seetal Singh. After few days, Bhai Seetal Singh
was surrounded by the police forces and after 36 hours of
fighting Bhai Sahib became Shaheed. Bhai Sahib’s whereabouts
were told by Kuldeep Guglee. When Bhai Seetal Singh’s
companions found out the truth, they picked up Kuldeep and
took him away to punish him. D.S.P. Baldev was blaming this
innocent family for the disappearance of his brother. Baldev’s
relatives lived in the same village who did not like Tarnaam
Kaur’s family. For these reasons he picked up seven family
members and all of them were male. Baldev had no valid reasons
or evidence to prove the family guilty but it clearly shows
how the Indian police was doing its job in wiping out the Sikh
generation.
After the
police left, the family members contacted many officials to
find out the whereabouts of those who were taken away. They
searched every police station in the neighboring areas but
could not find them. After 10 days some policemen informed
them that their family members were being held at the police
station of Kalanaur. The family went to the police station and
took some policemen with them. Upon meeting them it was
apparent that they had been tortured viciously and were unable
to walk. After 10 days they again went back to meet them.
Seeing the horrible conditions they were in Bhai Inder Singh
couldn’t hold his grief and started to cry. 13 years old
Sharanjeet Singh consoled him by saying “We have done nothing
wrong. They can’t keep us here forever. One day they will have
to release us.” After the meeting the family members returned
to their village.
 The
last meeting between the family members took place in the
police station of Kahnoowal. When the D.S.P. found out about
the meeting he angrily yelled at every police official and
ordered to move the family members to a different police
station. After that, no one could find out where they were
being kept. The family contacted every government official
they knew but no one listened to them. Sawaran Singh, son of
Inder Singh, himself was in the police but even he couldn’t
find his family members. One time he saw them in a police jeep
near Bus Stand of Amritsar and did his best to find them but
he failed to do so. Later on, they found out that four of
their family members were killed in a fake encounter near
Gagrewal village and the other three were killed in the fields
in Kahnoowan.
Unheard: Atrocities on Sikh
Women in Punjab
“If any action occurs in this village, every single male is
going to be taken out and shot. Then we’re going to take all
the women to our camp and there we’re going to create a new
breed for Punjab.”
Brig. RP Sinha
addressing assembled Sikh villagers on March 8, 1991,
International Women's Day
And this was the way International Women’s Day was celebrated
in Punjab. The untold story of the Sikh Resistance Movement is
the story of Sikh women. It is a feature of Punjabi culture
that atrocities on women are rarely reported and remain
hidden. Families feel ashamed to speak of the treatment women
received at the hands of Indian Security Forces, but this
story must be told.
Role of Sikh
Women in the Movement
 Many
Sikh women participated in the Sikh resistance movement as
fighters. Like their sisters from past ages, Sikh women joined
their brothers in the fight for freedom. Many brave Singhnees
fought side by side with their Singhs and attained Shaheedee.
The examples of Shaheeds Bhai Harvinderjit Singh Taini Babbar
and Bibi Manjeet Kaur Babbar (their story will be posted
later), Bhai Pritpal Singh and Bibi Harjeet Kaur, etc, are
notable.
Sikh women often worked as messengers for Sikh Resistance
groups as well as preparing hideouts and serving tired Sikh
fighters.
But
unfortunately, many Sikh women were also the target of the
bloody thirsty Indian Security forces. Sikh women were
ruthlessly tortured, not only physically but also mentally.
They were used as tools to force the surrender of Sikh
fighters who were their relatives and also as a means of
humiliating families. When Sikh women were arrested with their
husbands, the husbands were often forced to watch the rape of
their wives. Rape was used as an interrogation tool.
The Indian
Forces also began a program of “shudhee karan”, which was a
code name for the rape of Sikh women. They joked that the
offspring of their rapes would change the genetic makeup of
the Sikh community and they would kill the Resistance in this
way. Many rape victims took their own lives, unable to live
with the ongoing humiliation at the hands of the Indian
police.
The first example of the atrocities heaped upon Sikh women is
that of Bibi Amandeep Kaur.
Shaheed Bibi Amandeep Kaur
 Bibi
Amandeep Kaur was the sister of Bhai Harpinder Singh Goldy aka.
Pamma of the Khalistan Commando Force. She was only twenty
when she was arrested, tortured, raped and then killed by the
Punjab Police.
Bibi Amandeep Kaur, before her Shaheedee was on the run but
had the courage to tell her story to human rights workers.
Here is her story in her own words, shortly before she was
murdered [I have divided the sections for easier reading] :
Marriage &
Arrest
"Jaswinder Singh Sraa son of Surjeet Singh of Jassowal village
Ludhiana dst. Was born and brought up on the UK. He presently
lives in Mississauga Canada.
He came to India on October 12, 1991 for marriage on October
24th. We along with my father Jaswant Sngh, village Headman
Bhag Singh and Member of Panchyaat Meet Singh went to the
office of the sub-registrar, Rampura Phul, for registration of
the marriage. As we came out of the courtroom, the SHO of Phul,
picked up three of us, me, my husband and my father. We were
taken to Phul Police Station where SSP Kahlon, SP Mohkam
Singh, DSP Aulah and SP of Operations were present.
Inhuman
Torture
The SSP on seeing us, promptly ordered that my two male
relations be stripped naked in my presence. He then took out
the picture of his slain son and addressing them remarked that
he had taken the revenge for the murder (by dishonouring me,
the sister of an underground Sikh activist).
Kahlon then started abusing my husband and father. He took
hold of a lathi to beat the two. It was then the turn of his
subordinates who beat us with their leather belts. The SSP
ordered that my husband and father slap each other.
After this cruel exercise, we were blindfolded. I was relieved
of my two wedding rings, a pair of ear-rings and one golden
chain. From my husband, the SSP snatched $500 and a bracelet
of 3.5 tolas and his wedding ring. My father was similarly
robbed of Rs. 2500. I and my husband were put into our van
PCL-8433. We heard the SSP directing his staff to set our
house on fire and bring the wife and younger daughter of
Jaswant Singh (my mother and sister) to the police station for
similar treatment.
After Kahlon left, we were brought back to the police station.
While my husband and father were put in the lock-up, I was
kept out for
 maltreatment
[i.e. for sexual assault].
Early next morning we three were taken to Sardulgarh by our
van. On October 27, my mother Surjeet Kaur was brought to us.
She told us her story of dishonor [rape], torture and
maltreatment. She was kept in a Rampura police station and at
the head office of CIA Bathinda.
In our absence, the police from Rampura Phul ransacked our
house and removed all our belongings. The village panchayat
was not let anywhere near the house. No seizure report was
prepared and handed over to the panchayat or anyone else.
12 Days of
Terror
I, my mother and father were kept in Sardulgarh police station
for 12 days. But my husband was moved to Phul police station
on October 29. The SSP was present there. He ordered my
husband's release on October 30, telling him to forget about
his marriage to me and leave India immediately, which he did
the next day. In the meantime, the village panchayat came to
know of our detention at Sardulgarh and they came there to
rescue us but we were removed stealthily to Boha police
station.
At Boha, I was not given even water for washing under SSP's
order. We were maltreated there [the woman was reluctant to
give details of the mistreatment].
After eight days, the three of us were removed from Boha to
CIA Bathinda. My mother and I were released from three weeks
of illegal detention. My father was kept in CIA Bathinda and
at Phul and was produced in a court on November 30. A case was
registered against him.
KP Gill
‘Helpless’
While we were in custody, Jaswinder Singh, who happens to be
brother of my father, telephoned DGP KP Gill at telephone No.
753-546840 requesting him to intervene but Gill told him that
Kahlon did not listen to his advice.
We have learnt that the SSP had picked us up because on
October 23, 1991, some millitants had abducted six traders of
Phul and the police suspected my 16-year-old brother Harpinder
Singh Goldy aka. Pamma's hand in the abduction. My brother had
gone underground in the wake of police harassment in August
1991 when he was studying in class 10 + 1 .
I have gone underground to escape further humiliation and
torture because the SSP Harkishan Kahlon is after me, for
unknown reasons. Because of the "treatment" given to my
husband, he has left me and does not wish to keep me as his
wife any longer.”
Shaheedee
 Bibi
Amandeep Kaur stayed in hiding until January 21 1992. The
police then played a sinister game. They asked he to return to
her house, returning all her property and insisted they would
not harass her any more. They also bailed her father the day
before. Jaswant Singh did not trust the police so he did not
return home. Amandeep Kaur did. When her mother was out, two
gun men with masked faces came on behalf of SSP Bathinda,
Kahlon, and shot Bibi Amandeep Kaur dead on January 21st at
7:30pm.
The Story of Bibi
Gurmeet Kaur
Bibi Gurmeet Kaur was a student of the 10 grade at village
Lehrkaa near Kathoo Nangal. Bibi Gurmeet Kaur and her older
sister Bibi Parmjeet Kaur had gone to visit their father Swarn
Singh and brother Satnam Singh who were in prison for giving
shelter to Sikh Resistance fighters. They had returned home on
April 21, 1989 when the Indian police raided their home and
arrested Bibi Parmjeet Kaur. The police told villagers that
the Deputy Commissioner wanted to record her statement.
Parmjeet Kaur was kept in custody one night and then returned
home. Next Gurmeet Kaur was arrested and kept for two nights.
She too was released but threatened with dire circumstances if
she told what had happened to her. Gurmeet Kaur did not remain
silent and recounted what had happened to her.
 When
Gurmeet Kaur was brought to the police station, she was
stripped naked and tortured in the verandah of the police
station in plain view of all the police officers. That night,
the police blindfolded her and locked her in a room. In that
room, drunken Indian Police officers took turns raping her.
Gurmeet Kaur fell unconscious and when she woke the next
morning, she found herself covered in blood and stark naked.
The next day, Gurmeet Kaur was tortured again. The perverse
and twisted police officers went so far as to put salt and
chili peppers into Gurmeet Kaur’s private parts.
On April 24, when Gurmeet Kaur was released, she could not
walk. She was taken to hospital for treatment by the
villagers.
Other Cases
These cases are not unique. Gang Rapes and humiliation were
common in Punjab. 19 year old Baljeet Kaur, sister of Sikh
fighter Bhai Gurjeet Singh was also gang raped. Bibi Rachhpal
Kaur was arrested for no reason but for having caught the eye
of the police party and On September 5, 1989 was gang raped by
the Kali Das Sharma and other police officers.
Then & Now: Atrocities on Sikh Women in Punjab
 The
story of the treatment of Sikh women at the hands of Indian
Security Forces is a long and sad one. I don’t know which
cases to highlight and which to leave. Should I write about
Sarbjit Kaur (14) and Salwinder Kaur (13) who were abducted
while collecting clay for a school project and then gang raped
and killed by Indian Police. Or should I write about the
seven-year-old daughter of a Singh who was molested and then
dismembered by the Police’s Poohla Nang. The list is endless.
The abuse of Sikh women was and is widespread in Punjab.
Mothers, wives and children of Sikh fighters were considered
legitimate targets. The butchers who were responsible for
these tragedies are still in the police force today. They are
now high ranking officers. And the abuse continues…
“Now Get Your
Khalistan…”
 Bhai
Nirvair Singh was the Granthi of Gurdwara Shaheedaa(n),
Amritsar. Bhai Nirvair Singh’s younger brother, Bhai Kulwant
Singh was a Sikh Resistance Fighter and the police constantly
raided their home in search of him. Finally, unable to locate
Kulwant Singh, SSP Azhar Alam and his “Black Cats” shot Bhai
Nirvair Singh to death. Bhai Nirvair Singh’s wife, Bibi Manjit
Kaur, was with him at the time and ran to save herself. The
police caught Bibi Manjit Kaur and badly beat her with their
rifle butts. They let her live, but her ordeal was far from
over.
On May 5, 1988, the police again raided the house. Bhai
Nirvair Singh’s youngest brother, Bhai Dilbagh Singh, a
Granthi at Gurdwara Baba Bakala, was home but hid himself,
fearing for his life. The police spotted him and without any
warning, shot him dead. Bibi Manjit Kaur was still in the
house when the police entered and they immediately began to
beat her. They grabbed her by her hair and dragged her to the
fields where the Indian Police tortured her for an hour and a
half. When Bibi Manjit Kaur was almost senseless, they threw
her on top of Bhai Dilbagh Singh’s dead body and laughed, “Now
get your Khalistan…”. Bibi Manjit Kaur’s feet were so swollen
from the torture that she could not walk for days. Her scalp
also oozed blood from the repeated blows. Villagers who were
witness to this scene were also beaten and told to keep their
mouths shut. Harassment of their family and relatives
continued.
Today, Azhar Alam is a high ranking official in the Vigilance
Bureau of the Punjab Police. The man responsible for the
brutal torture of thousands of innocent Sikh men and women has
not been charged with any crime.
Bibi Gurdev Kaur &
Bibi Gurmeet Kaur
 Perhaps
the most brutal of all Indian Police officials in Punjab was
Batala’s Gobind Ram. Gobind Ram took sadistic pleasure in
personally torturing Sikh prisoners and kept a vat filled with
feces and urine that he force-fed to amritdhari Sikhs while
saying, “You have drunk the amrit of Gobind Singh, now drink
the amrit of Gobind Ram.”
Gobind Ram’s atrocities came to light nationwide when he
ordered the arrest of Bibi Gurdev Kaur (wife of Bhai Kulwant
Singh Babbar) and Bibi Gurmeet Kaur (wife of Bhai Mehal
Singh). Both Singhs were underground at the time.
On August 21, 1989, a van with tinted windows came and parked
in front of the Parbhat Finance Company, Amritsar, where both
Singhnees worked. Six armed men got out of the van and
approached Bibi Gurmeet Kaur and Bibi Gurdev Kaur, ordering
them to get in the van. When the Bibis demanded to know who
they were, one man identified himself as Lakhwinder Lakha, ASI.
He said that the police party had come from Batala Sadr police
station and they would have to come with him. When the
Singhnees began to make a scene, the police threw them into
the van. Bibi Gurmeet Kaur and Bibi Gurdev Kaur’s dastaars
were ripped off and used to tie their arms and their kirpans
were also taken off.
The van arrived at the notorious Beco Torture Centre in Batala
at 7pm. When the Singhnees went inside, they saw SSP Gobind
Ram beating a Sikh youth with a rod. When he saw the two women
enter, he immediately came towards them and hit Gurdev Kaur in
the stomach with his rod. Bibi Gurdev Kaur collapsed onto the
ground and began to bleed from her private parts. The bleeding
did not stop for several days. Gobind Ram kept hitting Bibi
Gurdev Kaur in the stomach without saying a word for five
minutes. He then gave the rod to another Inspector whom he
ordered to hit Bibi Gurdev Kaur in the joints.
Gobind Ram next moved to Bibi Gurmeet Kaur whom he threw to
the ground and began to kick in the chest. The next torture to
begin was the “ghotna” where a heavy log is rolled on the
thighs with men standing on top, which results in ripped
muscles. In Bibi Gurdev Kaur’s own words, “Then they put a
heavy roller on my thighs and made a few policemen stand on
it, while others rotated it. I kept on screaming but they hit
me with belts and kept on asking me the whereabouts of my
husband Kulwant Singh.”
 Both
women were severely tortured for two days. Gobind Ram kept
demanding to know where Bhai Kulwant Singh and Bhai Mehal
Singh were. The Bibis kept repeating that they did not know,
but Gobind Ram was not satisfied. They were tortured until
they fell unconscious. They were then revived and tortured
again.
When Bibi Gurdev Kaur was nearing her death, the police
secretly took her to the government hospital and left her
there. Gurmeet Kaur's right leg was paralysed and both
Singhnees had been kept awake since their arrest. Someone was
called from the outside to massage their limbs so they could
regain some sensation again. Both women could not walk but
were forced to do so. In the hospital, a merciful lady doctor
took care of Gurdev Kaur and also informed her family.
News of all this reached the media and all political religious
and social organizations condemned Gobind Ram's actions. When
finally Gurmeet Kaur refused to hand over any Singh, she was
threatened with being killed. By now though, because the press
had gotten wind of the arrest, she was indicted in a false
case and sent to jail. After some time, she too was released.
Because Bibi Gurdev Kaur received the best care possible, she
was saved from death, but for the rest of her life she would
face health problems.
 Human
Rights organizations condemned Gobind Ram for his brutal
treatment of these two women. He claimed that no torture had
occurred and both were kept in a “Guest House”. KP Gill, the
Director General of Punjab Police announced, “the reports
against SSP Batala, Gobind Ram by members of Panchyats and
Sarpanches (community leaders) were false. There is no truth
in them. This was propoganda against the police officers. This
was verified after investigations. There were such reports
against other honest and hardworking police officers [as
well]”
When no action was taken against Gobind Ram, and he continued
to torture and maim at will, the Singhs took it upon
themselves to finish this rabid dog. Gobind Ram was killed on
January 10, 1990 in a massive bombing.
KP Gill: Super Cop
or Sexual Predator?
 KP
Gill, ex-Director General of Punjab Police, is thought to have
single handedly crushed the Khalistan movement in Punjab. He
has been given the title of “Super Cop” by Indian media
despite having unleashed a wave of terror on the Sikhs that
was not even seen in the days of the Mughals. Torture methods
were so grotesque and brutal that they cannot be described.
Gill was known to the Sikhs of Punjab as a drunk who also
preyed on helpless women. Although Gill is proclaimed “Super
Cop” in India and considered a great hero, the fact that he
has been convicted for sexual assault is usually ignored.
In 1988, KP Gill was attending a party to celebrate Operation
Black Thunder (an assault on Sree Darbaar Sahib Amrtisar). At
this party, in plain view of all attendees, KP Gill sexually
assaulted Indian Administrative Service officer Rupen Deol
Bajaj. Bajaj was not helpless like most victims and instead of
forgetting the incident, filed a police report.
Other officals spoke with Bajaj and asked her to withdraw the
case since Gill was a hero in the fight against the Sikh
Resistance but despite all this, she persisted. According to
one report, “The government immediately took sides and tried
to squelch or delay the court case. It also took petty action
against Ms. Bajaj by making her a low-ranking official,
stopping her mail, taking her off of mailing lists, removing
her from government telephone books, etc”
Finally, in 1996, the butcher of Punjab, KP Gill was convicted
of sexual assault. Though he was initially sentenced to three
months in prison, the sentence was reduced to three years
supervised probation (later further reduced to one year,
un-supervised probation). He was also ordered to pay Rupen
Deol Bajaj Rs. 2 lakh and pay Rs. 50 000 in legal expenses.
If a high ranking officer could not escape being a victim of
Gill’s lust, what to say of the thousands of poor Sikh women
kept in dark cells without any charges and without any rights?
This is the character of India’s hero, KP Gill, “Super Cop”
And The
Abuse Continues Today…
Some argue that in the turmoil of Punjab, perhaps some
excesses were committed but times have changed. The Police
have reformed and India now treats Sikhs fairly. A glance at
the newspapers is enough to dispel that belief. The following
story appeared in the Chandigarh Tribune on September 27, 2003
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030927/chd.htm
____________
Woman
alleges inhuman torture by police
Chandigarh, September 26
 An
another incident of brutal torture came to light when a
20-year-old girl, Karamjit Kaur, who was rescued by the
Warrant Officer of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, today
alleged that she was subjected to inhuman treatment and was
asked to remove her clothes by the Punjab Police personnel at
a press conference organised by the NGO Lawyers for Human
Rights International here today.
“Five persons including two women, who had been allegedly
subjected to third degree torture for several days by the
Punjab Police were rescued by the Warrant Officer of the
Punjab and Haryana High Court yesterday. These five persons
were suspected to be involved in a murder case by the police.
The five persons who were released included — Karamjit Kaur,
Tirath Kaur, Sahib Singh, Gurdev Singh and Gurmit Singh,”
informed Mr Arunjeev Singh Walia, Press Secretary.
Showing torture marks on her body, the victim while addressing
scribes, said she was detained at Nabha police station for
several days and been tortured. She was even ordered to remove
her clothes by police constables, the victim alleged.
Narrating her tale of woe, she said police constables, after
taking liquor usually interrogated her in the midnight. Even
if a woman constable was called most of the time she stayed
outside the room during her interrogation. The victim further
added that: “I can not reveal the details whatever happened to
me was worse than a hell.”
She further added that
“she was
subjected to inhuman third degree torture twice by pulling her
legs apart in 180 degree and also beaten up with an iron rod
in between her legs and two police men putting pressure on
that rod.
“I was also
threatened of liquidation if I did not disclose the truth and
was also molested by the policemen",
the victim further said. Similarly, her mother said: “It was
difficult to see my husband, son and daughter to be subjected
to third degree torture by the police.”
When contacted the SHO of the police station concerned denied
that they were subjected to third degrees torture. He said
that all five of them were called at police station only for a
day. Thereafter they were not traceable.
The General Secretary of the NGO, Mr Navkiran Singh, who had
moved a petition in the high court for the release of victims
said a Warrant Officer had secured the release five victims
from the illegal custody of police station Kotwali, Nabha,
Patiala district on September 25. He also informed that the
high court had also ordered the medical examination of the
victims. The Chairman of the NGO, Mr Amar Singh Chahal,
demanded a CBI inquiry into the case.
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