Fauja Singh (

Gurdaspur Gurdaspur is a city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, between the rivers Beas River, Beas and Ravi River, Ravi. It houses the administrative headquarters of Gurdaspur District and is in the geographical centre of the distr ...

Punjab (British India) Punjab was a province of British India. Most of the Punjab region was annexed by the East India Company in 2 April 1849, and declared a province of British Rule, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British co ...

, May 17, 1936 –

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

, April 13, 1978) was one of 13

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

s killed at violence during a protest against the Sant Nirankaris in 1978.

Early life

Singh was born in District Gurdaspur. His father, Surain Singh, was a middle class farmer. After the formation of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

they moved to the village of Gazneepur, which is 6 miles on the Gurdaspur Dera Baba Nanak road. In 1964, he got

baptised Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

by taking Khande di Pahul (also called

Amrit Sanchar Amrit Sanchar (Gurmukhi: ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸੰਸਕਾਰ "nectar ceremony"; also called Amrit Parchar, or Khande di Pahul ਖੰਡੇ ਦੀ ਪਾਹੁਲ) is one of the four Sikh Sanskaars. The Amrit Sanskar is the initiation rite ...

) at a smagam organised by the Akhand Kirtani Jatha. On Vaisakhi 1965 his marriage took place with Amarjit Kaur. Professionally, he was an agriculture inspector.

Baisakhi Day, 1978

On the day of Vaisakhi 13 April 1978 Sikhs led by Fauja Singh went to protest against the Nirankari procession and against

Nirankari Nirankari ( pa, ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰੀ, ''lit.'' "formless one") is a sect of Sikhism.Harbans Singh, Editor-in-Chief (201Nirankaris Encyclopedia of Sikhism Volume III, Punjabi University, Patiala, pages 234–235 It was a reform movement found ...

Gurbachan Singh Gurbachan Singh (10 December 1930 – 24 April 1980) was the third guru of the Sant Nirankari sect, considered to be heterodox by all Sikhs. He was born in Peshawar (modern-day Pakistan). He was declared next Baba by his father and predecessor ...

's apparent insults against the Gurus. 16 people including 13 Sikhs were killed in the ensuing clashes.

Cremation

The cremation of the 13 Sikhs took place on 15/4/78 in front of Gurdwara Siri Ramsar Sahib and in the presence of a large congregation of about 25-30,000 people. All these Sikhs were cremated together.

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale (; born Jarnail Singh Brar; 2 June 1947– 6 June 1984) was a militant leader of the Sikh organization Damdami Taksal. He was not an advocate of Khalistan. "Bhindranwale was not an outspoken supporter of Khalistan, ...

also attended the cremation.

Afterwards

In the year 1989, Shaheed Bhai Fauja Singh Charitable Trust was established in city of Amritsar to take care of orphan children of Sikh martyrs and any other orphan children irrespective of their caste and creed. This trust is being run by Fauja Singh's widow Amarjit Kaur. In April 2003, A Sikh gathering held at village Pheruman, 40 kilometers from city of Amritsar paid tributes to Fauja Singh and other 12 Sikhs who died in April 1978. Chief of supreme Sikh authority

Akal Takhat The Akal Takht ("Throne of the Timeless One") is one of five takhts (seats of power) of the Sikhs. It is located in the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Akal Takht (originally called Akal Bunga) was built by ...

addressed this event. In April 2009, in the city of

, Khalsa Action Committee and Dal Khalsa activists declared Fauja Singh and other 12 Sikhs "martyrs of faith". Dal Khalsa separately paid homage to Fauja Singh.The Times of Punjab - The Site of Exclusive News, Daily Newspaper in Punjabi and English
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Bhai Fauja Indian Sikhs 1936 births 1978 deaths