1. Early life

2. Insurgency

3. Death

4. References

5. Bibliography

Gurbachan Singh Manochahal was a Punjabi Sikh leader^[1] who founded the Bhindranwala Tigers Force of Khalistan in 1984^[2] (in reaction of unjustified attck on Shri Harminder Shaib known as Golden Temple as well, and served as the acting Jathedar of Akal Takht from April 1986 to January 1987.

Early life

Gurbachan Singh Manochahal was born on 6 June 1954 at village Manochahal in Tarn Taran district in Punjab to S. Atma Singh and Gurmej Kaur. He served in the Indian Army during his youth.^[3] He was later court martialed from the army.

Manochahal was shot in the arm during the 1978 Sikh–Nirankari clashes. Manochahal maintained a relationship with Damdami Taksal and became acquainted with other members of the organization, such as Amrik Singh and Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Insurgency

Shortly after Operation Blue Star, Manochahal conspired with other individuals linked to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale to form armed groups which resulted in the formation of the BTFK headed by Manochahal himself and the Khalistan Commando Force headed by Manbir Singh Chaheru.

In 1986, When the movement was at its peak, the militants called the Sarbat Khalsa. The SGPC had the authority to appoint the jathedar, so the militants dissolved SGPC and appointed their own Jathedar. When that person refused do their bidding, Gurbachan Singh Manochahal appointed himself by force as jathedar (head) of the Akal Takht, which is the supreme religio-temporal seat of the Sikhs.{{sfn|Van Dyke|2009|p=990}}^[3] Manochahal led a resolution at the 1986 Sarbat Khalsa to declare the resolve of a separate Sikh homeland called Khalistan and also formed a Panthic committee which would lead Sikhs per this resolution.{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}}

In 1992, a separate Panthic committee headed by Dr. Sohan Singh was formed. It was supported by Babbar Khalsa. It called for the boycott of the Punjab Legislative Assembly election, 1992. Elections resulted in a Congress Government under Beant Singh of the Congress Party. The formation of this committee undermined the influence of Manochahal who was criticized for his support for political participation and led to a divide between the armed groups within Punjab.{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}}

Per Maloy Krishna Dhar, a former Joint Director, Intelligence Bureau, India, he was given the task to negotiate with Gurbachan Singh Manochahal. He contacted Manochahal through a journalist source, was blindfolded and taken a few hundred kilometres from Amritsar to meet with him where he secretly held negotiations for three hours before he was blindfolded again and transported back.^[3]

Per India Today, Prime Minister of India, Mr Rajiv Gandhi perceived a serious threat from Gurbachan Singh Manochahal. Mr Gandhi even insisted on being personally briefed on Manochahal's interrogation on a daily basis when he was caught by security forces.^[4]

Death

On 27 February 1993, Manochahal was killed in a gun fight with the police.^[5]

On Saturday, 26 Feb a police search team led by an inspector visited the farmhouse of Piara Singh at Bagrian village near Tarn Taran. Intelligence sources had indicated that the terrorists frequently visited the site. After finding some unusual activity, the police team tried to detain his son Resham Singh for questioning. But his mother resisted his arrest and said,"Why are you taking him when Manochahal is hiding below in a bunker?". Manochahal then managed to escape by throwing a dynamite stick and firing indiscriminately at the Police.^[3]

Police then led 40 raiding parties to raid at 57 of his suspected hideouts. At about 3.45 p.m. 27 February, a police party headed by DSP Dilbagh Singh reached the farmhouse of Sukhdev Singh located on the outskirts of Rataul village. The police party was fired upon. Backup was requested and firefight ensued. At 4.20 p.m Manochahal found himself cornered and tried to escape the house but was shot dead while fleeing.^[6]

References

Bibliography

• {{citation |last1=Van Dyke |first1=Virginia |title=The Khalistan Movement in Punjab, India, and the Post-Militancy Era: Structural Change and New Political Compulsions |journal=Asian Survey |volume=49 |issue=6 |date=2009 |pages=975–997 |doi=10.1525/as.2009.49.6.975 |subscription=yes}}

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