Op/Ed: Who is Bhai Jagtar Singh Tara?

Bhai Jagtar Singh Tara is a symbol of hope and determination for the Sikh Liberation Movement and an inspiring role model for us all. Born in 1977, Bhai Jagtar Singh grew up in his village Dekwala near Ropar. As he watched the struggle for Khalistan escalate in his youth, Bhai Tara grew up eagerly doing seva of jujharoo Singhs in his local area every chance he got. Witnessing the unbelievable atrocities the Indian state inflicted on the Sikh nation throughout his childhood, his family noticed his desire to leave the safety and security of their home to join the sangarsh. In an effort to keep their son out of harms way, they sent him to live with his older brother in Delhi. His family however, did not understand the fire that burns in our brother’s heart. When the walls of Burail Jail, the looming threats of death and torture, and the harshness of living underground for a decade have not been able to weaken Bhai Tara’s commitment to our Freedom struggle, what difference would a few kilometres have made? 

Despite being in Delhi, Bhai Jagtar Singh got in touch with other youth and began making preparations to continue the struggle. Taking on an active role, it was in 1995, that he took part in the elimination of Punjab’s Chief Minister Beanta Butcher at the age of 18. Chief Minister, Beant ‘Singh,’ was a tyrannical ruler who came to office with less than 10% of the popular vote following a Sikh boycott of the elections in 1992. Bearing witness to the atrocities ordered under Beant ‘Singh’s’ command, Bhai Jagtar Singh Tara, Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara, Bhai Dilaavar Singh Babbar and several other youth came together to rid Punjab of it’s oppressive chief minister. Beanta was responsible for the death and disappearance of thousands of Sikh youth from 1992-95. Police were encouraged to wipe out an entire generation with cash incentives, job promotions, and a promise of impunity. As a result, youth continued to be fished out of canals and rivers over the following years – shot at point-blank with their hands tied behind their backs. 

Immediately following this action, Bhai Sahib was arrested and imprisoned in Burail Jail, Chandigarh until the sensational escape of January 2004. Bhai Tara and his comrades were never under the misconception that the elimination of one tyrant alone would bring peace, justice, and freedom to the Sikh nation and the people of Punjab; they had a firm understanding that the entire system itself needed to be uprooted in its entirety. With this fire and determination in their hearts, they successfully dug a 94-foot long tunnel out of the prison and disappeared into the night. Despite nearly a decade of incarceration, Bhai Jagtar Singh Tara, Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara and Bhai Parmjit Singh Bheora immediately resumed their struggle against the Indian state and began organizing youth across Punjab to take part in a number of revolutionary actions. While Bhai Hawara and Bhai Bheora were arrested within the following two years, Bhai Tara successfully evaded the state’s security forces and intelligence agencies, and has tirelessly spent the last decade trying to reignite the struggle and bring enemies of the Panth to justice. 

Despite the fact that he is a political prisoner who has served nearly ten years in prison, due to his extradition, he now faces the possibility of execution as various state agencies will undoubtedly subject him to severe torture and lobby for the death penalty. This is the Indian state’s form of justice – torture and death for those who engage in self-defence and freedom for those who perpetrate horrifying massacres. Despite knowing what awaits him on his return to India, Bhai Tara remains in complete chardikala and at total peace with the situation. Without the slightest hesitation, Bhai Tara continues to accept his role in the elimination of Beanta – even in police detention – and proclaims that all he did was fulfil his kaumi farz. 

So when we ask, who is Bhai Jagtar Singh Tara? Let us remember that Bhai Jagtar Singh was a son, a brother, a teenager – a young man with aspirations, who witnessed the horrors around him and put his selfish desires aside to put the Nation’s dream of Azaadi first. Our brother is a hero; an inspiration; and a warrior we remember with every breath as we commit to

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here