The Valiant Jaswant Singh Khalra

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All of this raises questions about the intentions of this film, the diluted messages that this film will spread to the masses, and the co-option of the Sikh struggle for Khalistan. Although the film’s optics may appeal to some, we have a separate set of coordinates to truly honour our shaheeds, which is the seemingly harder work. This work means deeply engaging with their actual politics, consistently organising and showing up in your locales, and nurturing the dreams for ‘Liberation Khalistan’.

US State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices—2006: India,” March 6, 2006, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78871.htm (accessed April 13, 2007). Mark Tully and Satish Jacob, Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi’s Last Battle (London: J. Cape, 1985), pp. 184-5. Ram Narayan Kumar, “The Ghalughara: Operation Blue Star—A Retrospect,” Sikh Review (Calcutta: June 2000) . See, e.g., ibid. See also State of Punjab, “Application for re-framing of points of substance,” Volume II-Document 1, “Insight to some of the martyred police officers,” National Human Rights Commission, Reference Case No. 1/97/NHRC, received August 26, 2002. Copy on file with Ensaaf. The police had been eliminating the young persons under the pretext of being militants and was disposing of their dead bodies without maintaining any record and without performing their last rites.”

The position of Shaheed Bhai Jaswant Singh towards the struggle for Khalistan can be seen woven into his most famous speech . He talks about Shaheedi as the greatest gift that the Guru bestows upon a Sikh and names the structures of the Indian state as being mobilised against our existence. Punjab Cops Convicted of 1995 Murder of Activist Khalra". Ensaaf. Archived from the original on 23 November 2006 . Retrieved 25 January 2007. Now I believe that today when darkness, with all its strength thrusts itself over the truth, if not anything else I will say 'Ankhila Punjab' is the light that will challenge it and I pray to the Guru who identifies with Truth to keep this light lit." - Shaheed (Martyr) Jaswant Singh Khalra

Some will no doubt argue that such a “prominent” telling of Shaheed Bhai Jaswant Singh’s story, despite any “limitations”, will create some level of “awareness” that may spark people to look further into his history. What is this awareness actually of, and what is the history of Shaheed Bhai Jaswant Singh that will be seen? The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News". Tribuneindia.com. 6 September 1995 . Retrieved 10 August 2009. Answer: My wait ended a year and half after his disappearance, when Kuldip Singh a special police officer gave his witness account in the newspapers. Before this Kuldip Singh had met me himself and told me that he wanted to talk about Khalra Sahib, but I didn't believe him as the police d also been sending men to give me false information on him. Then when the article of Kuldip Singh was printed in the newspapers, I read that article in a library. After the printing of this article we had started holding shaheedi barsi in memory of him. Our greatest weakness lies in the fact that we are trying to domesticate the centre of Truth that is Sikhi within the dominant politics of falsehoods. Come let us attach ourselves to politics bound by Dharam. Abandoning the politics of subjugation and domination, come let us attach ourselves to Truth, and commit to the fight for true freedom - Khalistan.” Jaswant Singh's two children Navkiran Kaur and Janmeet Singh are his living children. His living family members include his father Kartar Singh, mother Mukhtar Kaur, three brothers Rajinder Singh Sandhu, Amarjeet Singh Sandhu (both live in the United Kingdom) and Gurdev Singh Sandhu (lives in Austria) and five sisters: Paritam Kaur, Mohinder Kaur, Harjinder Kaur (retired BEO) Balbir Kaur (retired headteacher) and Beant Kaur. [12] Death [ edit ]Answer: Congress minister of Patti village, MLA Sukhwinder Singh Shinda Bhuttar, called him to his house and told him, "The police asked for authorisation to kill you and our government (Butcher Beanta) have given this authorisation to the police, for this reason be careful now." Physicians for Human Rights and Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture, “Evaluation of Litigants Pertaining to Writ Petition (Crl.) No. 447/95 Committee for Information and Initiative on Punjab v. State of Punjab,” October 18, 2005, http://www.ensaaf.org/pdf/reports/PHR-Bellevue.pdf (accessed April 13, 2007), p. 7: “Torture of family members other than the decedent was reported in 56% of cases, with an average of 1.4 family members tortured per respondent and a maximum of nine.” He asked how he would know if Piara Singh was there or whether the body was disposed of down a river or into a ditch?” In requesting the Supreme Court to rule in their favor, the Punjab police have attempted to gain sympathy by referencing “the barrage of writ petitions” they are facing: The conditions of the Indian state are such that no film on Shaheed Bhai Jaswant Singh could ever capture the politics and struggle of such a Shaheed. Other films that attempted to speak about Punjab and Sikh liberation, either vaguely based on the movement or on key figures from the movement, erased central aspects of the struggle, particularly by invisibilizing Khalistan.