I have recently being reading history of the Babbar Akali Movement. The Babbar Akali Movement came into existence when the peaceful Akali struggle for Gurdwara reform was passing through a crucial stage. Popular Sikh shrines like Nankana Sahib, Tarn Taran Sahib and Guru-ka-Bagh were occupied by the Mahants, who had made the shrines into their personal property, vanquishing the sanctity of the holy places.
The Babbar Akalis were Gursikhs, who were against the imperialist policies of the British Government. Babbar Akalis did not approve of the Congress leadership and were against the Gandhi formula of non-violence and noncooperation. They were upset because of the tragedy of Nankana Sahib in which hundreds of innocent Sikhs were massacred. They rejected the peaceful struggle for reformation in the Sikh shrines and decided to lead their movement separately without the company and cooperation of the dominant Akali leadership.
Once Such Gursikh who was very influential Zabardast Singh was Sardar Bhai Kishan Singh jee....
Sardar Kishen Singh belonged to villae Birang, district Jalandhar. He was a Havaldar Major in 2/35 Sikh regiment. He was court martialled for twenty eight days on the charge of propaganda against the Government and was pensioned off. He joined Akali movement in 1920 A.D. For being a good preacher, he was made secretary of the Akali Dal in April 1921 A.D.
In the Sikh educational conference which was held in Hoshiarpur on 21st March 1921 A.D. a meeting of revolutionary Singhs was held in which it was resolved that those responsible for the happening at Nankana Sahib on the 21st February, 1921 A.D. be punished. Sardar Kishen Singh was also present at that meeting. When warrants of arrest of Sardar Kishen Singh were issued on the 21st May, he went underground. With a view to stage an armed rebellion, he started making speeches against the Government at fairs and other gatherings.
He held a conference at Rurka Kalan in Jalandhar District and named his preacher Jatha as 'Chakravarti Jatha' (Squad on the move). In August 1922 A.D. he started a secret news paper by the name of Babbar Akali Doaba and renamed their squad as 'Babbar Akali Jatha'. Provoking articles and emotional poems were published in that news paper. They also printed posters which were pasted on the doors of the houses of adulators of the Government so that they may mend their ways failing, which they will be punished.
The Babbars finished off Zaildar Bishan Singh, Numbardar Banta Singh, Subedar Genda Singh, Labh singh carpenter, Patwari Atta Mohammad, Bishen Singh Sandhran, Jwala Singh and many other adulators like them. The adulators stopped moving out of their houses for fear of death due to which government work in courts started to suffer. In order to arrest Babbars, the Government started harassing those giving them shelter and tempted those helping in their arrest with reward. Falling to the temptation, those giving shelter, started getting the Babbars arrested. In this way ninety-one Babbars had been arrested upto the 4th April, 1924 and many had attained martyrdom in the encounters with the police. Those Babbars who escaped, left Doaba region but they kept on chastising the adulators as long as they themselves were alive.
Sardar Kishen Singh was one of those Babbars who had refused to take the help of a lawyer and had said, "We have no faith in the Government. Thse courts are mere a facade and deceit." On the 28th February, 1925 A.D., six Babbars were sentences to death, ten were exiled and thirdy-four were released. Six Babbars, namely, S. Kishen Singh, S. Karam Singh, S. Santa Singh, S Nand Singh, S. Dalip Singh, and S. Dharam Singh were hanged in the Central Jail, Lahore on the 27th February 1927 A.D.
1. Bibliography - Santokh Singh Jagdev
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥
