Manbir Singh Chaheru

Early life

Manbir Singh was born in 1959 in the village of Chaheru, Kapurthala, 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.

Baptism and religious inclination

The Nirankari-Sikh events of 1978 affected Manbir Singh. A retired army officer Giani Joginder Singh who was also son-in-law of Manbir Singh's aunt Niranjan Kaur, encouraged him to get baptised (a Sikh initiation ceremony). In 1979, Manbir 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.

Association with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale

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, Manbir 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 later assassinated Deputy Inspector General Avtar Singh Atwal in 1983 and fought against Indian forces during Operation Blue Star, Sukhdev Singh Sukha of village Fatu Dinga, Balwinder Singh Khojkipur, Joginder Singh Rode and Kabal Singh.

Giani Joginder Singh, a relative of Manbir 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.

Khalistan Commando Force

Manbir 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, Mathra Singh and Tarsem Singh Kuhaar, established the Khalistan Commando Force and Manbir Singh Chaheru was declared its leader.

Manbir Singh set up the KCF military hierarchy, but adhoc groups conducted most operations at the local level.

He participated in several encounters against Indian security forces.

In 1986 Manbir Singh and Balbir Singh Raipur planned to release Sukhdev Singh Sukha and Sawarnjit Singh from Police custody as they were to appear in court on charges of slaying Ramesh Chander, a Hindu newspaper editor.

Balbir Singh arranged a car and Jarnail Singh arranged a jeep as a get away vehicle. They planned to free both Sukhdev Singh and Sawarnjit Singh from the district courts in Jalandhar, Punjab, India when the prisoners arrived for their monthly hearings. Manbir Singh, Ajitpal Singh, Balbir Singh Raipur, Rashpal Singh, Jarnail Singh met outside the courts. Manbir Singh was carrying a sten gun and all other Singh's had revolvers. When Sukhdev Singh and Sawarnjit Singh arrived under heavy police protection, Manbir Singh signalled them to go to the washrooms. Once they went, Manbir Singh and his partners opened fire on the policemen, the attackers killed four police officers inside the court complex and two at the courtyard gate. They were able to free Sukhdev Singh Sukha, Sawarnjit Singh and Gurinder Singh Bhola.

Arrest and death

On 8 August 1986, Manbir Singh Chaheru was arrested along with Major Baldev Singh Ghuman, Charanjit Singh dhami and two other Sikhs when approximately 200 paramilitary troops raided Major Baldev Singh's farm House on bootan village the outskirts of city of Jalandhar, in state of Punjab. Punjab police stated that there were two dozen murder cases registered against Chaheru by that time.

It is unclear as to what led to his arrest. It is possible that government infilterators whose aim was to plot the Gurjit Singh faction against Kahlon faction did this. Subsequently the committee members of Kahlon faction were killed by the Gurjit Singh faction.

Manbir Singh Chaheru was kept in various jails in state of Punjab, and later he was moved to another jail in the state of Bihar. In December 1987, police announced that Manbir Singh had escaped from the police custody while officials were returning Chaheru from Bihar to Punjab. There were claims that police had killed him while he was in police custody and disposed his body in the Beas River. In the city of Chandigarh, the Punjab Police Chief Julio Francis Ribeiro told news reporters afterward that "...they do not need to worry as Manbir Singh will not come back."