The Killing of Hawldar Makhan Singh
How the Khalsa got revenge for Shaheed Singhs
Prelude
“..the cruel Government and its officials - especially Makhan Singh, Hawldar of the S.S.P. Surjit Singh… and the D.S.P. Gurbachan Singh whom we call Bachna, whom everyone remembers as Bachna - these men have martyred that Singh with mercilessness and shamelessness. The day Bhai Kulwant Singh was cremated, I was present there in the village. When his body was bathed, there was no part of his body - not a single one which was not broken. The entire body had been broken and crushed. Heated steel rods were put through his body. His skull at the forehead, at this spot, was burnt with heated rods. Especially, l learnt from a friend that one day before the day he was martyred, these people tied six bricks - three on one side and three on the other - next to his lungs and hung him upside down with his head nine inches above the ground. The weight of the bricks was lied to him to cause additional pull, At that time, one of the enemies, one with a bad temperament, taunted him: ‘Show me where is your Guru Gobind Singh Sahib.’”
-Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale
Punjab police officers all wanted one thing, which was promotions. They wanted more stars on their shoulders. They wanted wealth and fame. They would kill for this. When the officers of Punjab Police had an opportunity to raise the stars on their shoulders, they did not want to lose it for nothing.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Gurbachan Singh with Hawldar Makhan Singh arrested Bhai Kulwant Singh Nagoke, a close friend and associate of Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwala. They had raided Bhai Balwinder Singh Khojakipur’s home, but he wasn't home. Senior Superintendent of Police Dang, Inspector Surjit Singh, DSP Gurbachan Singh, Hawldar Makhan Singh, Constable Boor Singh, and Inspector Kehar Singh inhumanly tortured Bhai Kulwant Singh Nagoke.
Nagoke was dismembered, with each and every limb of his body destroyed. An iron rod was heated and passed through his stomach, and his forehead was burned with a hot iron rod. In his wounds, the officers poured salt.
DSP Gurbachan and Makhan used to torture Bhai Kulwant Singh Nagoe to get a false confession that Balwant Singh Khojakipur had received weapons from Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. He wanted Nagoke to say Sant Bhindrawala has been sending us to carry out terrorist activities in different places. He told Nagoke that if he said this, he would be spared. But brave warrior Bhai Kulwant Singh Nagoke would only say that if I live, I will punish you, sinners. Nagoke stated that I will not obey your demands and that I will give my life if need be.
All weapons of police brutality failed before Bhai Kulwant Singh Nagoke. None of the torture had worked. He was taken to the fields of Valla village near Amritsar in a barely-alive state and shot dead. DSP Gurbachan Singh announced the death of Bhai Kulwant Singh Nagoke, whom he claimed was a dangerous terrorist who had murdered many Nirankaris, in a violent encounter with the police, and published the news of the success and bravery of the Punjab Police.
By killing Bhai Kulwant Singh Nagoke, DSP Gurbachan, and Makhan started fake encounters with the Sikh youth. They would kill Sikhs and dump the bodies. Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale cremated the martyred body of Bhai Kulwant Singh Nagoke by bathing it with his own hands. Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale often talked about revenge for the shaheedi of Bhai Kulwant Singh Nagoke.
In order to make Dharam Yudh Morcha and the Sikhs fighting for their rights known across the world, the brave warrior Bhai Manjit Singh, known as Bhai Musbeet Singh, hijacked an Indian airplane and took it to Pakistan. The Pakistani government did not allow the hijacked plane to land at Lahore Airport. It should be noted that Bhai Musbeet Singh neither harmed the aircraft nor any passengers and took it back to Rajsasi Airport.
DSP Gurbachan, instead of arresting Bhai Musbeet Singh, shot and killed Bhai Sahib, making him a shaheed. DSP Gurbachan had made it his goal to kill as many Sikhs as he could. He wanted to exterminate Sikhs just so he could get some stripes on his shoulder. He had Makhan with him, who aided him in all these atrocities. Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa had told the entire sangat to kill these butcher officers. Motorcyclewale had started targeting DSP Gurbachan and were looking for him. Along with Gurbachan, the Khalsa was chasing Makhan Hawldar. Makhan was the right-hand man of DSP Gurbachan and had killed many Sikhs with him. Makhnhad done 13 fake encounters. In the FIR [First Information Report] about Nagoke Makhan, had admitted to killing him.
“There are sixteen or seventeen persons in Punjab who have drank Sikh blood… D.S.P. Gurbachan Singh, Hawldar Makhan Singh… who have resolved that whether a Sikh is innocent or guilty, in order to hold on to his chair, he may not be allowed to retain his kirpan in the gatra nor a turban on his head. But these foolish persons do not know that attempting to destroy the Sikh’s turban is futile. There have been people like Nauranga who had to quit [this world] wailing. Who do they think they are?”
-Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale
Fateful day
Makhan was living in the Pulitghar area of Amritsar. Hot on his trail were Bhai Surinder Singh Ji Sodhi and General Labh Singh Ji Panjwar. They had gone into his area looking for him. The fateful day came on September 26, 1983.
Makhan came to a hotel on his scooter. He turned off the scooter and pulled the stand down. He walked in to see Sodhi and Panjwar leaving after having a roti. The Singhs immediately recognized him, and Sodhi yelled out, "Makhan, run if you can. We have come.” Makhan left the hotel in an instant and attempted to flee. The Singhs chased him, and Panjwar fired a bullet straight into Makhan’s shoulder. Panjwar caught him, and the two fought in public. Despite being shot, Makhan kept cursing out the Singhs. Sodhi joined the fight and twisted Makhan’s arm. He began beating the blood out of Makhan.
Makhan’s police uniform had lost all colour and was pure red because of the blood. Panjwar fired multiple bullets from his revolver into Makhan’s mouth and chest. Makhan had fallen face-first to the ground and laid there dead. No one even dared to take Makhan to the hospital. Sodhi and Panjwar had achieved revenge for Bhai Kulwant Singh Ji Nagoke, Bhai Musbeet Singh Ji, and many other Sikhs. Sodhi and Panjwar snatched a passerby’s motorcycle to escape. Funnily enough, the owner of the hotel was so in fear this whole time that he put a tilak on his head and started chanting Hare Ram, Hare Ram.
The next day, the headlines of all the newspapers carried a picture of Makhan’s dead body with the title, "In Putlighar, Amritsar, two terrorists shot dead Punjab Police Hawldar Makhan Singh outside a hotel. The Hawldar was on the hit-list of the terrorist for a long time. The terrorists managed to escape. Police are raiding suspected hideouts.”
Kavishri
This is a translation of lyrics from the kavita, “Jago Ayaa” sung by Bhai Nirmal Singh Ji Chohla, Bhai Davinder Singh Ji, and Bhai Sulakhan Singh Ji talking about this incident. The translations are 5:07-5:46
“Oh, Makhan does great sins. Makhan is doing many sins. His time has come.
Makhan is doing many sins. His time has come.
Hawldar to S.H.O.’s. Hawldar to S.H.O.’s promotion’s debt was paid immediately. Jago [Sikh revolution movement/awakening movement] has come.
From where did it come?
Bhindranwale Sant has started it and advanced it.
The Motorcyclewale are moving it forward.”
Sources
Ajit Newspaper July 15, 1988 Page 2
"ਹੌਲਦਾਰ ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਨੇ ਮਾਰਿਆ"Daily Punjab Times 27 September 1983
Struggle for Justice: Speeches and Conversations of Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale
Sher Dil Shaheed Bhai Surinder Singh Sodhi
Kharku Yodhe
ਪੰਤਕ ਦਸਤਾਵੇਜ਼ ਧਰਮ ਯੁੱਧ ਤੇ ਜੁਝਾਰੂ ਲਹਿਰ
White Paper on the Punjab Agitation
Link, Volume 26, Part 1 Page 19