Harjinder Singh Jinda

Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh Sukha were the assassins of Arun Vaidya, the Chief General of Indian army at the time of Operation Bluestar and also the architect of Operation Bluestar. They were responsible for three high-profile killings; Arjan Dass, Lalit Maken and Gen. Vaidya. They along with other members of Khalistan Commando Force (including its chief General Labh Singh) were involved in the Indian History's biggest daylight bank robbery of the Punjab National Bank, Miller Gunj branch, Ludhiana in which more than Rs 5.70 crore (58 million rupees-$4.5 million) were looted, a part of which belonged to the Reserve Bank of India, India's central bank. ^[1][2][3]. This bank robbery was biggest of other similar acts which Sikh militants used to weaken the government and to use Indian Money against Indian Security forces.

Early life

Mr. Harjinder Singh's mother's and father's names are Mrs. Gurnam Kaur and Mr. Gulzar Singh. Jinda had two older brothers, Mr. Nirbhail Singh and Mr. Bhupinder Singh and one sister, Bibi Balvinder Kaur. He belonged to a farmer family.

He was born in the year of 1961 and received his early education in his village of Gadli in district Amritsar. After completing his early education, he enrolled in Khalsa College Amritsar.

Participation in Khalistan movement

He was in BA part II when the 1984 attack Operation Bluestar occurred. He left his studies and joined the Khalistan movement afterwards.

Harjinder Singh alias Jinda and Sukhdev Singh alias Sukha alongwith Ranjit Singh Gill gunned down Congress(I) Member of Parliament Lalit Maken on July 31, 1985, when he was moving towards his car parked across the road from his house in Kirti Nagar, New Delhi. The three assailants continued firing even as Maken ran towards his house for cover. Maken's wife Geetanjali and a visitor, Balkishan, were also caught in the firing. The assailants escaped on their scooters. Lalit Maken was considered to be involved in the killings of innocent Sikhs during the1984 Massacre of Sikhs. In a 31-page booklet titled 'Who Are The Guilty', People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) listed 227 people who led the mobs, which killed up to 3,000 Sikhs over three days. Lalit Maken's name was third on the list ^[4]. Ranjit Singh "Gill" was arrested by Interpol in New Jersey, USA on May 14 1987, he was deported back to india in May 1997 after lengthy legal cases and was sentenced to life imprisonment on February 24 2003 by Additional Sessions Judge R.K. Jain in New Delhi.

General Arun Vadiya was the Chief of the Indian Army who ordered the attack on the holiest of the holy Sikh shrines at Amritsar and elsewhere in Punjab during Operation Bluestar. He had moved to Pune after his retirement from the army. On August 10, 1986 General Arun Vaidya, the architect of Operation Bluestar was shot to death by Jinda and Sukha while he was driving his car home from the market.^[5] According to the police, the assailants pulled up next to his car on motor scooters and fired eight or nine shots into the car.^[6] Vaidya reportedly died instantly of head and neck wounds. His wife, who was also in the car, was wounded by four bullets in her back and thighs.^[7] According to Indian intelligence sources, Vaidya had been the number four assassination target on lists by Sikh militants and he was one of several people killed in retaliation for Operation Blue Star.^[8][9] Following the assassination, the Khalistan Commando Force issued a statement declaring that Vaidya had been killed in retaliation for the Golden Temple operation.^[8]

Congress (I) leader Arjan Dass was also assassinated by the duo because of his involvement in the 1984 Massacre of Sikhs. Arjan Dass's name appeared in various affidavits submitted by innocent Sikh victims to Nanavati Commission which was headed by Justice G.T. Nanavati, retired Judge of the Supreme Court of India ^[10].

On Feb 13th 1987, Mr. Jinda alongwith other members of Khalistan Commando Force, including its chief general Labh Singh, participated in the biggest bank robbery of Indian history and robbed Rs. 5.70 crore (equivalent to $4.5 million) from Punjab National Bank, Miller Gunj branch, Ludhiana^[11] a part of this robbed money belonged to the Reserve Bank of India, India's central bank^[12][13]. Per Chicago Sun Times, 12 to 15 Sikh militants dressed as policemen and armed with submachine guns and rifles escaped with nearly $4.5 million in the biggest bank robbery in Indian history. Indian Police officials described it as 'a neat and clean operation' where no one was injured.

It was documented as “Biggest Bank Robbery” under “Curiosities and wonders” in Limca Book of Records^[14]. Other Khalistan Commando Force members who participated with Jinda in this event were Mathra Singh^[15], Paramjit Singh Panjwar ^[16], Satnam Singh Bawa^[17], Gurnam Singh Bundala^[18] Sukhdev Singh Sukha, Daljit Singh Bittu^[19][20][21], Gursharan Singh Gamma^[22][23][24] and Pritpal Singh^[25] etc. It enabled his organization Khalistan Commando Force to buy sophisticated weapons^[26] like AK-47 Rifles^[27]In regards to this bank robbery, Los Angeles Times has mentioned that bank robberies have been a major means of financing the Sikh militants' campaign for a separate state of Khalistan.

Arrest and death

On September 17, 1986, Mr Sukha got into an accident with a truck in Pimpri, Pune and was arrested. He was riding the same black motorcycle which was used at the time of assassination of General Vaidya. Mr. Jinda was arrested at Gurdwara Majnoo Daa Tilla, Delhi in March, 1987. He was shot in the legs at the time of his arrest. During their court trial, despite admitting to the killing, they pled not-guilty, justifying their actions by saying that Vaidya was "guilty of a serious crime, the punishment for which could only be death".^[9] They were awarded death sentences at 2:05 pm on October 21, 1989. They welcomed their death sentences with Sikh religious slogans of Bole So Nihal and their political slogans of Khalistan Zindabad. On Oct. 9, 1992, early in the morning, Sukhdev Singh "Sukha" and Harjinder Singh "Jinda" were hanged until death in Pune Jail. They were kept hanging for 30 minutes. They were hung together. For the execution, 4 Deputy Police Commissioners, 10 assistant Police Commissioners, 14 inspectors, 145 sub-inspectors and 1275 officers had been assigned. Their dead bodies were cremated on the same day at 6:20 am near Moola river.

Honour/Awards

On October 09 2000, representatives of all major Sikh bodies, including ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, the SHSAD, the SGPC, the Damdami Taksal, AISSF and the Dal Khalsa attended the eighth death anniversary of Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh Sukha. To honour Jinda and Sukha, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Head of Akal Takht (Supreme Sikh temporal seat), performed the ‘ardas’ (a Sikh religious rite). Both Sukha and Jinda were declared as “great martyrs’ of the Sikh religion during this event. ^[28].

Sukha and Jinda's letter to the President of India

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References

External links

• Letter sent by the two to the President of India asking for no clemency

• Harjinder Singh Jinda & Sukhdev Singh Sukha Biography