My grandfather Sardar Hari Singh Khanda was a companion of Sardar Kishan Singh Gadgajj, Babu Santa Singh and Sardar Dhanna Singh jee Behbalpuri. All Babbar Akalis used to come to our house in the early 1920s and eventually my grandfather got arrested and was sentenced to several years of jail by Lahore court.
The village Mananhaana where Shaheed Dhanna Singh jee attained martyrdom is just couple of miles from my village. My grandmother used to narrate the story of Sardar Dhanna Singh jee Behbalpuri so clearly that the she used to enact the whole scene in front of my eyes. Sardar Dhanna Singh is one of my all time favourite Shaheed. Sardar Dhanna Singh had vowed to never get arrested alive. But he got arrested at night after all his weapons were hidden by the traitor. The Gora officer mocked the arrested Dhanna Singh by saying that he was alive and arrested too and what happened to his vow to never get arrested.
This mockful remark made Dhanna Singh mad with rage. Blood came to his eyes and he stared at the Gora officer in such force that the officer ordered that his eyes be covered. At this Dhanna Singh challenged the Gora officer to cover his eyes himself, if he was a man enough. The Gora officer thought that Dhanna Singh was helpless since he was in shackles. He moved forward to blindfold Dhanna Singh. As he came closer, Dhanna Singh hit his rib area with his elbow and the bomb that he always secretly kept there, exploded, killing the Gora officer and whole bunch of other policemen. This way, he kept his vow to not get arrested alive.
Sardar Dhanna Singh Behbalpuri was something else but alas he and his companions are not even known to today's generation. We are very poor in remembering our Shaheeds.
Kulbir Singh
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥
