| Dalip Singh | |||
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DALlP SINGH (1907-1926), the youngest of the Babar Akali
martyrs was born in 1907 at Dhamian Kalan, a village in
Hoshiarpur district. Dalip Singh was barely 14, when a group
of peaceful Akali reformers was massacred in the Sikh shrine
at Nankana Sahib by the men of the local mahant or custodian.
Dalip Singh's young mind was filled with anger against the
British who, he thought, were really responsible for the
tragedy. He started attending the Babar Akali divans at which
violence was preached. A meeting with one of the Babar
leaders, Babu Santa Singh, led to his enlisting in the party
in April 1923. He proved a determined and fearless worker,
but was betrayed by one Javala Singh, pretending to be a
sympathizer of the movement, and was arrested on 12 October
1923 at Mian Channu railway station, in Multan district. He
was mercilessly tortured by police, yet he yielded no secret
information to them. In the course of his trial in the
sessions court, he refused to reply to any of the questions
put to him. He however filed a written statement owning
himself an active member of the Babar Akali Jatha. The judge,
J.K. Tapp, was inclined to be sympathetic because of his
young age, but he had to record in his judgement : "This
accused, young as he is, appears to have established a
record for himself second only to that of Santa Singh
accused, as to the offences in which he has been concerned
in connection with this conspiracy. He is implicated in
the murders of Buta Lambardar, Labh Singh Mistri, Hazara
Singh of Bahibalpur, Ralla and Dittu of Kaulgarh, Ata
Muhammad Patwari, in the 2nd and 3rd attempts on Labh
Singh of Dhada Fateh Singh, and in the murderous attack
on Bishan Singh of Sandhara." |
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