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BABAR AKALI MOVEMENT was
a radical outgrowth of the Akal movement
for the reform of Sikh places of worship
during the early 1920's. The latter,
aiming to have the shrines released
from the control of priests who had
become lax and effete over the generations,
was peaceful in its character and strategy.
In the course of the prolonged campaign,
Akahs true to their vows patiently suffered
physical injury and violence at the
hands of the priests as well as of government
authority. The incidents at Tarn Taran
(January 1921) and Nankana Sahib (February
1921) in which many Sikhs lost their
lives led to the emergence of a group
which rejected non-violence and adopted
violence as a creed. The members of
this secret group called themselves
Babar Akalis — babbar meaning lion.
Their targets were the British officers
and their Indian informers. They were
strongly attached to their Sikh faith
and shared an intense patriotic fervour.
At the time of the Sikh Educational
Conference at Hoshiarpur from 19-21
March 1921, some radicals led by Master
Mota Singh and Kishan Singh Gargajj,
a retired havildar major of the Indian
army, held a secret meeting and made
up a plan to avenge themselves upon
those responsible for the killings at
Nankana Sahib. Among those on their
list were J.W. Bowring, the superintendent
of police in the Intelligence department
and C.M. King, the commissioner. However,
those assigned to the task fell into
the police net on 23 May 1921. Arrest
warrants were issued against Master
Mota Singh and Kishen Singhell, but
both of them went underground. In November
1921, Kishan Singh formed a secret organization
called Chakravarti Jatha and started
working among the peasantry and soldiers
inciting them against the foreign rulers.
While Kishan Singh and his band carried
on their campaign in Jalandhar district
with frequent incursions into the villages
of Ambala and Kapurthala state, Kararn
Singh of Daulatpur organized a band
of extremist Sikhs in Hoshiarpur on
similar lines. In some of the villages
in the district, divans were convened
daily by the sympathizers and helpers
of thejatha of Karam Singh, who was
under warrants of arrest for delivering
seditious speeches. Towards the end
of August 1922, the two Chakravartl
jathas resolved to merge together and
rename their organization Babar Akah
Jatha. A committee was formed to work
out a plan of action and collect arms
and ammunition. Kishan Singh was chosenjathedaror
president, while Dahp Singh Daulatpur,
Karam Singh Jhingan and Ude Singh Ramgarh
Jhuggian were nominated members. A cyclostyled
news-sheet called the Babar Akah Doaba
had already been launched. Contacts
were sought to be established especially
with soldiers serving in the army and
students. The party's programme of violence
centred on the word sudhar (reformation)—a
euphemism for liquidation of jholi chuks
(lit. robe-bearers, i.e. stooges and
lackeys of the British).
The Babar Akali Jatha had its own code.
Persons with family encumbrances were
advised not tojoin as full members,
but to help only as sympathizers. The
members were to recite regularly gurban1,
the Sikh prayers. They were not to indulge
in personal vendetta against anyone.
Likewise, they must not molest any woman
nor lift any cash or goods other than
those expressly permitted by the group.
The total strength of the Jatha scarcely
exceeded two hundred: the exact number
was not known even to its members. The
outer circle of the Jatha consisted
of sympathizers who helped the active
members with food and shelter. Some
ran errands for the leaders carrying
messages from one place to another,
others arranged divans in advance for
itinerant speakers and distributed Babar
Akali leaflets. In order to evade the
police and keep their activities secret,
the Babar Akali Jatha also evolved a
secret code. The movement was very active
from mid-1922 to the end of 1923. Several
government officials and supporters
were singled out and killed. Encounters
with the police took place during which
some rare feats of daring and self-sacrifice
were performed by Babar Akalis.
The government acted with firmness
and alacrity. In April 1923, the Babar
Akali Jatha was declared an unlawful
association under the Criminal Law Amendment
Act of 1908. Units of cavalry and infantry
were stationed at strategic points in
the sensitive areas, with magistrates
on duty with them. A joint force of
military and special police was created
to seize Babars sheltering themselves
in the Sivalik hills. Every two weeks
propaganda leaflets were dropped from
aeroplanes with a view to strengthening
the morale of the loyalist population.
Punitive police-post tax was levied
and disciplinary action was taken against
civil and military pensioners harbouring
or sympathizing with the Babar Akalis.
These measures helped in curbing the
movement. The arrests and deaths in
police encounters of its members depleted
the Jatha's ranks. The movement virtually
came to an end when Varyam Singh Dhugga
was run down by the police in Lyallpur
district in June 1924.
The trial of the arrested Babar Akalis
had already begun inside Lahore Central
Jail on 15 August 1923. Sixty-two persons
were challaned originally and the names
of 36 more were added inJanuary 1924.
Of them two died during investigations
and five were acquitted by the investigating
magistrates; the remaining 91 were committed
to the sessions in April 1924. Mr J.K.M.
Tapp, appointed Additional SessionsJudge
to try conspiracy cases, opened the
proceedings on 2 June 1924. He was assisted
by four assessors. Diwan Bahadur Pindi
Das was special public prosecutor. The
prosecution produced 447 witnesses,
734 documents and 228 other exhibits
to prove its case. The judgement was
delivered on 28 February 1925. Of the
91 accused, two had died in jail during
trial, 34 were acquitted, six including
Jathedar Kishan Singh Cargajj were awarded
death penalty and the remaining 49 were
sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment.
The government, not satisfied with the
punishments awarded, filed a revision
petition in the High Court. The High
Court overruled the Sessions Court judgement
on a few points, but let the death sentences
remain unaltered. Babars so condemned
were hanged on 27 February 1926. They
were Kishan Singh Gargajj, Babu Santa
Singh, Dalip Singh Dhamian, Karam Singh
Manko, Nand Singh Churial and Dharam
Hayatpur. The Babbar Akali Jatha ceased
to exist, but it had left a permanent
mark on the history of the Sikhs and
of the nationalist movement of India.
The Naujwan and Kirti Kisan movements
in the Punjab owned their militant policy
and tactics to the Babar insurrection.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Copyright © Harbans Singh "The
encyclopedia of Sikhism."
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