Chandigarh: Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, has pivotal role in the history, culture of Sikhs. Its significance is not only attributed to the birthplace but also to the liberation from Mahant Narain Das.
Central Government has denied permission at the eleventh hour for the Sikh jatha comprising 600 people heading to Pakistan for the 100th anniversary of the Nankana Sahib massacre or Saka Nankana Sahib has raised eyebrows. A jathais a group of Sikhs who meet formally or march in order to celebrate a religious event or to protest against or support something.
Nanakana Sahib massacre
During early decades of 20th century, the gurdwara of Janam Asthan was controlled by Mahant Narain Das, who was regarded as iniquitous. The Nanakana Sahib massacre was the bloodiest in history of Gurdwara Reform Movement. It occurred less than two years after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on April 13, 1919, with one crucial difference — the British colonial government was responsible for Jallianwala Bagh massacre and Mahant Narain Das and his private army massacred Sikhs within gurdwara.
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Martyr Bhai Lachhman Singh Dharowali
Bhai Lachhman Singh Dharowali, who had played a prominent role in the liberation of gurdwaras in Tarn Taran and other places, decided to take the initiative of liberating Nankana Sahib by leading ajatha from his village, which reached Nankana Sahib on the morning of February 20, 1921.
Unaware of the mahant’s intentions, he entered the gurdwarawith members of the jatha and thus fell into the trap laid by Narain Das, who had hired nearly 400 mercenaries, including notorious criminals like Ranjha and Rehana, armed with lethal weapons. According to an eyewitness account, on hearing the news of the arrival of the jatha, the mahant exhorted his men to action.
Without any provocation, they started firing and, in the process, Bhai Lachhman Singh was hit by a volley of bullets while trying to protect the holy Granth. The mahant violently attacked him. Other members of the jathaalso faced violent attack.
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In order to obliterate every trace of the killed people, the mahant’s men burnt the bodies. A few members of thejatha, who had taken shelter inside the rooms, were dragged out, tied to the jandtree and burnt by pouring kerosene. The historic tree, burnt from one side yet still green from the other, is a mute witness to the cold-blooded murder of innocent men, women and children.
High income from the Nankana Sahib gurdwara and its estate gave Narain Das financial capacity to hire criminals and manage local officials whose failure became evident when the massacre happened in the morning of February 20, 1921 even as local authorities were aware of the tension brewing between the Akalis and the mahant. Around 150 Sikhs (one report put the figure at 168) were butchered and bodies burnt to destroy evidence by Mahant Narain Das and his hired criminals.