Sukhdev Singh Sukha

Sukhdev Singh Sukha (* in a village in Rajasthan ; † October 9, 1992 in Pune , Maharashtra ) was a member of the militant Sikh group Khalistan Commando Force , which fought for an independent Sikh state . He carried out several political murders, including that of General Arun Vaidya , who was chief of the Indian army at the time of Operation Blue Star (storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar).

Childhood and youth

Sukhdev Singh Sukha was born in a village in Tehsil Karanpur in the Rajasthan district of Sri Ganganagar to Megha Singh and Surjeet Kaur in a peasant family. In his childhood he went to the village school of Manakpur . He received a bachelor's degree (BA) from Gian Joti College . At the time of the storming of the Golden Temple (Operation Blue Star) he was studying English. After these events, he broke off his studies and joined the Khalistan movement.

Militant activities

With Harjinder Singh Jinda and Ranjit Singh Gill he planned and carried out the assassination of Lalit Maken, Member of the Indian Parliament for the Congress Party . Lalit Maken was shot dead from a passing motorcycle on July 31, 1985. Lalit Maken tried to run back to his house to take cover, but his wife Balkishan also came into the field of fire and died. Lalit Maken was involved in the killing of innocent Sikhs during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 following the murder of Indira Gandhi .

General Arun Vaidya was the chief of the Indian army who led the attack on the Golden Temple and other places in Punjab . On August 10, 1986, he was shot dead in his car while driving to the Sukha, Jinda and two accomplices market. According to police, his car was shot at from passing motorcycles. His wife, who was also in the car, was seriously injured in the shooting.

Arjan Dass, a local MP for the Congress Party, was also shot dead by Sukha and Jinda for his involvement in violence against innocent Sikhs. Sukha was also involved in the bank robbery of the Punjab National Bank in Ludhiana , where the Khalistan Commando Force looted around 5.7 million rupees .

On September 17, 1986, Sukha was identified and arrested in a truck accident. His accomplice, Jinda, was arrested in March 1987. They did not deny the murders during the trial, but pleaded not guilty and justified their actions by saying: “ Vaidya is guilty of a serious crime for which the penalty can only be death. “You were sentenced to death on October 21, 1989 for the murder of General Vaidya . Sukha and Jinda wrote a letter to the president not demanding a pardon. They were hanged in Pune Prison on the morning of October 9, 1992 .

Honors from the Sikh community

Sukha and Jinda are considered martyrs by militant Sikhs and the anniversary of their death is celebrated annually. On October 9, 2000 in particular, representatives of large Sikh organizations such as the Shiromani Akali Dal party took part in events marking the eighth anniversary of his death. Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, head of Akal Takht , held the "Ardas" (religious rite) in honor of Sukha and Jinda. Sukha and Jinda were honored as "great martyrs" of the Sikh religion. Also on October 9, 2008, the families of Sukha and Jinda were honored in the Golden Temple. The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) declared them the avengers of Operation Bluestar.

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• Letters from Sukha and Jinda during their captivity (Engl.)
• Biography on www.saintsoldiers.net (engl.)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Naunidhi Kaur: A life sentence . In: Frontline , Vol. 20, No. 7, March 29, 2003. ( Memento of the original from April 29, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Report of the trial by Ranjit Singh Gill) 
2. ↑ Inde, un commando assine un ancien chef de l'armée . In: Journal de Genève , August 11, 1986.
3. ↑ People's Union For Democratic Rights (PUDR) and People's Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL): Who are the Guilty? Report of a joint inquiry into the causes and impact of the riots in Delhi from October 31 to November 10, 1984 . Delhi 1984. ( Memento of the original from April 11, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ^ SGPC honors kin of Vaidya's assassins. In: The Tribune (India) , October 10, 2008
5. ↑ The Vaidya Murder Case: Confirming Death Sentences . In India Abroad (New York edition) , Vol. 22, No. 43, June 24, 1992, p. 20.
6. ^ SGPC honors kin of Vaidya's assassins. In: The Tribune (India) , October 10, 2008
7. ↑ Vedanti performs "ardas" for Sukha, Jinda . In: The Tribune (India) , October 10, 2000