Darshan Singh Pheruman Sikh Homeland
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Darshan Singh Pheruman the first Martyr of Sikh Homeland A Speech delivered by Sirdar Kapur Singh, ( ex-M. P. ), M. L. A. in the Punjab Assembly, on the 30th October, 1969. Published by ALL INDIA SIKH STUDENTS’ FEDERATION Courtesy : Gurdial Singh & Co. Photographers, Chowk Baba Sahib, Amritsar SARDAR DARSHAN SINGH PHERUMAN ( August 1, 1886 — October 27, 1969 ) Printed at the Times Press, New Delhi-5 and Published by Sardar Manjit Singh, Vice President, All India Sikh Students’ Federation, 113/1-Hazra Road, Calcutta-26. Digitized by Panjab Digital Library j www.panjabdigilib.org j A speech delivered by | Sirdar Kapur Singh, ( ex-M. P. ) M. L. A., in the Punjab Assembly, on the 30th of October 1969. Mr. President, Sir, in the Motion before the House it is stated that S. Darshan Singh Pheruman courted martyrdom, “for the inclusion of Chandigarh etc. in the State of Punjab . 1 Sir, this is somewhat misleading. Guru Nanak has said ! that a man must say and do only that which can be tested by and can measure up to truth, man sacca kasvatti laiye tuliye poore tol. To say what is misleading, in relation to a great martyrdom like that of Pheruman is improper. « i The last Will and Testament of S. Darshan Singh Pheruman has now been made public and the press has extensively reproduced it. This Will and Testament was written in my presence on the 1st. of August, 1969 and it is attested by two reliable witnesses, as the law requires. As a measure of abundant caution, S. Darshan Singh Pheruman desired that his Will and Testament may be tape-recorded in his own voice, ^ which has also been done and is preserved. f Mr. President, there can be no more reliable evidence with ^ regard to the intentions of S. Darshan Singh Pheruman than his own duly recorded Will and Testament. In This Testament, inter alia, S. Darshan Singh Pheruman has said as follows :— “For the last half a century I have worked through sufferings and tribulations for the freedom of my country and for ensuring ever increasing ascendence and expansion of the Panth. This episode of ray life is an open book before the public. “The country is now free but the Panth is still in bondage. In the country, corruption and moral degradation has vastly increased. The management of the Sikh Gurdwaras and the conduct of Sikh politics has fallen into the hands of hypocrites, styling themselves pious men and sants and those, who do not wish the Panth well. The doctrines of the Sikh religion, the traditions of the Khalsa, the historical splendour of the Sikh Nation has been, thus, trampled under the feet of these undesi rable persons. ^ Digitized by Paniab Digital Library I www.ntnithrliaMh.nra 2 “Those who had played up the drama of undertaking solemn vows before the holy Akal Takht to immolate themselves have, by taking recourse to lies and cowardice, captured the decision-making centres of power, of institutions of Sikh religion and affairs of the Sikhs and they have also now succeeded in their conspiracy to capture the government of the State of Punjab. “To establish before the world and history that cheating, hypocrisy, cowardice and double dealing, is the real essence of Sikhism and the Sikh way of life, they have constructed ugly memorials to the glorification of Sant Feteh Singh and his associates, which memorials claim to be the rivals of the Throne of the Immortal God, the Akal Takht. These blasphemous mem orials are being kept in existence, in the face of resentment of the entire Sikh people, through the police power of Punjab Government. The insults and infamy that is being heaped on the Sikh people to-day is unparalleled in Sikh history. “The way the religion is being degraded to-day has never been so done in the past. “The traitors of the Panth and the pious frauds, called sants, have successfully hatched an ugly conspiracy to eliminate every vestige of the wholesome influence of Sikh religion from Sikh politics with the purpose of making Sikh people the camp followers and slaves of others. “This pitch dark night of falsheood and these treacher ous tantacals of, hypocrisy cannot now be overcome except through martyrdom. “The grave, sin that now beclouds the destiny of the Panth on account of solemn vows taken before the Akal Takht having been disregarded, is the greatest obstacle against the renaissance and resurgence of the Panth. “This grave sin can be washed away only through a genuine and pure martyrdom. “The ugly and audacious memorials which Sant Fateh Singh has got constructed, as rivals of the holy Akal Takht, are calling loudly for genuine sacrifices from the Singhs. 3 “The Panth cannot exist meaningfully by turning its back on Guru Akal Purkh. “Now, therefore, it has become imperative that some Singh of the Guru should offer his head as an expiation, to wash away the sins committed by the nominal Sikh leaders and Sikh traitors so that the Panth may attain its true status of suigenerous sovereignty within the constitutional framework of a free and sovereign India and so that next step may become possible for establishment of the Sikh Homeland within the I Union of India. r j “To achieve this end, I am going to lay down my life”. From these citations, Mr. President, it is clear that S. Darshan Singh Pheruman courted a deliberate and unique martyrdom in the interests of a good and holy cause. These are the objectives for which S. Darshan Singh Pheruman courted martyrdom :— 1. He courted martyrdom so that the black spots of shame and infamy made by those Sikh leaders, who renegeded and fled from the solemn vows of self- immolation that they had taken before the holy Akal Takht, and, thus acted in utter cowardice, by taking recourse to lies and hypocrisy, are removed. 2. S. Darshan Singh Pheruman laid down his life to up hold the solemn promises which some false Sikh leaders had publicly made to secure Chandigarh, bhakra Complex and other left out Punjabi area for the Punjab State. 3. S. Darshan Singh Pheruman laid down his life to re pair and revive the spiritual link between the Collecti vity of the Sikhs and the unseen Powers, which link had been gravely damaged by the misdeeds of those who have erected ‘Havan bunds' on the Akal Takht, but who like cowards have fled away from their pli ghted words, on seeing the face of the angel of Death. (Interruptions) 4. He courted martyrdom for establishment of the Sikh Homeland within the constitutional framework and the Union of India. V 4 I salute this iron man, this self-respecting Sikh, this brave Punjabi, this great patriot and the first martyr in the cause of the Sikh Homeland. Sir, In the month of July, 1969 S. Darshan Singh Pheruman had made it publicly clear his firm intention to lay down his life in the cause of religion. He wrote two personal letters to Sri Fateh Singh, called the Sant, and also an open letter to him requesting him to demolish *Agani kunds’, which, S. Darshan Singh described as the rivals of the holy Akal Takht ( and which structures he considered as a standing disgrace and provocation to the whole Panth as well as symbols of hypocrisy ■ and fraud. S. Darshan Singh called upon Sri Fateh Singh (Sant) that he should join hands with him in making extreme sacrifice to remove the grave injury done to the fundamental doctrine of Sikhism. But the only reply Sri Fateh Singh gave was by describing S. Darshan Singh Pheruman as a stunt- maker and the shoe lickers of Sri Fateh Singh called this great martyr an agent of the Congress Government of Delhi. On the 1st. of August, 1969 a Conference was held at Rayya in which S. Darshan Singh made a public declaration that on the 14th of August he will go to pay homage at the Golden Temple and then he will repeat the same Ardas, already made by Sri Fateh Singh and his companions a number of times i and then broken as many times. After the Ardas, S. Darshan Singh Pheruman declared his intention to go on an indefinite | fast till the terms of this Ardas are conceded or till death inter venes. 1 was present at this Conference and within my hearing S. Darshan Singh Pheruman stressed again and again his firm desire that after he enters on his indefinite fast and after his martyrdom nothing should be done to disturb the public peace or to damage public property. On the 9th August, an unknown person, by the name of Gurdit Singh, appears to have made a report at the Police Station, Beas. It is any body’s guess as to whether this Gurdit Singh made this report of his own accord or under instigation. In this report this Gurdit Siug alleged that S. Darshan Singh Pheruman publicly calls Sri Fateh Singh (Sant) a hypocrite 5 and a pious fraud. Also it was alleged that S. Darshan Singh Pheruman does not consider the present Akali-Jansangh Government as a true representative of the Panth or well wisher of the Panth. It was alleged that S. Darshan Singh Pheruman also talks in terms of clash of swords. A State, the Chief Minister of which is capable of deliberately making utterly false and baseless accusation in the press against an insignificant person like myself, to the effect that on the 28th August at village Pheruman I made some provocative public speech, in that State, where is the difficulty in finding out some Gurdit Singh or Ganga Ram, who can be persuaded 1 to make false report against any person whatsoever ? On the 10th of August, Bhai Chanan Singh, also known as, ‘the little Sant’, and Bhai Fateh Singh, called, ‘the elder Sant, told S.