Fateh Singh (27 October 1911 – 30 October 1972) was an Indian
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 ...
religious and political leader, and a key figure in the
Punjabi Suba
The Punjabi Suba movement was a long-drawn political agitation, launched by Punjabi speaking people (mostly Sikhs) demanding the creation of a Punjabi Suba, or Punjabi-speaking state, in the post-independence Indian state of East Punjab. Led ...
movement.
He was revered as
Sant Fateh Singh among his followers.
Early days
Fateh Singh was the son of Channan Singh, a resident of Badiala in
Bathinda district
Bathinda district is in Malwa region of Punjab, India. The district encompasses an area of 3,385 square kilometers. By area, Bathinda district is the second-largest in Punjab, after Ludhiana District. It is bounded by Faridkot district and Moga ...
of Punjab. Fateh Singh did not have any formal schooling, but he started learning to read and write
Punjabi language
Punjabi (; ; , ), sometimes spelled Panjabi, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Punjab region of Pakistan and India. It has approximately 113 million native speakers.
Punjabi is the most widely-spoken first language in Pakistan, with 80.5 m ...
at the age of 13. He expressed deep interest in the
Sikh scriptures
The principal Sikh scripture is the Adi Granth (First Scripture), more commonly called the Guru Granth Sahib. The second most important scripture of the Sikhs is the Dasam Granth. Both of these consist of text which was written or authorised by th ...
, as a result of which his father apprenticed him to a Sikh scholar named Ishar Singh. Later, Fateh Singh migrated to the
Ganganagar
Sri Ganganagar is a planned city and the northernmost city of the Indian States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan, near the international border of India and Pakistan. It is the administrative headquarters of Sri Ganganagar district. ...
in the princely state of
Bikaner
Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division.
Formerly the capital of ...
(now in
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
). He toured the nearby villages, preaching the Sikh faith. He also promoted education among the citizens, and established several
gurdwara
A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...
s and schools, besides an orphanage.
Punjabi Suba movement
In the 1950s, Singh entered politics when he started supporting the concept of "
Punjabi Suba
The Punjabi Suba movement was a long-drawn political agitation, launched by Punjabi speaking people (mostly Sikhs) demanding the creation of a Punjabi Suba, or Punjabi-speaking state, in the post-independence Indian state of East Punjab. Led ...
", a separate state for the Punjabi speakers in India. By the late 1950s, Fateh Singh had become the senior vice-president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, and had led several marches supporting the Punjabi Suba movement. On 18 December 1960, he started a
fast-unto-death in support of his demand. Several prominent Indian leaders tried to convince him to abandon his fast. He ended his fast on 9 January 1961, after the Indian Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
issued a statement indicating the support for establishment of a Punjabi Suba. Paul R. Brass, the Professor Emeritus of Political Science and South Asian Studies at the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
, opines that the Sikh leader Fateh Singh tactically stressed the linguistic basis of the demand, while downplaying the religious basis for the demand—a state where the distinct Sikh identity could be preserved.
In July 1962, Fateh Singh broke away from the prominent Sikh leader
Master Tara Singh
Master Tara Singh (24 June 1885 – 22 November 1967) was an Indian Sikh political and religious figure in the first half of the 20th century. He was instrumental in organising the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee and guiding the Sikhs d ...
, and formed his own Akali Dal. On 2 October 1962, his party gained control of the
Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ( SGPC; "Supreme Gurdwara Management Committee") is an organization in India responsible for the management of Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and the union ...
. In the Gurdwara elections on 17 January 1965, Fateh Singh's party annexed 90 of the seats, while Master Tara Singh's party could manage only 45.
After a few unsatisfactory meetings with Nehru and then Lal Bahadur Shastri who became prime minister after death of Nehru in 1964, on 16 August 1965, Fateh Singh threatened another fast-undo-death and self-immolation, if a Punjabi Suba was not created. However, after the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...
broke out, he decided to postpone his fast, and asked his followers to support the government in this need of hour.
After the war ended, the Government of India set up a Cabinet Committee consisting of
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...
,
Mahavir Tyagi
Mahavir Tyagi (31 December 1899 – 22 May 1980) was a prominent Indian independence fighter and parliamentarian from Dehra Dun, Uttar Pradesh (now in Uttarakhand) India.
Early life
Tyagi was born on 31 December 1899 at Dhabarsi, Moradabad ...
and
Yashwantrao Chavan
Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan (Marathi pronunciation: əʃʋənt̪ɾaːʋ t͡səʋʱaːɳ 12 March 1913 – 25 November 1984) was an Indian politician. He served as the last Chief Minister of Bombay State and the first of Maharashtra after l ...
to consider the Punjabi Suba proposal. On Fateh Singh's request, a Parliamentary Consultative Committee headed by the
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
speaker
Sardar Hukam Singh was also constituted for the same purpose. The report of the Hukam Singh committee was made public on 18 January 1966, recommending the reorganisation of the Punjab state on linguistic basis. When Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister after
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri (; 2 October 1904 – 11 January 1966) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the 2nd Prime Minister of India from 1964 to 1966 and 6th Home Minister of India from 1961 to 1963. He promoted the White Re ...
's death, she agreed to the Punjabi Suba proposal. On 3 September 1966, the Punjab Reorganization Bill was introduced in the Lok Sahha and the modern Punjab state came into being on 1 November 1966.
However, Fateh Singh was not happy about
Chandigarh
Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...
and some other Punjabi-speaking areas being left out of Punjab. He threatened a fast starting from 17 December 1966 and self-immolation on 27 December 1966, if his demands were not met. Hukam Singh and
Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir
Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir (15 January 1899 – 18 January 1976) was an Indian politician and Punjabi language writer. He was the Chief Minister of Punjab from 1 November 1966 to 8 March 1967.
He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in Pun ...
(the Chief Minister of the Punjab) persuaded him to end his fast on behalf of Indira Gandhi, and Fateh Singh ended his fast on 27 December 1966.
Fateh Singh's influence began to decline in the late 1960s. He started another fast-unto-death on 26 January 1970, demanding the inclusion of Chandigarh into Punjab, but ended it on 30 January. He announced his retirement from politics on 25 March 1972, and died in
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 ...
a few months later, on 30 October 1972.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Fateh
Indian Sikh religious leaders
Punjabi people
Shiromani Akali Dal politicians
1972 deaths
1911 births