The Khalistan Liberation Force was one of the leading Sikh freedom fighting organisations that was especially active in the Indian state of Punjab throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. Its aim was the formation of Khalistan (Land of the Pure), encompassing the state of Punjab, and adjoining districts in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The KLF, along with the Babbar Khalsa, the Khalistan Commando Force and the Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan made up the four largest and most prominent armed oppositions groups throughout the period of militancy in Punjab.

The KLF was founded by Shaheed Aroor Singh in 1986. His martyrdom led to the leadership of Shaheed Avtar Singh Brahma, under whose expert guidance the KLF really came into its own. Born in 1951, Brahma Sahib became an amritdhari at the tender age of 15, having witnessed a gatka demonstration at his village. The attack on holy Sri Darbar Sahib by the Indian Army, under the orders incidentally of a Sikh, polarised the opinions and mindsets of many Sikhs. Brahma Sahib was no exception and he formulated a plan to strike back at the heart of the enemy: his first step, the inception of the Khalistan Liberation Force.

Throughout the years of the freedom struggle, the KLF played a pivotal role in the liberation of the Sikh homeland. This advancement of Sikh rights however, took a massive setback, when Brahma Sahib was cornered by Punjab Police on the Punjab-Rajasthan border. Punjab Police analogues show that Brahma Sahib kept the police at bay for hours, fighting by himself, but never forgetting who his father was, our eternal guru and guide, Shri Guru Gobind Singh. He held proud to the beliefs of the Khalsa Panth that he had sworn to protect. Shaheed Avtar Singh Brahma attained martyrdom on 21st May 1988.

There are ample examples of the bravery of this great modern day Khalsa general. One classic example was an encounter between Brahma Sahib and a handful of his fellow Singh’s, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), who were under orders to help Punjab Police cope with the freedom struggle.

In order to locate and kill Brahma Sahib, the CRPF had station an entire platoon in his village, to terrorise and intimidate the local population. Hearing of the police excesses, Brahma Sahib decided to do something about it the Khalsa Panth way. On the night of December 27th 1986, Brahma Sahib and his fellow Singh’s entered Brahmpura (his village) around midnight. He went to the gurdwara and after offering his respects, he commandeered the loudspeaker. He proceeded to challenge the CRPF (the following extract can be seen in CRPF archives):

“Residents of Brahmpura, I am your Avtar Singh speaking. I know that the CRPF is harassing you because of me and asking you to tell them my whereabouts. I challenge the CRPF: if you have the courage, come and get Avtar Singh Brahma.

There’s no bravery in bothering the innocent villagers here. Let’s have a contest of bravery today and satisfy ourselves. You have weapons and so do we. Let’s have a real encounter tonight and in the morning you can count how many of your men the Singh’s have mowed down. Come on CRPF-valio!

You are proud of the strength of Delhi and its army and we are proud of our Guru. We are Guru Gobind Singh’s sons and we can fight 125,000 alone.”

There was no reply, so Brahma Sahib once again challenged the best men Delhi could muster:

“CRPF-valio! Come out of your quarters! Brahma, a Sikh of the Guru is waiting for you. The Brahma you couldn’t find in the Mand is now waiting for you! I don’t believe in spilling the blood of innocents and I don’t attack those without weapons. I’m here to meet you now.

CRPF-valio, you can meet me any way and any time. Give up your bothering of innocents and come in front of Brahma and satisfy your desire to prove your bravery! Bole So Nihaal! Sat Sri Akal!!! Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

According to the CRPF archive from which this report was obtained, Brahma sahib attempted for a full 25mintues to coax the CRPF to fight: the challenge was never accepted. Not a single person cam forward. Not a single son from the famed CRPF came forward to exchange swords with the son of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Having shamed the CRPF, Brahma sahib and his fellow Singh’s left, shouting Jaikaraas into the open sky.

The CRPF, shamed, now ran amok in the village, shooting randomly and raping 5 women. The subsequent shame made international news and even pressed Julieo Ribeiro, the former director general of Punjab Police into action. As he notes in his biography, “KPS Gill was then Inspector General of the CRPF. He was not willing to take any action against his men. He approached the home ministry in Delhi to ensure that sanction was not accorded for criminal prosecution. Finally, the Government of India did not sanction the prosecution.”

The myth of Avtar Singh Brahma and the Khalistan Liberation Force had begun. However, following his untimely death, the KLF was headed by Shaheed Bhai Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala. Bhai Sahib had become a member of the KLF under the wing of its founder, Shaheed Aroor Singh, and swiftly progressed through its ranks with his daring exploits. Following the martyrdom of Avtar Singh Brahma, he was deemed to be the natural successor.

The family of Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala paid a heavy price for his involvement in the freedom struggle: both his uncle and his cousin were martyred in a fake encounter. The Punjab Police didn’t stop here. A police commander by the name of Mith Singh was appointed to the head of the police force near to Bhai Sahib’s home village. It has been well documented that he dragged Bhai Sahib’s father by the hair to the police station. It is alleged that he openly taunted him in front of the passing public:

“Go get your tiger of a son to come fa