Reflections by Jaspal Singh about
Baba Bhuja Singh: A Ghadaritte turned nixalite who was killed by Indian Establishment
in july 1970
Fifty years ago today, Baba Bujha Singh was murdered by Punjab police, at the ripe age of 80, on the orders of the government. On July ,27, 1970, as he was bicycling on a road near a small village called Nagar, a police Jeep hit him. He fell down. Seeing police, he shouted “ I am Bujha Singh of Chak Mai Dass” ,so the passers by would know what police is doing. This was standard training of the Ghadar Party, that if one is caught by police in a public place , they should let everyone know. Police pulled him into Jeep and took him to Philaur fort, which had been turned into torture center by the police. In the morning his body was found on a small bridge on a Canal near by and the government announced that he had been killed in an Encounter with the police. The news of his arrest spread like a wild fire. Couple of passers by had seen the whole thing. Thousands of people surrounded the police station and forced the police to hand over his body to the family and they cremated him in his village on a plot of land. A memorial stands there now, where people gather every year on his anniversary . Justice Tarkunde carried out inquiry but no one has been punished to this day for his and thousands of others that were murdered by police during those days.
Baba Bujha Singh was an inspiring and towering figure in the independence movement. My grandfather had often talked about him, as our village was one of the main centers of Ghadar Party. He was born in the earlier part of the 20th century. In his twenties he went to Shanghai, worked there for sometime and took a ship to Argentina, where one of his relatives Bhagat Singh Bilga was working. Argentinian economy was better than the US those days , so many Punjabis went there.Argentina had a very active branch of Ghadar Party. Bujha Singh soon became one of its leaders and travelled across Latin America with Baba Ratan Singh, another leader of Ghadar Party, who was traveling across the world organizing the Indian immigrants abroad. After working in Rosario, Argentina for sometime, he led a group of Ghadarites to Moscow, to study at University of Peoples of the East. They walked for 18 days to Bolivia to board a ship to go to Soviet Union.
In Moscow he studied for two years, learnt Russian, German, English and mastered political science, economics and history. Here he met many anti colonial leaders from all across the world and leaders of Soviet Union. He returned to India via China and joined the anti colonial revolutionary movement. He was arrested and tortured in Lahore fort. After his release he continued his revolutionary activities. He edited Kirti, a newspaper of the Ghadar Party. One of the regular contributors was Bhagat Singh. When the Ghadar Party joined Communist Party of India, he became one of its leaders. He was instrumental in arranging the escape of Subhash Chandra Bose to Kabul. After transfer of power in 1947, he was in and out of prisons during the reign of Nehru. He was Vice President of All India Kisan Sabha.
He was very critical of Soviet Union. In a speech in 1958, he predicted that the Soviet Union will break into pieces because it’s leaders were following counter revolutionary and chauvinist policies. CPI leadership did not like his assessment . Those days CP(I) leaders used to put their umbrellas up , if it rained in Moscow. He left the party. When CPI ( M) was formed , he joined it but again left when the leadership of CPI(M) carried out anti people policies in Bengal . He supported the Naxalbari uprising , along with Baba Sohan Singh Bhakhna, founder president of Ghadar Party and when CPI(M-L) was formed he was elected one of its main leaders in Punjab. He would bicycle from village to village speaking at study circles. Amongst the people he was a legend and inspired the youth. He was specially popular amongst Dalits , because of struggle against caste oppression and was nicknamed by upper caste Congress and Akali leaders as “ leader of Chamars”.
I met him in earlier part of 1970, when some students had organized a study circle in a village just outside Chandigarh. He explained to us what state is. He also explained what liberal Democracy was. I still remember him saying,” It is like two robbers, who take turns in robbing you and beating you, every five years you get to choose which robber is going to rob you and beat you”. He had tremendous knowledge of world affairs, philosophy, history and economy. I remember we were just awed by his presence, practice, knowledge and life.
Years later when I met Hardip and found out that she was his grand daughter, I remember, that study circle that I had been to , once again came so vividly in front of my eyes. As I write these lines, I can still see him in the yard of a mud house. His bicycle standing on the side, surrounded by many youth and elderly people sitting on a cot, talking and explaining many issues of the time. White beard,white turban, white Kurta, great sense of humor and a lot of patience for our impatient questions. Life and work of Baba Bujha Singh will live and be remembered by people for times to come.
On the 50th anniversary of Baba Bujha Singh’s state sanctioned murder,my heart goes out to revolutionary Telugu poet Varavara Rao, he is also same age as Baba Bujha Singh, who has been incarcerated for writing poetry and exposing the draconian rule of the Indian ruling elite. All the Bhima Koregaon, prisoners who have been imprisoned and tortured for raising their voice against tyranny, they are carrying out legacy of Baba Bujha Singh and all others who have sacrificed for the cause of justice and dignity. Jalib Sahib’s defiant words come to mind:
Chup Rahne Pe Sazaa Hai Yahan
Hamne To Phir Bhi Kucch Kaha Hai
(People are punished even for silence
We have said quite a bit)
20th July 2020
Further Readings
Inked in red
At the auditorium hall of the Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, a crowd of 100 odd people (mostly youngsters dressed in kurtas, denims, and Kohlapuri chappals, with gamchas around their necks) marked their attendance at a lecture organised by Lokayat—a people’s movement solidarity group.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/lifestyle/inked-in-red-444014
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