The Final Seal of Impunity
The 40-Year Fight to Prove a Massacre Happened
On February 2, 1986, five copies (Beeds) of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji were desecrated and burnt at Guru Arjun Dev ji’s Gurdwara at Mahalla Nanakpura in Nakodar. On February 4, 1986, Sikh devotees marched peacefully to collect the remains for religious rites. Police opened fire on the unarmed protesters.
The Victims Four young Sikh men were killed in the police firing:
- Harminder Singh Chahal (Student, Lyallpur Khalsa College)
- Baldhir Singh Fauji (Student, Lyallpur Khalsa College)
- Ravinder Singh Littran (Student, National College, Nakodar)
- Jhalman Singh Rajowal (A young farmer)
This isn’t just a story about a shooting. It is about a state that killed its own people, burned their bodies to hide the evidence, and then claimed they “lost” the files.
The Execution: “Aim to Kill”
The police response was not dispersal, but extermination. Ravinder, Baldhir, and Jhalman were killed instantly as police opened fire without warning, raining bullets upon the defenseless marchers. Harminder Singh fled to a nearby shed, where he was dragged out and shot point-blank in the mouth. When a doctor later whispered that Harminder was still alive, the police reportedly took him back into custody and finished the execution.
The Perpetrators: Officials Protected by the State
The massacre and the subsequent cover-up were orchestrated by a specific chain of command. While the families identified these men decades ago, the state chose to protect rather than prosecute them.
- Mohammad Izhar Alam (SSP Jalandhar): The primary commander who oversaw the firing and led the effort to cover up the incident.
- Darbara Singh Guru (ADC): The administrative official who authorized the secret cremation of the victims’ bodies, falsely labeling them as “unidentified” despite their families standing nearby.
- Surjit Singh (SSP-Detective): Directly supervised the logistical disposal of the bodies to ensure no forensic evidence remained.
- Jaskirat Singh Chahal (SHO): Directly involved in the firing and responsible for filing the false FIRs that gaslighted the victims.
- Swaran Singh “Ghotna” (DSP): A figure notorious in Punjab’s history, who participated in the relentless pursuit and killing of the fleeing students.
The massacre and the subsequent erasure of evidence were led by a specific chain of command. Despite their identified roles in the killing and the cover-up, these men acted with total impunity, shielded by successive governments and often rewarded with promotions:
The “Laboratory” of State Brutality
The Khalra Mission Organisation describes Nakodar as a “laboratory” for the tactics of state brutality that would later haunt Punjab. By declaring identified children “unidentified” and using kerosene to burn bodies in secret, the state created a blueprint for missing persons and extrajudicial killings. Rather than facing trial, these officials were promoted, some even entering the highest echelons of political power.
40 Years of “Missing” Justice and The Final Seal of Impunity
The denial of justice has been systemic. A judicial inquiry by Justice Gurnam Singh in 1986 concluded the firing was “unjustified,” yet the report was suppressed for 33 years. When Part I finally emerged in 2019, the most critical section—Part II, containing the specific evidence against the officers listed above—was declared “missing” by the government. Today, the betrayal continues; in response to recent legal inquiries, the police have gone as far as to claim that “no such incident” ever occurred.
The Father’s Vow | The Father Who Refused to Forget:
As of 2026, Baldev Singh remains the lone voice of a generation of grieving parents. The mothers and fathers of the other three boys died waiting for a day in court that never came. He does not seek money; he seeks a reckoning. His demands are simple: a formal apology in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the immediate release of the “missing” Part II of the report, and criminal charges against the surviving officials.
For forty years, Baldev Singh has performed a Sehaj Paath (scriptural reading) every year in memory of the martyrs. His vow remains unbroken: “We are God-fearing people, not lawbreakers. But as long as I live, I will demand justice for my son and the others.”
Ravinder Singh | Harminder Singh
Jhilman Singh | Baldhir Singh
