Manbir Singh Chaheru

Bhai Manbir Singh Chaheru (1959 – December 1987) Also known as General Hari Singh was the founder and first leader of the militant organisation Khalistan Commando Force.

Singh was born in 1959 in the village of Chaheru, Jalandhar, Punjab.

His father, Mohinder Singh, was a farmer.

Manbir Singh completed his primary education from his village school.

He then moved to the home of his maternal aunt Niranjan Kaur, in the village of Kala Bakra, for his secondary education.

After passing his matriculation exams, he assisted his father in agriculture for six years.

He later married Ranjit Kaur.

The Nirankari-Sikh clash in 1978 affected Mabir Singh.

A retired army officer Giani Joginder Singh who was also son-in-law of Mabir Singh's aunt Niranjan Kaur, encouraged him to get baptised (a Sikh initiation ceremony).

In 1979, Mabir Singh along with his wife and his father's younger brother, Karnail Singh, took the baptism from Sant Nihal Singh Harian Wela Wale at the Sodal Gurdwara in district of Jalandhar, Punjab.

He came in contact with Bhai Mohkam Singh, Bhai Gurbant Singh, Bhai Prem Singh and Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale while attending religious classes of Damdami Taksal at the Gurdwara Gurdarshan Parkash, Mehta Chownk, district Amritsar, Punjab.

In 1981, Chaheru was arrested temporarily because of his heated arguments with a Senior Superintendent of Police of Jalandhar, Gur Iqbal Singh Bhular, when Bhular questioned Chaheru about his actions.

Chaheru's uncle, Karnail Singh, got him released on bail with a personal surety that Manbir Singh would appear at Police station the next day.

After this incident, Manvir Singh approached Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and moved to the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) complex where he served food in the Sikh free kitchen (Guru ka Langar).

Chaheru became Bhindranwale's personal bodyguard.

Police arrested his uncle Karnail Singh for Manbir Singh's failure to appear at the police station per his assurance.

In the Golden Temple complex, Manbir Singh stayed in room number 53 of Guru Nanak Niwas along with Giani Joginder Singh, Malagar Singh Babbar, Singh and Gurtej Singh.

He came in contact with Major Singh Nagoke who fought against Indian forces during Operation Blue Star, Sukhdev Singh Sukha of village Fatu Dinga, Balwinder Singh Khojkipur, Joginder Singh Rode and Kabal Singh.

On June 18, 1983, Chaheru and an associate shot dead chief of Criminal Investigation Agency Phagwara Inspector Rattan Chand Sharda in his office.

At 10:30 AM Chaheru walked into Sharda’s office and shot him 12 times as he sat in his chair.

Sharda was involved in the police firing at Rasta Roko Morcha.

At Kup Kalan near Malerkotla, where Rasta Roko Morcha protesters were, security forces and paramilitary forces opened "indiscriminate and unprovoked" fire which resulted in the death of 24 or 26 protesters and the burning of shops and tractors.

Around 1,000 protestors were jailed and around 500 protestors and police were also wounded.

Manbir in October 1983 donated blood to Makhan Singh who had been injured in an attack of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bachan Singh.

On April 14, 1984 Surinder Singh Sodhi, one of Chaheru’s closest friends and the “right-arm” of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was killed while drinking tea in a shop in Amritsar.

Sodhi was killed by a men and a women.

The women, Baljit Kaur, would go to the Golden Temple after the killing and confessed to the murder.

Baljit Kaur would be interrogated by Bhidnranwale.

She would admit to the other killer being her boyfriend Surinder Singh Shinda and to being paid by Gurcharan Singh, the general secretary of Akali Dal, to do the killing.

She also implicated others.

Bhindranwale vowed to avenge the killing.

With this Chaheru and fellow militants made their way to punish who they deemed the culprits.

Chaheru and others killed Surinder Singh Shinda.

He was chopped into 7 pieces for shooting Sodhi 7 times.

He was killed within 24 hours of Bhindranwale vowing vengence.

Giani Joginder Singh, a relative of Manvir Singh Chaheru, died while leading a band of Sikhs in fighting Indian army at the main entrance of Golden Temple during Operation Bluestar.

Giani Joginder Singh's daughter later married Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale's son Inderjit Singh.

Mabir Singh Chaheru was not inside Sri Harmandir Sahib (The Golden Temple) during Operation Blue Star in 1984.

After the attack, he fled to Pakistan, but returned to avenge the attack and to achieve independence for Khalistan.

He and others, including Harjinder Singh Jinda, Sukhdev Singh Sukha, Gurdev Singh Debu, Khalistan Commando Force was founded by the Sarbat Khalsa and Panthic Committee.