Jalandhar (September 01, 2007): Baba Joginder Singh ‘Bai’ , who claims to be close confident of late Sikh Martyr Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale Saturday contested the claim by a former RAW officer Gurdev Singh Garewal, who in his book named ‘Secret Eye’ has stated that Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale was shot dead from point blank range by the Indian army during operation blue star.
Baba Joginder Singh talking to media in Press Club here said he was an eyewitness to the death of Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale. He was accompanied by Sikh Students Fedration (SSF) President Parmjeet Singh Gazi and Financial Secretary Makhan Singh at the time of press conference.
Bai Joginder Singh was a close companion of Sant Bhindranwale and is a member of Damdami Taksal. He told media-persons that Sant Bhindranwale met martyrdom on 6 June 1984 near Nishan Sahibs between Akal Takht Sahib and Darshani Deodi.
He said even a single person of Indian Army was not there at that time except those who were in hiding two tanks. These tanks were in front of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Sant Ji was fired on with guns from tanks. He said Sant Ji was determined about his martyrdom and he performed ardas for it also. Bai Joginder Singh said that there were about a dozen people who witnessed martyrdom of Sant Ji and some of them are still alive. He rejected all claims that Sant Ji was captured alive by Indian Army and was killed latter. He said these fact was totally fictitious. He said the President of Sikh Students Federation Bhai Amrik Singh Ji met martyrdom some time before Sant Jarnail Singh on same day while General Subeg Singh was martyred on late evening of 5 june 1984.
Gazi informed media that Gurdev Garewal, has written a book named ‘Secret Eye’. He made a claim that Sant Bhindranwale was captured alive and was killed latter by shooting from point-blank range. SSF President said that this claim is wrong factually as well as fundamentally. He said author has no direct or circumstantial proof to prove his claim, while there are eye-witnesses to the death of Sant Jarnail Singh. So it is clear that claim of Grewal made in ‘Secret Eye’ is factually wrong. He said Sant Jarnail Singh was a great warrior who held victory over death. Sant Ji said many times during his physical life that ‘I do not recognize physical death as death but death of conscious is sure death’. To say that Sant Ji was captured by Indian Army during his physical life is an attempt to degrade his sacrifice.
Answering a question that Khalra Mission Organization is planning of file FIR of murder of Sant Jarnail Singh and is to demand an inquiry into Sant Ji’s killing, S. Parmjeet Singh Gazi said this would not be a right step. He said Sant Jarnail Singh was a warrior not a victim for whom inquiry or justice may be demanded from Indian State or Indian Judiciary. On the question of differences with Khalra Mission Organization he said KMO has its’ own history of raising voice for Victims of State Terrorism. We respect their cause and sacrifice of Shaheed Jaswant Singh Kharla. But our point is that Sant Jarnail Singh was not a victim. Demanding and inquiry or ‘justice’ for him is fundamentally incorrect. He said SSF would meet Bibi Parmjeet Kaur Khalra of KMO to resolve differences on this point.