WSN Service CHANDIGARH: More information is now available on the life of Bhai Jugraj Singh (21) who died last month in an alleged police encounter in Gurdaspur district last month,
Bhai Jagraj Singh also known as Toofan Singh laid down his life for Khalistan. He belonged to Cheema Khoodi village. Born to a poor peasant couple Gurbachan Kaur and Pritam Singh, Bhai Jugraj did his matriculation and joined Sant Baba Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in Amritsar at the age of 15.
He was arrested in the wake of Operation Bluestar in 84. Since he was a minor he was taken to Hoshiarpur jail like thousands of other child “terrorists.” While in custody the youth was severely tortured. He escaped and joined the freedom fighters in his own area. He was now known as Bhai Toofan Singh Tomar but he never created any problems for the innocent villagers nor did he allow any Hindu family to migrate from the area.
He held women in high esteem often intervening to patch up broken marriages. He was a terror to dowry seekers. Bhai Toofan Singh was known to have kept extortionists and common criminals in mortal fear. Never once did he solicit money for any cause himself.
The news of his death came as a shock to many and more than 30,000 people both Sikh and Hindu surrounded the Hargobindpur police station where his body was kept by the police. Later 400,000 people gathered for the bhog ceremony.
Such a large attendance created a flutter in political circles. Those who talked of isolating “terrorists” felt cheated. But India’s so called free media did not carry a single word on the popularity of this noble youth.
Editorial writers in Delhi remain blissfully ignorant of the ground realities in Punjab. So are the newsmen in Washington, London, and Ottawa who rely exclusively on Indian media.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 4, 1990
