Shabeg Singh: Difference between revisions

{{Use Indian English|date=June 2022}}

During his military service in the Indian Army, he was involved extensively in the training of [[Mukti Bahini]] volunteers during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]].<ref name="Cynthia_Bhindr">{{cite book|last=Mahmood |first=Cynthia Keppley|title=Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues with Sikh Armed forces |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|page= 81|date=November 1, 1996|series=Series in Contemporary Ethnography|isbn=978-0812215922|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8QufTc6fAocC|access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref> He had fought in other major wars as well like World War 2, 1947 Indo-Pak War and 1962 Indo-China War. He was dismissed from the army on the false charges of corruption one day before his retirement, for which he sought redress in civil court, he had won all his court cases (Among the frivious politically motivated charges were a corruption case was that he had bought a 'Jhonga' on proxy).<ref name="Darshi">{{cite book |last1=Darshi |first1=AR |title=The Gallant Defender |date=1999 |publisher=A. R. Darshi PSC (Retd.)|isbn=81-7601-468-0}}</ref> Later, Singh joined the [[Dharam Yudh Morcha]] the peaceful campaign to implement the [[Anandpur Sahib Resolution]] for federal distribution of powers between [[Punjab]] and the [[India|Union of India]]. As the regime sidestepped negotiations and an attack seemed imminent, he volunteered as an adviser and trainer for the resistance forces.<ref name="Danopoulos" />

Singh was born in 1925 in Khiala village (earlier known as Khiala Nand Singhwala), about nine miles (14&nbsp;km) from the [[Amritsar]]-[[Chogawan]] road. He was the oldest son of Sardar Bhagwan Singh and Pritam Kaur, and had three brothers and a sister. He enrolled in [[Khalsa College, Amritsar|Khalsa College]] in Amritsar, and later in Government College in [[Lahore]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}

In 1942, an officer-selection team visiting Lahore colleges recruited Singh to the [[British Indian Army]] officers cadre.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} After studying in the [[Indian Military Academy]], he was commissioned in the [[Garhwal Rifles]] as a [[second lieutenant]]. Within a few days the regiment moved to [[Burma]] and joined the war against the [[Empire of Japan|Imperial Japan]]. In 1945 when the war ended, Singh was in [[British Malaya|Malaya]] with his unit. After the [[partition of India]], when the Indian regiments were reorganized, Singh joined the [[50th Parachute Brigade (India)|50th Parachute Brigade]] of the [[Indian Army]]. He was posted to the 1st Battalion of the [[Parachute Regiment (India)|Parachute Regiment]], where he remained until 1959. Promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 2 June 1965,<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=584  |date=13 November 1965 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> he later commanded the 3rd Battalion, [[11 Gorkha Rifles]], and was given command of a brigade on 4 January 1968.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=172  |date=2 March 1968 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> Singh was promoted to colonel on 12 June 1968 and to substantive brigadier on 22 December.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=53  |date=18 January 1969 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=376  |date=19 April 1969 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref>

Counter Intelligence reports of the R&AW had reported that three prominent heads of the Khalsa Army were Major General Shabeg Singh, Balbier Singh and [[Amrik Singh]].<ref name="Kiessling">{{cite book |last1=Kiessling |first1=Hein |title=Faith, Unity, Discipline: The Inter-Service-Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9781849048637 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y_cgDgAAQBAJ&q=bhindranwale+ISI&pg=PT146 |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref>

In December 1983, the Sikh political party [[Akali Dal]]'s President [[Harcharan Singh Longowal]] had invited [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]] to take up residence in [[Golden Temple|Golden Temple Complex]].<ref>Khushwant Singh, A History of the Sikhs, Volume II: 1839-2004, New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 337.</ref> Singh and his military expertise is credited with the creation of effective defenses of the Temple Complex that made the possibility of a commando operation on foot impossible.<ref name="ToI_Shabeg">{{cite news |last1=Tully |first1=Mark |title=Wounds heal but another time bomb ticks away |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/deep-focus/Wounds-heal-but-another-time-bomb-ticks-away/articleshow/35871055.cms |access-date=15 June 2018 |work=Gunfire Over the Golden Temple |publisher=The Times of India |date=3 June 2022}}</ref> He organised the Sikh forces present at the [[Harmandir Sahib]] in Amritsar in June 1984. Indian government forces launched [[Operation Blue Star]] in the same month.<ref name="Katoch" />

At the initial stages of the operation, Singh was killed in firing between [[Golden Temple#Akal Takht and Teja Singh Samundri Hall|Akal Takht]] and [[Golden Temple#Description|Darshani Ḍeorhi]]. His body was later found and identified when the operation was over.<ref name="Katoch">{{cite web |title=Interview Lt Gen PC Katoch |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxitMTQK-GE?t=8m10s  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/AxitMTQK-GE |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|publisher=Operation Blue Star - The Untold Story by Kanwar Sandhu - 4 |access-date=11 June 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Singh was cremated according to Sikh rites and with full military honors.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jaijee |first1=Inderjit Singh |title=Politics of Genocide: Punjab, 1984-1994 |date=1995 |publisher=Baba Publishers |isbn=978-1583672129 |page=229 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2-qGAAAAMAAJ&q=shabeg+singh+acquitted |access-date=22 August 2019 |language=en|quote=Because of his acquittal and his distinguished service, the highly decorated Shabeg Singh was cremated with military honors.|chapter=9: INFORMATION / COMMUNICATION}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chopra |first1=Radhika |title=Commemorating Hurt: Memorializing Operation Bluestar |journal=Sikh Formations |volume=6 |issue=2 |date=2010 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |pages=119–152 |quote=Bajwa said the Army officers agreed to cremate the bodies of Sant Bhindranwale, Shabeg Singh, Baba Thara Singh and Bhai Amrik Singh according to Sikh rites at his personal request while the rest of the bodies (more than 800) were cremated en masse.|doi=10.1080/17448727.2010.530509 |s2cid=144432496 }}</ref>