GURBACHAN SINH NIRANKARI

Gurbachan Singh (10.12.1930), son of Awtar Singh Nirankari and Budhwanti, was the chief of a religious cult named ‘Sant Nirankari Mandal’.

He was married to Kulwant Kaur who bore him a son Hardev Singh Bhola. He succeeded his father in 1963.

He was responsible for the killing of 13 Sikhs at Amritsar, on April 13, 1978. On June 19, 1978, a command from Akal Takht was issued asking the Sikhs to boycott Nirankari Mission and its followers.

His followers again attacked a group of Sikhs at Kanpur on 25 September 1978.

He was arrested in Amritsar killings case and was tried in a court of law. He managed to get acquittal from the court. This created anger among the militant Sikhs and they wanted to punish him. Finally, Bhai Ranjit Singh and Kabal Singh succeeded in killing him, on April 24, 1980.

(Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)