 BACKGROUND
Under
British rule the ban on killing of cows and the sale of beef in
the Punjab was lifted. Slaughter houses opened in most cities
and towns including in the pious city of Amritsar. This was a
direct challenge by the British regime to the dignity and religious
sentiments of the Hindus and Sikhs. Rifts and quarrels between
Hindus and Muslims took place. Local protests against the opening
of slaughter houses in Amristar feel on deaf ears in the Government.
The slaughter house in Amritsar opened near the clock tower, adjacent
to the boundary wall of the Golden Temple. Desecration of the
holy sarowar (tank) around the Golden temple took place when pieces
of bone and flesh picked up by vultures and kites from the slaughter
house and thrown into the waters.
While
visiting the Golden Temple , a batch of namdhari sikhs witnessed
this desecration and immediately decided to attack the slaughter
houses and free the cows. The operation was headed by Lehna
Singh of Amritsar.
 PRAYERS
WERE OFFERED
A
'Hom' ceremony with recitations from 'Chandi Path'
was most solemnly gone through in the house of Lehna
Singh, at which prayers were offered for the
success of the enterprise. On the night of the
15th June, an
attack was made on the butchers in the slaughter
house. Four
men were killed outright and three others were badly
wounded. The Sikhs freed all the cows. The local
authorities were taken completely
unawares. The weather conditions being unfavorable
tracking the namdhari Sikhs was not possible. In
Bhaini Sahaib Satguru Ram Singh Ji learned the happenings in
Amritsar from the real attackers. Satguru Ji immediately directed
the Sikhs to surrender so the innocent may not be hanged.
 The
authorities learnt about the attack and the murder of the butchers
and deputed Mr Christie to apprehend those who were responsible
for it. He used all his third degree methods to rope in many
of the
innocent citizens of Amritsar. Heera Singh, Ahya and Jai Ram
were
tortured and mode to confess that they had actually committed
the crime.
All of them were made approvers, and 12 other citizens,
namely
Sant Rom, Rom Kishon, Manno Singh, Jawato Singh, Pannaji,
Mula,
Nihal Singh, Mayya, Sunder Singh, Bhup Singh/ Teka Singh and
Shoba
were sent to the Sessions. Actually none of these was
responsible
for the murders, but still all of them were committed to the
Sessions
on 25th July, 1871 by Mr. Christie.
When the real
culprits came forward to confess their crime, Mr.
Christie
reported to the authorities that he had been put on the wrong
track
by an informer Hira Singh, who had come forward to confess the
guilt. He also intimated to the Government that Jai Ram, a respectable
broker
of the city had admitted that he had instigated these men to
commit this crime. But the real fact was that this Police Officer
had got these men and other citizens of Amritsar to confess
the crime which
they
had never committed.
One factor greatly
helped the disclosure of this case. When Guru
Ram Singh came to know that the lives of Innocent
people were
endangered for the murders committed by the Kukas, he
directed
those Kukas to go and surrender themselves to the authorities
so that innocent people may not be hanged. Thus the trial of
the namdhari Sikhs started. Five Sikhs were sentenced to death
and the remaining two for exile.
KUKAS EMBRACED
DEATH
The news of death sentence on the four Kukas
spread in the
streets of Amritsar in the most electrical manner.
There was praise and
appreciation for their bravery on everybody's lips. The
public was deeply impressed by the way these Kukas had
confessed - their guilt and saved others from the
gallows. From the
day of judgment to the day of hanging, these Kukas
were allowed
to visit the Mar Mandir, as well as prepare their own
food. 15th September, 1871 was the day and Ram
Bagh in Amritsar the place of dating with death.
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On
that fine
morning, the four Kukas bathed in The Holy Tank; the 'prashad'
was prepared and distributed. What a beautiful scene
it was! The
patriots, intoxicated with love, were starting off to kiss the
gallows. Chanting holy songs and performing 'Kirtan' the
party moved
towards the hanging ground. The large assembly of
onlookers was amazed. Were These Sikhs for hanging
? The crowd
thickened. Before death, they demanded two things: Firstly, they
should not be hanged with leather strings and Secondly they would
themselves put the hanging ropes in their own necks.
Both the wishes were granted. After saying their
final prayers, the
four Kukas embraced death amidst slogans of Sat-Sri-Akal!
It was in such circumstances that Beehla Singh, Fateh Singh, Hakim
Singh and Lehna Singh were
hanged. They went to the gallows singing sacred
verses, without any
trace of fear and repentance on their faces. They
seemed to feel they
had performed a duty towards their faith. Constable
Lal Singh Sepahi, Lehna Singh (s/o Bullacka Singh) were exiled
to Andaman and Nicobar islands. Sant Jhanda Singh was hanged after
one year. Ahya Singh, Hira Singh and Jai Ram were also sentenced to terms
of imprisonment for
giving
wrong information to the Government.
Akhand varni at ram bagh - amritsar
close up of shahedi bhor - ram bhag amritsar
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