Bhai Surjit Singh Behla

The Behla Encounter: A Tale of Bravery and Martyrdom

Around June 6, 1992, the Police and CRPF set up a checkpoint in the Tarn Taran area and stopped a truck. Upon searching the truck’s cabin, they discovered a Mauser gun. The police arrested the driver and tortured him at the station, demanding to know how he came into possession of such an important weapon. Under duress, the driver revealed that he had given a lift to some Kharkus, dropped them off at Village Behla, and that they had forgotten their Mauser in the truck. Acting on this information, the police confirmed through their informants that Kharkus were indeed hiding in Village Behla, possibly within a bunker.

Once the police fled, Behla and his companions searched the ground floor and found the Village Head. Surprised and concerned, Behla learned that the police had forced the villagers into the building as shields. Behla then took it upon himself to protect the villagers, offering them cover fire so they could escape safely. Before sending them out, Behla entrusted the Village Head (Sarpanch) with a final letter for his family, conveying three key messages: his father should not leave Behla village, his wife should obey his parents, and a sum of Rs. 20,000 should be used to arrange Akhand Paaths for them. After ensuring the villagers’ safe escape, Behla and his companions resumed their fight, inspired by the historical battle of Chamkaur Sahib.

The Punjab Police and Indian Army, hiding behind the innocent villagers, unleashed a barrage of bullets at the building. The villagers recount with emotion how the security forces fired while lying between their legs, using them as human shields. Despite the overwhelming odds, Behla’s bullets miraculously avoided the villagers, striking only the police officers. The encounter lasted 36 hours, during which Behla and his companions, though exhausted and hungry, bravely resisted the heavily armed forces equipped with bulletproof tractors, armored vehicles, and mortar guns. Eventually, the three Singhs were martyred, their sacrifice immortalized by the ruins of the building that still stand today, bearing witness to the intense battle that took place.

After the encounter, when it was discovered that only three Singhs had fought the forces, the police, in a desperate attempt to cover up their failure, killed six innocent villagers who had been wounded, falsely claiming that nine militants had been killed. This brutal act drew widespread criticism, and the bravery of Surjeet Singh Behla became a subject of discussion in villages across Punjab. Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal, deeply moved by Behla’s martyrdom, lamented, “Today my right arm has been broken.” He penned an emotional poem in Behla’s honor, often shedding tears while reciting it. Though today their martyrdom may not be widely spoken of, a time will come when the tales of their bravery will be sung openly once more.

The names of the six innocent Sikhs who were killed by the police, who used them as human shields, were as follows: Narinjan Singh Dhodhi (son of Boorha Singh), his son Dr. Sakatar Singh (an RMP doctor), their relative Lakhwinder Singh (son of Channan Singh), Kartar Singh Parjapat, Ajit Singh Parjapat, and Tara Singh.