Neeraj Singh Creator at 10:34, 8 May 2026

2026-05-08T10:34:33Z

New page

{{Short description|Indian politician (1950–1991)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [[Bibi (title)|Bibi]]
| name = Bimal Kaur
| honorific_suffix = [[Khalsa]]
| image = Photograph of Bimal Kaur, wife of Beant Singh.jpg
| office = [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha]]
| constituency = [[Ropar Lok Sabha constituency|Ropar]]
| term_start = 2 December 1989
| term_end = 13 March 1991
| predecessor = [[Charanjit Singh Atwal]]
| successor = [[Harchand Singh]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1950|11|07}}<ref name="Magazine" />
| birth_place = Goray, [[Hoshiarpur]], [[Punjab, India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1991|09|02|1950|11|07}}
| death_place = [[Mohali]], Punjab
| occupation = politician
| known_for =
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]]|1976|1984|reason=died}}
| children = 3, including [[Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa]]
| party = [[Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)]]
}}

{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
'''Bibi Bimal Kaur''' (7 November 1950 – 2 September 1991) was an Indian politician and the wife of [[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]], one of the two assassins of [[Indira Gandhi]].

== Early and personal life ==
Bibi Bimal Kaur Khalsa was born to Sardar Gurbachan Singh into [[Ramdasia]] [[Sikh]] family at Delhi, India. She married Beant Singh on 23 January 1976 at a local gurdwara.<ref name="Magazine" />

Bibi Bimal Kaur was a nurse at [[Lady Hardinge Medical College]] when her husband assassinated Indira Gandhi.<ref name="Magazine">{{cite web |title=Bibi Bimal Kaur Khalsa |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/540dd9b6e4b05c669b06779a/t/5f509a01d777713b49ff8e15/1599117865322/Shaheed+Bibi+Bimal+Kaur+Magazine+part+1.pdf |publisher=National Sikh Youth Federation |access-date=6 June 2024}}</ref> Immediately after the assassination she was apprehended by the Indian security forces, she disappeared for several days, leaving her children Amrit, Sarabjeet and Jassi at home. She was detained, interrogated, and most likely tortured for two weeks.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Assassins: On the other side of Oct 31 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/the-assassins-on-the-other-side-of-oct-31/ |access-date=6 June 2024 |work=The Indian Express |date=2 November 2014 |language=en}}</ref> The [[Damdami Taksal]] paid for her children's education for two years. Bibi Bimal Kaur stayed in Delhi until 1985 when she and the family moved to Punjab with the assistance of the Damdami Taksal.<ref name="Express">{{cite news |last1=Grewal |first1=Manraj |title=In Black & White Dreams after Darkness |agency=Indian Express |date=March 9, 2003}}</ref> From there she worked with Sikh Student Federations and began to call out the injustices of the government, the false encounter issues.

Her father-in-law, Beant Singh's father [[Baba Sucha Singh|Sucha Singh Maloa]], was also elected as a member of parliament.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mahmood |first1=Cynthia Keppley |title=Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues with Sikh Militants |date=3 August 2010 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-0017-1 |pages=136 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FqvTRUrwt2UC |access-date=6 June 2024 |language=en}}</ref> Sarbjeet Singh, her son, was nominated by the SAD (A) headed by [[Simranjit Singh Mann]] to run for parliament from the [[Bathinda]] and [[Mansa, Punjab|Mansa]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite news |title=SAD candidate starts intensive campaigning |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040228/punjab1.htm |access-date=6 June 2024 |agency=The Tribune |date=February 27, 2004}}</ref> In 2024, Sarabjeet Singh won from [[Faridkot Lok Sabha constituency|Faridkot]] by a margin of more than 70 thousand votes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-04 |title=Punjab, Haryana Election Results Live Updates: Independent candidate Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa wins from Faridkot over AAP Karamjit Singh Anmol |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-chandigarh-haryana-himachal-uttarakhand-election-results-2024-live-updates-lok-sabha-9368851/ |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

== Imprisonment and politics ==
She contested from two Vidhan Sabha seats in the [[1985 Punjab Legislative Assembly election]], [[Chamkaur Sahib Assembly Constituency|Chamkaur Sahib]] and [[Pakka Kalan Assembly Constituency|Pakka Kalan]] as an Independent candidate.<ref>{{cite news |title=Punjab elections: Mood of the campaign five days before the poll |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19851015-punjab-elections-mood-of-the-campaign-five-days-before-the-poll-802024-2014-01-10 |access-date=6 June 2024 |work=India Today |date=October 15, 1985 |language=en}}</ref> She finished second in both the constituencies.<ref>{{cite news |title=Moderate Sikhs Win In Landslide Over Gandhi Party In The Punjab. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w2VAAAAAIBAJ&dq=bimal+kaur&pg=PA3 |access-date=6 June 2024 |publisher=The Vindicator |date=28 Sep 1985 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Report On The General Elections to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha |url=https://ceopunjab.gov.in/DownLoadDocument?t=2255&l=En&q=election |publisher=Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab |access-date=6 June 2024 |archive-date=6 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606073205/https://ceopunjab.gov.in/DownLoadDocument?t=2255&l=En&q=election |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On April 30, 1986, then Chief Minister [[Surjit Singh Barnala]] ordered troops into [[Golden Temple|Darbar Sahib]] again to flush out the [[Kharku]]s who were residing in the gurudwara complex.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roy |first1=Nilova |title=Sikh Shrine Attacked by Indian Troops |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/05/01/sikh-shrine-attacked-by-indian-troops/3475b7f1-fd55-467b-90f4-1b4e600a6e62/ |access-date=6 June 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=29 December 2023}}</ref> On June 4, 1986, she went to Darbar Sahib with 3,500 members, to mark the anniversary of the [[Operation Blue Star]] and to speak on the atrocities of the government.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sikhs charged with Murder |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R7orAAAAIBAJ&dq=Bimal+Kaur&pg=PA27 |access-date=6 June 2024 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=5 Jun 1986 |language=en}}</ref> at this time Surjit Barnala essentially had his guards throughout the Gurudwara complex to ensure stop the Khalistan movement. She delivered an incendiary speech.<ref>{{cite news |title=Assassin's Widow charged with Murder |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NPJGAAAAIBAJ&dq=bimal+kaur&pg=PA9 |access-date=6 June 2024 |publisher=The Lewiston Journal |date=6 Jun 1986 |language=en}}</ref> The crowd cheered for [[Khalistan]] and openly threatened to kill Surjit Singh Barnala.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sikhs' threat to revenge extends to Gandhi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qdEyAAAAIBAJ&dq=bimal+kaur&pg=PA40 |access-date=6 June 2024 |publisher=Ottawa Citizen |date=6 Jun 1986 |language=en}}</ref> In a confrontation with his men and Sikh protesters, a guard was killed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sikhs at Golden Temple Kill Guard and Wound 7 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/05/world/around-the-world-sikhs-at-golden-temple-kill-guard-and-wound-7.html |access-date=8 November 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=June 5, 1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bimal Kaur Khalsa vs Union Of India And Ors. on 20 October, 1987 |url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1076942/ |website=Indian Kanoon |access-date=6 June 2024}}</ref>

After her speech, she was arrested, charged for murder, and served 2 years in jail.<ref name="Express" /> In 1989 she campaigned for [[Lok Sabha]] from [[Ropar Lok Sabha constituency|Ropar]], and she won a seat with a ticket from [[Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Sikh Extremists Take Seats in Punjab polls |url=https://www.afr.com/politics/sikh-extremists-take-seats-in-punjab-polls-19891130-k3pl4 |access-date=6 June 2024 |work=Australian Financial Review |date=30 November 1989 |language=en}}</ref> She now had further leverage, and political strength, both of which made her a more serious threat to the government.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fineman |first1=Mark |title=Kin of Indira Gandhi Killer Elected : India: Voters seem finally to have lost faith in the family that has ruled the country for decades. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-29-mn-154-story.html |access-date=6 June 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=29 November 1989}}</ref>

== Death ==
Bimal Kaur died on 2 September 1991.<ref>{{cite news |title=Beant Singh's Wife Dead |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zH1lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wZ0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1755%2C1379423 |access-date=6 June 2024 |agency=The Indian Express |date=September 3, 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bimal Kaur Khalsa is dead |url=https://sikhheritageeducation.com/bimal-kaur-khalsa-is-dead-wsn-service/ |access-date=6 June 2024 |work=SIKH HERITAGE EDUCATION}}</ref> The police said she died from electrocution from her washing machine. Some reports that reached the press indicated that Bimal Khalsa consumed cyanide. Both these reasons are disputed by her relatives. They said that she was picked up by police and poisoned with cyanide which they claimed was a common tactic against kharkus around that time. They demanded a [[post-mortem]] which, under normal circumstances, the police was bound to conduct on request but the police refused this.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jaijee |first1=Inderjit Singh |title=Politics of Genocide: Punjab, 1984-1998 |date=1999 |publisher=Ajanta Publications |isbn=978-81-202-0415-7 |pages=119–120 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dPCGAAAAMAAJ&q=Bimal+Kaur+Khalsa |access-date=6 June 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

== Electoral Performance ==
{{transcluded section|source=Bathinda Rural Assembly constituency}}
{{trim|{{#section-h:Bathinda Rural Assembly constituency|1985}}}}

{{transcluded section|source=Ropar Lok Sabha constituency}}
{{trim|{{#section-h:Ropar Lok Sabha constituency|General elections 1989}}}}

== In popular culture ==
A Punjabi movie named as Chardi Kalan is going to be released on 29th May 2016 based on life of Bimal Kaur Khalsa where [[Roopi Gill]] is doing her role <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/punjabi/movie-details/chardikala/movieshow/130771422.cms/|title=Synopsis|date=29 May 2026 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[https://lssapi.nic.in/MemberProfile/biodata_1_12/3308.htm Official biographical sketch in Parliament of India website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalsa, Bimal Kaur}}
[[Category:Indian women nurses]]
[[Category:Indian nurses]]
[[Category:Indian prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of India]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths by electrocution]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in India]]
[[Category:India MPs 1989–1991]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Women in Punjab, India politics]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:People from Rupnagar district]]
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Women members of the Lok Sabha]]
[[Category:20th-century nurses]]

Bimal Kaur - Revision history

Neeraj Singh Creator at 10:34, 8 May 2026