>Cewbot at 10:21, 16 February 2021

2021-02-16T10:21:22Z

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{{POV|date=September 2018}}
{{Orphan|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| birth_date = {{birth year|1888}}
| birth_place = Manhana
| death_date = {{death year and age|1923|1888}}
| death_place = Behbalpur, Hoshiarpur, Punjab
| father = Indar Singh
| mother =
| name = Dhanna Singh Babbar
| image =
| caption =
}}

'''Dhanna Singh''' ({{lang-pa|ਧੰਨਾ ਸਿੰਘ}} {{transl|pa|Dha°nā Si°gh}}; 1888–1923) was a [[Sikh]] revolutionary and part of the [[Babbar Akali movement]] for India's freedom from [[British India|British rule]].<ref name="Sharma 1999">{{cite book |last1=Sharma |first1=Mallikarjuna |title=In retrospect: Sagas of Heroism and Sacrifice of Indian revolutionaries |date=1999 |publisher=Ravi Sasi Enterprises |isbn=9788190113953 |page=15}}</ref> He died on October 26, 1923, while resisting arrest during his own suicide bombing; the bomb killed seven officers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Gurcharan |title=Babbar Akali Movement: A Historical Survey |date=1999 |publisher=Aman Publications |page=208}}</ref>

== Biography ==

=== Birth ===
Dhanna Singh was born in Behbalpur in the [[Hoshiarpur district]] of [[Punjab, India]].<ref name="Sharma 1999" /> He belonged to the [[Jat people|Jatt]] caste.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sharma |first1=Mallikarjuna |title=Role of Revolutionaries in the Freedom Struggle: A Critical History of the Indian Revolutionary Movements, 1918-1934 |date=1987 |publisher=Marxist Study Forum |page=167}}</ref> His father's name was Indar Singh, and he was born into a poor rural family. As a child, he learned Punjabi and Urdu at the village school..

=== Babbar Akali Movement ===
In his youth, Dhanna Singh was influenced by [[Karam Singh (died 1923)|Karam Singh]] of [[Daulatpur, Kapurthala|Daulatpur]], leader of the ''Chakravarti'' [[Jatha]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Choudhary |first1=Darshan Lal |title=Violence in the freedom movement of Punjab, 1907-1942 |date=1986 |publisher=B.R. Pub. Corp. |isbn=9788170183327 |page=97}}</ref> (''Chakravarti'' means '[[Romani people|gypsy]]'). In March 1921 he helped organize the Jathas major divans at Mahalpur and then again in October 1921 at [[Kukkar Muzara]]. Dhanna Singh's associates included Banta Singh Dhamiyan, Karam Singh, and Udai Singh.<ref name="Sarala 1999">{{cite book |last1=Sarala |first1=Śrīkr̥shṇa |title=Indian Revolutionaries A Comprehensive Study, 1757-1961: A Comprehensive Study, 1757-1961, Volume 2 |date=1999 |publisher=Prabhat Prakashan |location=Delhi |isbn=9788187100171 |page=160 |edition=First}}</ref>

Dhanna was assigned to murder Arjan Singh, a [[Village accountant#Patwari|patwari]] (land record officer), who had caused the arrest of Master Mota Singh in June 1922. With the help of Buta Singh and Sadha Singh of Pandori Nijijhrari, he attempted to murder Arjan Singh. Dhanna Singh was also involved in the murders of Buta, [[lambardar]] of Narigal Shaman, Hazara Singh of Bahibalpur, and Labh Singh, a [[mistri]] (master craftsman) of Garhsharikar, who had Kishan Singh Gargajj arrested in February 1923.

==== Murder of Buta Singh ====
Dhanna Singh, Banta Singh from Dhamian, and Santa Singh were armed with pistols. Banta Singh had a bomb, and the rest had various bladed weapons. On reaching Buta Singh's house, Dhanna and Banta Singh scaled the wall of the courtyard. Buta Singh was in the courtyard and challenged them both. They jumped down from the wall. Buta Singh went to the roof of the house. The door was forced open by the two Babbars,{{Clarify|reason=babbars?|date=January 2019}} and Dhanna Singh fired two shots at him. Buta Singh fell off the roof into an adjoining courtyard. Surjan Singh Chobara and Ram Singh (Ram Chand) were sleeping. Surjan Singh tried to plead for his life, but Dhanna struck him with his chhavi.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Waraich |first1=Malwinder Jit |last2=Siddhū |first2=Guradewa |title=The Babbar Akali Case Judgement: From Liberation of Gurdwaras to National Liberation |date=2007 |publisher=Unistar Books |isbn=9788189899530 |page=148}}</ref>

==== Murder of Hazara Singh ====
Near the end of March 1923, Hazara Singh, [[lambardar]] of Bebbalpur (Hoshiarpur), was murdered by Dhanna Singh.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chandra |first1=Ram |title=Ideology and battle cries of Indian revolutionaries |date=1989 |page=79}}</ref> After killing Hazara Singh, he went to the police station to inform them through a poster that Hazara Singh of Behbalpur had been murdered by Dhanna Singh Babbar.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Choudhary |first1=Darshan Lal |title=Violence in the freedom movement of Punjab, 1907-1942 |date=1986 |publisher=B.R. Pub. Corp. |isbn=9788170183327 |page=101}}</ref>{{Clarify|reason=what does "inform them through a poster" mean?|date=January 2019}}

==== Murder of Labh Singh ====
Labh Singh, a [[mistri]], was murdered by Dhanna Singh, Santa Singh, Banta Singh, and Dalipa Singh.<ref name="Waraich 2007">{{cite book |last1=Waraich |first1=Malwinder Jit |last2=Siddhū |first2=Guradewa |title=The Babbar Akali Case Judgement: From Liberation of Gurdwaras to National Liberation |date=2007 |publisher=Unistar Books |isbn=9788189899530 |page=32}}</ref> Dhanna Singh borrowed a pony which was used to carry weaponry and Dalipa Singh.<ref name="Waraich 2007" /> Kartar Singh was arrested for the murder on June 20, 1923.

=== Betrayal by Jwala ===
Jwala Singh was an informer for the British.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Manmath |title=History of the Indian Revolutionary Movement |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.12660 |date=1972 |publisher=Somaiya Publications |page=[https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.12660/page/n126 112]}}</ref> After 18-year-old Daleep Singh and Jwala Singh were arrested, Dhanna Singh asked Jwala Singh about his arrest. Jwala Singh denied having anything to do with Daleep Singh's arrest.<ref name="Sarala 1999" /> Jwala Singh told Dhanna Singh that the police were near and that he should hide outside the village in a sugar cane field. Dhanna Singh hid while Jwala Singh called Subinspector Gulzara Singh to tell him of Dhanna's Singh's whereabouts. Gulzara Singh thought it would be difficult to catch or kill Dhanna Singh in the sugar cane field so he asked Jwala Singh to invite Dhanna Singh into Jwala's house.<ref name="Sarala 1999" /> Police Superintendent A.F. Harton of Hoshiarpur was informed of the plan.

==== Final confrontation ====
On October 25, 1923, Dhanna Singh stayed at Jwala Singh's house. Jwala Singh emptied Dhanna's guns while he was asleep. The police surrounded the house at night,<ref name="Sarala 1999" /> and by the morning, there was a police group of 40 units.<ref name="Siddhū 2007">{{cite book |last1=Siddhū |first1=Guradewa |last2=Waraich |first2=Malwinder Jit |title=The Babbar Akali Case Judgement: From Liberation of Gurdwaras to National Liberation |date=2007 |publisher=Unistar Books |isbn=9788189899530 |page=201}}</ref> Jwala Singh managed to escape. Some sources say that when Dhanna Singh came out of the house, he was hit on the head by Gulzara Singh's lathi. Other sources say that while Dhanna Singh tried to slip away from the attack,<ref name="Siddhū 2007" /> he fell and was arrested and put into handcuffs, his feet into fetters, and had his revolver confiscated. The police mocked Dhanna Singh because he had sworn that nobody would be able to catch him alive.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sarala |first1=Śrīkr̥shṇa |title=Indian Revolutionaries A Comprehensive Study, 1757-1961: A Comprehensive Study, 1757-1961, Volume 2 |date=1999 |publisher=Prabhat Prakashan |location=Delhi |isbn=9788187100171 |page=161 |edition=First}}</ref> Dhanna Singh, with the force of his elbow, blew himself up with the explosives he was carrying. The blast killed seven people; five died on the spot. W.N.P. Jenkins (assistant superintendent)<ref name="Siddhū 2007" /> and Gulzara Singh died immediately. Thanedar and Horton were wounded. Horton died a few days later.{{Clarify|reason=how did these die "on the spot" of two were wounded and one died a few days later?|date=January 2019}} A year after the blast, on October 23, 1924, Governor [[Malcolm Hailey]] raised a monument in memory of Horton and the six policemen who died.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mittal |first1=Satish Chandra |title=Freedom Movement in Punjab, 1905-29 |date=1977 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |page=213}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Dhanna}}
[[Category:1888 births]]
[[Category:1923 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian assassins]]
[[Category:Indian murderers]]
[[Category:Sikh martyrs]]
[[Category:Suicide bombers]]

Dhanna Singh - Revision history

>Cewbot at 10:21, 16 February 2021