Shabeg Singh

Shabeg Singh, PVSM, AVSM (1 May 1924 – 6 June 1984), was an Indian military officer. He had previously served in the Indian Army but later joined the movement of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Major General Shabeg Singh PVSM, AVSM
Major General Shabeg Singh
Birth name	Shabeg Singh
Born	1 May 1924 Khiala Kalan, Amritsar, Punjab, British India
Died	(1984-06-06)6 June 1984 (Age 60) Akal Takht, Amritsar, Punjab, India
Allegiance	British India  India Sikh fighter
Service / branch	British Indian Army  Indian Army
Years of service	1942 – 1977, 1984
Rank	Major General
Unit	Garhwal Rifles 3/Parachute Regiment 11 Gorkha Rifles
Commands	GOC, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and parts of Odisha; Defence of the Akal Takht, Amritsar
Battles / wars	Second World War Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 Sino-Indian War Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Operation Blue Star †
Awards	Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Sikh Shaheed[1]
Memorials	Gurdwara Yaadgar Shaheedan, Amritsar
Relations	Mehtab Singh Bhangu

Major General Shabeg Singh, Hero of Bangladesh War, Charcoal on Paper Portrait by Amitabh Mitra

He is well known for his involvement in the training of Mukti Bahini volunteers during the Bangladesh Liberation War.^[2] He had fought in other major wars such as World War II, 1947 Indo-Pak War, Sino-Indian War,^[3] and 1965 Indo-Pakistan War.^[4] Later, Singh joined Sikh movement for rights in Punjab, named Dharam Yudh Morcha.^[5][6]

Early life and education

Singh was born in 1924 in Bhangu Jat Sikh family of Khiala village (earlier known as Khiala Nand Singhwala), about nine miles (14 km) from the Amritsar-Chogawan road. He was the oldest son of Sardar Bhagwan Singh and Pritam Kaur, and had three brothers and a sister. He enrolled in Khalsa College in Amritsar, and later in Government College in Lahore.^{[citation needed]} Shabeg was a descendant of Mehtab Singh who killed Massa Ranghar after he captured the Golden Temple.^[7]

Military career

British India

World War II

In 1942, an officer-selection team visiting Lahore colleges recruited Singh to the British Indian Army officers cadre. After studying in the Indian Military Academy, he was commissioned in the Garhwal Rifles as a second lieutenant. Within a few days the regiment moved to Burma and later to Malaya. In 1945 when the war ended, Singh was in Malaya with his unit. His battalion reportedly captured freedom fighter Prem Sahgal and he ordered him not to be shot and instead taken to trial.^[8]

India

Indo-Pakistan War of 1947-1948

After the partition of India, when the Indian regiments were reorganized, Singh joined the 50th Parachute Brigade of the Indian Army. He was unofficially sent for service in the 1947 Indo-Pakistan War in Kashmir along with Maharaja Yadavindra Singh's Akal Regiment.^[8] He was noted to have snuck past Pakistani lines and gave information to the Akal Regiment about the Pakistani plans.

Sino-Indian War of 1962

In 1962, during the India-China war, he was a Lt. Col. in IV Corps and fought in Bomdi-La.^[3]

Close at their heel I sent Lt. Col. Shahbeg Singh, mainly to press them forward. He went to Chako—Eagle's Nest—and beyond and showed, whilst on his mission, plenty of drive and guts.

— Lieutenant General Brij Mohan Kaul, Untold Story

Indo-Pakistan War of 1965

Promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 2 June 1965,^[9] he later commanded the 3rd Battalion, 11 Gorkha Rifles, and was given command of a brigade on 4 January 1968.^[10]

Soon after the 1965 operations, Singh became Col G.S. of an infantry division, after which he was given command of the crack 19 Infantry brigade in Jammu Sector.^[11]

Naga Insurgency

With his leadership qualities and use of daredevil tactics he was greatly successful in handling the counter-insurgency operations in that region and crushed the Naga Insurgency, for the next four years there were no terrorist incidents. Singh was promoted to colonel on 12 June 1968 and to substantive brigadier on 22 December.^[12][11]

Indo-Pakistan War of 1971

Singh was a notable figure with the press for his service in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.^[13][14] On 6 July 1972, he was appointed GOC, Madhya Bharat Area(MP, Bihar and Orissa) of Central Command, with the acting rank of major-general,^[15] and promoted to substantive major-general on 2 April 1974.^[16]

The Emergency

In 1975 Shabeg Singh was asked by Indira Gandhi to suppress the Bihar Movement through harsh measures and arrest Jayaprakash Narayan.^[17] Shabeg Singh wrote a letter back stating that the Indian Army should not be involved in political matters.^{[citation needed]} Shabeg Singh was assigned a command at area headquarters in Bareilly.^[17] Later the Indian Army threw charges under special clauses which were never invoked in the British Indian Army and has been invoked in the Indian Army only in his case, the case was related to him buying a Jonga on proxy.^[18]

Shabeg Singh was stripped of his rank without court-martial and thus denied his full pension.^[5][13] Two charge sheets in an anti-corruption court were brought against him in Lucknow by India's Central Bureau of Investigation.^[19][18] Singh sought redress in civil courts, and was acquitted of all charges on February 13, 1984.^[19][5]

Dharam Yudh Morcha and Operation Blue Star

Main article: Operation Blue Star

During the Asian Games in 1982; Shabeg Singh, Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora, Lt. Gen. Harbaksh Singh, Parkash Singh Badal and Air Marshal Arjan Singh were all forced to leave the premises of the complex as they were Sikhs, in fact all Sikhs but a few were allowed to remain in the complex.^[20]

Shabeg Singh was mentioned in a speech by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale while highlighting injustices to various Sikhs in 1983. He participated in the Amritsar Rally in the Golden Rail Morcha where over 10,000 ex-servicemen participated.^[20]

He joined Sikh militants,^[5] where he served as Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale's military adviser.^[13] Singh had said that he had joined Bhindranwale due to the alleged humiliation he had received, which included being stripped of his pension.^{[citation needed]} Counter Intelligence reports had reported that three leaders of the Khalistan movement were Major General Shabeg Singh, Balbir Singh Sandhu and Amrik Singh.^[21] In December 1983, the Sikh political party Akali Dal's President Harchand Singh Longowal had invited Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale to take up residence in the Golden Temple complex.^[22] Singh and his military expertise is credited with the creation of effective defences of the temple complex that made the possibility of a commando operation on foot impossible.^[23] He organised the Sikh forces present at the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar in June 1984. Indian government forces launched Operation Blue Star in the same month.^[24] Four weeks before Operation Blue Star, Shabeg Singh had an interview with Telegraph Calcutta near Shahid Ganj Baba Deep Singh outside the Golden Temple.

As far as my relations with Sant Jarnail Singh are concerned, there is nothing to suspect. I've told you that I am a patriot. Probably in a finer mould then the Prime Minister herself. I have met Bhindranwale. There is no doubt of it and I also feel that there is a strong touch of spiritualism in this person. He is a man who stands by the truth. The Government is deliberately terming him a traitor because his brand of politics probably doesn't suit them.

— Telegraph Calcutta, May 16, 1984, Interview of Major General Suhbeg Singh

At the later stages of the operation, Singh was killed in firing between the Akal Takht and Darshani Ḍeorhi^{[broken anchor]}. The amount of Indian casualties his defenses incurred are debated, but considered to be higher than Indian Army officials initially expected before the operation.^[25] His body was later found and identified when the operation was over.^[24] Singh was cremated according to Sikh rites and with full military honours.^[26][27]