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{{Short description|20th century Sikh bandit}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Jagga Jatt
| other_names = Jagga Daku
| honorific_suffix =
| image =
| image_size =
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| native_name =
| birth_name = Jagat Singh
| birth_date = 1901/1902<ref name=pr/>
| birth_place = [[Burj Ran Singh]], [[Lahore District]], [[British India]] (now [[Kasur District]], [[Pakistan]])
| death_date = 1930/1931 (29 years old)
| death_place =
| death_cause =
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| resting_place =
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| monuments =
| citizenship =
| education =
| occupation =
| years_active =
| known_for = [[Wealth redistribution|Robbing from the rich and giving to the poor]]
| notable_works =
| criminal_charge = 
| criminal_penalty =
| criminal_status =
| spouse = Inder Kaur (d.1983)
| children = Gulab Kaur, later renamed to Resham Kaur
| parents = Makhan Singh and Bhagan
| relatives =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Jagga Jatt''' (or '''Jagga Daku'''), originally named '''Jagat Singh''',<ref name=pr>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gb1jAAAAMAAJ&q=Jagga+Sidhu|title=Selected Short Stories|last=Balvant| first=Singh|year=1996|page=132|publisher=Sahitya Akademi |isbn=978-81-7201-687-6 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-tJjAAAAMAAJ&q=Sardar+Jagat+Singh+sidhu|title=Time out stories from punjab| year=2001|page=87|isbn=978-81-87075-90-5 |last1=Mansingh |first1=Jasjit |publisher=Srishti Publishers & Distributors }}</ref> was a notable [[social bandit]] in 20th-century [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]].<ref name=ad>{{cite book |title= The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature, Volume One (A To Devo)|last= Datta|first=Amaresh|year=2006|pages= 988}}</ref><ref name=ps>{{cite book |title= Insurrection to agitation: the Naxalite Movement inb|last= Judge|first=Paramjit S.|year=1992|pages=190 }}</ref><ref name=sa>{{cite book |title=Jagga Daku|last=Jaffri |first=Dr. Syed Akhtar|publisher=Ilmoirfan Publishers }}</ref> He is often remembered as the "Robin Hood of Punjab" due to his reputation for robbing from the rich and giving to the poor,<ref name=jw>{{cite web|url=http://www.jattworld.com/online/tale-jagat-singh-jagga-jatt-robinhood-punjab|title=The Tale of Jagat Singh Jagga (The Robin Hood of Punjab)|publisher=www.jattworld.com|access-date=2 Mar 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514113028/http://www.jattworld.com/online/tale-jagat-singh-jagga-jatt-robinhood-punjab|archive-date=14 May 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> much like the legendary [[Robin Hood]].

==Early life==
Jagga, born as Jagat Singh in 1901 or 1902, came from a [[Virk|Virk Jat]] family in Dasuwal, Punjab, then part of [[British India]].<ref name=pr/><ref name=js>{{cite web|url=http://www.jattsite.com/jatt/jattshkhsiatan/001jsh-jagga-harnek-ghrhuan-nov2005.html|title='ਜੱਗੇ ਜੱਟ' ਦੇ ਜੀਵਨ ਦਾ ਸੰਖੇਪ ਲੇਖ|author=ਘੜੂੰਆਂ, ਹਰਨੇਕ ਸਿੰਘ|work=Biographical article in Punjabi from Khalsa Fatehnama (Nov. 2005)|publisher=www.jattsite.com|access-date=3 Mar 2012}}</ref> Before Jagga was born, his parents, [[Sardar]] Makhan Singh Virk and Bhagan, had six children, but none of them survived.<ref name="unp">{{cite web|url=http://www.unp.me/f16/all-about-jagga-jatt-63388/|title=All about JAGGA JATT|date=16 Dec 2009|publisher=www.unp.me|access-date=12 Mar 2012}}</ref> Seeking help, Makhan went to a [[Sant (religion)|sant]] named Inder Singh in the nearby village of Sodhi Wala. Inder instructed him to purchase a male goat before the birth of the next child and to ensure that the newborn touched it. The saint also warned him not to give the baby a name starting with the letter "J".<ref name="mk">{{cite web|url=http://www.mediakukarpind.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12621&Itemid=69|title=ਜੱਗੇ ਜੱਟ ਨੂੰ ਯਾਦ ਕਰਦਿਆਂ|work=A journalist's interview with the subject's only daughter|publisher=www.mediakukarpind.com|access-date=2 Mar 2012}}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=unp/> It is said that when Makhan followed Inder's advice, the newborn survived, and the buck died shortly after being touched by the child. However, despite this development, an uncle of the child insisted on naming him ''Jagat'', ignoring the saint's warning.

Jagga's father died when he was still a young child, so he was raised by his mother, Bhagan, and uncle, Roop Singh [[Sidhu]].<ref name=js/><ref name=mk/>
Jagga developed a strong passion for [[wrestling]] and often practiced at the village [[akhara]] with his friend Sohan [[Teli]]. Jagga later married Inder Kaur from the nearby village of [[Talwandi]], and the couple had a daughter named Gulab Kaur. Jagga owned 10 Murabbas (~250 acres) of land, so his uncle and mother did not expect him to do much physical labor.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

==Appearance and personality==
Jagga Jatt was known for his strong physique, medium height, wheatish complexion, distinctive double-ringed mustache, and fiercely independent personality.<ref name=js/><ref name=jw/><ref name=unp/>

On one occasion, Jagga physically overpowered the proud [[Nakai Misl|Nakai]] brothers who lived in the village of his in-laws. In another incident, he had a heated argument with a [[patwari]] who refused to provide information about his land, leading to him scattering the official record books in protest, scaring the officer into complying.<ref name=mk/><ref name=jw/><ref name=unp/> These bold acts, combined with his strength and fearless nature, made Jagga a well-known and admired figure in the surrounding villages.

==Becoming an outlaw==
Jagga's growing popularity in the region drew the envy of the [[Zaildar]] of [[Mokal|Kal Mokal]] village. Feeling his authority being challenged by Jagga's influence, the Zaildar had him falsely accused and imprisoned for four years.<ref name=mk/><ref name=unp/><ref name=jw/> After Jagga's release and return home, a theft occurred in the nearby village of [[Phool Nagar|Bhai Pheru]]. Seizing the opportunity to target him again, the Zaildar, along with his ally Inspector Asgar Ali, falsely linked Jagga to the incident. The inspector summoned him to the station for questioning.<ref name=jw/><ref name=unp/> Hearing this, Jagga went into hiding and was soon declared an [[outlaw]].<ref name=mk/><ref name=jw/>

Enraged by the continued harassment from the police, Jagga took matters into his own hands. At the village of Kanganpur, he snatched a rifle from a policeman and killed him. From that moment on, he was branded a [[bandit]]. However, Jagga didn’t turn to crime for personal gain—he targeted only the wealthy, using the stolen goods to help the poor and needy.<ref name=js/><ref name=mk/><ref name=jw/><ref name=unp/>

His first act of banditry took place in the village of Ghumiari, located on the border of Kasur and Lahore districts. Along with his companions Jhanda Singh Nirmal Ke and Thakur Singh Mandeyali, he raided the home of a goldsmith. They took the gold and burned the account books that recorded the debts of poor villagers.<ref name=jw/><ref name=unp/>

Jagga later formed a loyal band of outlaws. His core group included Banta Singh, his childhood friend Sohan Teli, Lalu Nai (who served as the group’s cook), Bholu and Bawa.<ref name=mk/><ref name=jw/><ref name=unp/>

==Death==
Ultimately, Jagga was betrayed by one of his fellow rebels, Lalu Nai, dying at the young age of 29.

While visiting the village of [[Sidhupur]] to pay his respects to the grieving blind mother of another infamous bandit, a [[Muslim]] named [[Malangi (bandit)|Mallangi]], Jagga decided to spend the noon there.<ref name=jw/> He asked Lalu Nai, the cook, to prepare a meal. Lalu, however, plotted against him and called his brothers from a nearby village, hoping to claim the reward for Jagga's death.<ref name=js/><ref name=mk/><ref name=unp/> Lalu suggested they share some wine before eating. Jagga and his companion Banta agreed, but Sohan Teli declined, saying he had to visit a friend in a nearby village. After Jagga and Banta became intoxicated and fell asleep beneath a [[banyan]] tree,<ref name=mk/><ref name=jw/><ref name=unp/> Lalu and his brothers took advantage of the moment and shot them.<ref name=js/><ref name=mk/><ref name=jw/><ref name=unp/> Hearing the gunfire, Sohan returned, but when he saw the bloody scene and tried to confront Lalu, he too was shot and killed.

This event is commemorated in a Punjabi folk song:<ref name=js/><ref name=mk/>
{{cquote|ਜੱਗਾ ਵੱਢਿਆ ਬੋਹੜ ਦੀ ਛਾਂਵੇਂ, ਨੌ ਮਣ ਰੇਤ ਭਿੱਜ ਗਈ, ਪੂਰਨਾ, ਨਾਈਆਂ ਨੇ ਵੱਢ ਛੱਡਿਆ, ਜੱਗਾ ਸੂਰਮਾ।}}

;Transliteration: Jagga waddhia boharh di chhaven, Nau man ret bhijj gai poorna, Naeeaan ne waddh chhaddia jagga soorma.

;Translation: Jagga was slain under the shade of the banyan tree, Nine maunds of sand soaked with blood, Poorna, The [[Nai (caste)|Nai]]s cut down the brave Jagga.

==Family==
Jagga had only one daughter named Gulab Kaur, affectionately nicknamed ''Gabbo''.<ref name=jag1>[http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/rebel-chaser-from-gurdaspur-who-penned-dullah-bhatti-jagga-dakku/story-madZRvJOKKWjWzsSZ9yXRO.html Chasing rebels, Hindustan Times, 2015]</ref> After her marriage, her in-laws renamed her Resham Kaur. Jagga had arranged her marriage to Avtar Singh, the nephew of his fellow [[dacoit]] and close friend Kehar Singh.<ref name=js/><ref name=mk/>
Avtar died in 2005 in Banwala Anu village, located in the [[Malout]] tehsil of [[Sri Muktsar Sahib district]]. Jagga's daughter continues to reside there.<ref name=js/><ref name=jw/> Her interviews have been featured in several newspapers over the years. Jagga's wife, Inder Kaur, also died in Banwala Anu in 1983.<ref name=mk/> His great-grandnephew, Durga Singh Arifke, was a notable militant associated with [[Avtar Singh Brahma]]'s [[Tat Khalsa]] and the [[Khalistan Liberation Force]] during the [[Insurgency in Punjab, India|Punjab Insurgency]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shaheed Bhai Durga Singh Arifke – 1984 Tribute |url=https://www.1984tribute.com/shaheed-bhai-durga-singh-arifke/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=www.1984tribute.com}}</ref>

==In popular media==
Jagga remains a prominent heroic figure celebrated in Punjabi and [[Bollywood]] media. His story has inspired a few Punjabi movies, such as [[Jagga (film)|''Jagga'']] starring [[Dara Singh]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/punjabi/movie-details/jagga/movieshow/67176809.cms| title=Jagga (1964 film) - cast, crew and awards won by this film|newspaper=Times of India newspaper|date=20 December 2018|access-date=15 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250215181732/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/punjabi/movie-details/jagga/movieshow/67176809.cms|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 February 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Robin Hood]]
* [[Dulla Bhatti]]
*[[Malangi (bandit)|Malangi]]
* [[Paan Singh Tomar]]
* [[Phoolan Devi]]
* [[Seema Parihar]]
* [[Veerappan]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jatt, Jagga}}
[[Category:Indian robbers]]
[[Category:Indian outlaws]]
[[Category:Deaths by firearm in India]]
[[Category:People from Punjab Province (British India)]]
[[Category:People from Kasur District]]
[[Category:Rebels from British India]]

Jagga Jatt - Revision history

Imteenu at 22:59, 7 February 2026