BANTA SINGH DHAMIAN

BANTA SINGH DHAMIAN (1900-1923), Babar revolutionary, was born in 1900 at the village of Dhamian Kalan, in Jalandhar district. He went to the village primary school, and joined the army serving in the 55th Sikh Battalion for about three years. While in the army he came in contact with Babar Akalis, whose creed of violence appealed to him. After his meeting with Jathedar Kishan Singh Gargajj and Babu Santa Singh on 16 February 1923, he resigned from the army and became a member of the action group of the Babar Akali Jatha.

He was party to the Jamsher railway station dacoity (3 March 1923), to the murder of Buta Jambardar of Nangal Shaman (11 March), and of Javala Singh, a notorious moneylender of Kotii Bavadas (13 November), and in the second murderous attempt on the lives of Kabul Singh and his father in law, Labh Singh, who had got Kishan Singh Gargajj arrested on 26 February 1923. On 12 December 1923 Jagat Singh, of Munder village, in Jalandhar district, connived with the police for trapping Banta Singh, Varyam Singh Dhugga and Javala Singh of Fatehpur Kothi in a chaubara (room on the first floor) in his village.

The police operations were personally supervised by W. W. Jacob, the deputy commissioner of Jalandhar, upon whose orders the chaubara was at last set afire. While trying to escape from the smouldering chaubara, both Banta Singh and Javala Singh were killed, but their third companion, Varyam Singh, succeeded in making good his escape.

References :

1. Nijjar, B.S., History of the Babbar Akalis. Jalandhar, 1987
2. Sundar Singh, Babbar Akali Lahir. Amritsar, 1970
3. Nijjhar, Milkha Singh, Babar Akali Lahir da Itihas. Delhi, 1986