It happened on 20th February 1921. Hundreds of unarmed Sikhs – old and young – were brutally murdered without an iota of remorse. Half dead were tied to the trees and set on fire. Those injured in firing or otherwise were cut to several pieces with swords and spears, and were burnt in fire ignited with kerosene oil and char-wood. One person who rushed to the spot after hearing the gunshots was also assassinated and put in alive into a brick kiln. A varied account of the casualties has been given. By an estimate it was between 100 and 150. A government report gives it as 130, whereas, one S. Charan Singh, a police Inspector, who counted the bodies after taking into account all the limbs collected and arranged gave the figures as 156. Another report has given the figure at 86. The confusion occurred because the bodies of almost all the Sikhs were so badly cut into pieces and were taken out from half burnt cluster (dher) of dead bodies, that virtually rendered impossible to count their numbers. This all happened within the precincts of Nankana Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak, who preached and practiced love for all and spread the message of brotherhood and peace throughout his life.

The modern reader, otherwise not well versed with Sikh History, at the very first instance might not believe that such brutal and sacrilegious acts took place within the precincts of the holiest place of BABA NANAK, and then would be very eager to know about the cause of such happenings.

So far asthe authenticity of this tragedy is concerned, there is not any iota of untruth or doubt. The happening occurred less than hundred years ago, and as such is an act of recent past, and is recorded by several historians, other contemporary writers, in government records and even it has been incorporated in our daily ARDAS, as we remember all the martyrs related to the massacre daily in our gurdwaras and in our homes while praying to the Almighty.

Causes for the happening may be classified as immediate and remote or distant ones.

The immediate cause or causes were rather the defiant and sacrilegious acts being committed by the Mahant of the Gurdwara and his coterie of priests.

The background may be summarised as under:

Mahant Narain Das, (the person, within whose control the gurdwara was), regarded the gurdwara as his own personal estate He indulged in all types of immoral acts within the precincts of the Gurdwara Janam Asthan, in the footsteps of his predecessor his predecessor Kishan Dass. Despite having given a word of honour to a Sikh congregation, in the presence of a magistrate, that he will not repeat any misdeeds, which had been committed or resorted to by his predecessor, he kept low caste (Mohammedan Mirasi) women within the premises indulging in all types of immoral acts.

It is also recorded that once a retired officer who came on a pilgrimage (darshan) to the Gurdwara along with his family was given a room and when evening prayers were going on in the gurdwara, one granthi (priest) was found outraging the modesty of his daughter.

In another incident six women who went to the gurdwara on a Puran Mashi (Full moon night) were molested by the granthis (priests).

Such types of acts were being repeated and the gurdwara had become a center of immoral acts, opium and other drug related crimes, hooliganism, etc.

The Sikh Sangat, having tolerated such acts for a number of years, could not remain indifferent for an indefinite period. In a congregation specially held in Dharowal, district Shiekhpura (now in Pakistan), in October 1920, the stock of the situation was taken. People, in general, were informed by the speakers, about the misdeeds of the Mahant. It was unanimously resolved that the Mahant be advised to mend his ways, and stop his misadventures.

The Mahant, instead of respecting the sangat started taking counter measures for which a fund of about Rupees 40 to 50 thousand was also raised. A convention of so-called Sants and Mahants was called in Nankana Sahib and it was resolved to challenge the Akalis, who had come on the forefront by then, in a united manner. To propagate his cause, he forcefully published and distributed one newspaper titled 'Sant Sewak'.

A committee from Akal Takht Sahib sent two directives to the Mahant on 23rd January and 6th February in 1921, in which the all-powerful Sikh temporal authority advised him to mend his ways and improve the management of the Gurdwara. The Mahant, instead of taking some corrective measures, intensified his preparations to counter any probable Sikh or Akali attack. He called a meeting of his supporters on 7th February and took certain decisions. As per one report the Mahant collected 14 tins of kerosene oil and several types of arms and ammunition. He reinforced the gates and got holes made in them so that bullets could be fired through them.

The Akalis in a meeting at Layallpur on February 17 resolved that two Jathas, one led by Bhai Lachhman Singh and the other by Bhai Kartar Singh Jhabbar, will meet at village Chanderkot, a few miles away from Nankana Sahib, on the evening of February 19th and reach Nankana Sahib on the next day.

The Mahant who was a very clever person and had got his own guards spread the word that on the 20th he would be leaving town to attend a conference at Lahore. The Akalis, too, got the inkling and decided to postpone the date of march to the Gurdwara to a future date to be decided by the Panth. Bhai Kartar Singh was present in the meeting and it was decided to send a special messenger to Bhai Lachhman Singh, informing him about the revised decision and to stop him from proceeding to Nankana Sahib with his jatha.

According to the predetermined plan, Bhai Lachhman Singh started with a squad of 150 brave persons. This squad started from Chanderkot for Nankana Sahib in the morning. Before starting the march Bhai Lachhman Singh performed the prayer (ardas) and got a word from the members of the jatha not to strike but to lay down their lives peacefully. They were advised to remain non-violent even at the face of the gravest provocation from the opposite side.

Just after the prayer when the squad was about to move, Bhai Waryam Singh intercepted them and showed them the letter about the latest decision of the Panth and advised them not to move. Bhai Tehal Singh a member of the Jatha, did not relent and took the squad along with him, saying that since they have performed the Ardas, and resolved to lay down their lives for restoring the sanctity of the Gurdwara, they could not go back from their resolve and prayer (Ardas).

The Khalsas reached Nankana Sahib in the early morning of 20th February, took bath in the Sarovar and entered the Gurdwara. Bhai Lachhman Singh sat in tabiya (in attendance of Guru Granth Sahib) and the others were sitting in front as sangat.

The Mahant, having prior information through his own intelligence had prepared and deployed his men accordingly. Within minutes he signaled. Things started moving. His men, who were sitting in the congregation, started moving one by one. The gate was closed. In no time the firing started from the roofs of the rooms. The Singhs started falling spontaneously. 26 died in the courtyard and about 60 were shot inside the Gurdwara within the presence (Hazoori) of Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Even Guru Granth Sahib was not spared. Several bullets were fired at the sacred Bir. The matter did not end there. When the Mahant's men saw that the Khalsas were incapacitated, they came down with swords and choppers and cut the half dead or the persons still breathing, into pieces.

The gunshots were heard far off in the city. Bhai Dalip Singh and Bhai Waryam Singh who were sitting in the factory of Bhai Uttam Singh came rushing. Bhai Dalip Singh was shot dead and Bhai Waryam Singh was hacked to pieces. The bodies of some of the Singhs were put into an adjoining kiln and were put to flames. The bodies of these two persons too were thrown into the same. A twelve-year-old son of Kehar Singh, a martyr (a resident of village Zarag, district Ludhiana) was put alive into the fire. The Mahant ordered that no Keshadhari Sikh should be found alive up to the railway station. Kerosene oil was sprinkled on the living or dead and were put to flames. Bhai Lachhman Singh was tied to a tree and burnt alive. Thus, hundreds of Sikhs watched the misdeeds, sins and acts of sacriliage committed by the Mahant and his men, with their blood in a most peaceful manner despite the gravest provocation.

Bhai Uttam Singh informed of this heinous measure to all the Government authorities and other Sikh leaders by telegram or otherwise. Various Sikh leaders and the government authorities arrived in no time.

Coming to know of the incident, Bhai Kartar Singh Jhabbar with a jatha of about 80 to 90 Sikhs too started for Nankana Sahib immediately with a mission to get the Gurdwara freed from the clutches of the Mahant, or to face martyrdom. By the time his jatha reached Nankana Sahib, thousands of others too had reached and there was a very big crowd. Seeing the situation, Mr. King, the then Deputy Commissioner of Shiekhupura, handed over the keys of the gurdwara to Sikh leaders who included S. Harbans Singh Attari, S. Mehtab Singh, Baba Kehar Singh Patti, S. Teja Singh Samundri, Master Tara Singh, besides Bhai Kartar Singh Jhabbar.The news spread like wildfire in the entire country. Mahatma Gandhi reached Nankana Sahib on 3rd March 1921 to pay obeisance to the martyrs. Lala Lajpat Rai, Maulana Shaukat Ali, and some other leaders of national eminence too reached.

Everybody condemned the genocide of such a big magnitude. All were sure that the mahant alone did not have the courage to resort to such an act, but he had done this with the connivance and at the behest, and encouragement and active support, of the Government of the day.

The Government too wished to eliminate the Akalis or to minimize their influence as they were proving to be the main challenge to their authority and was very active in the freedom struggle. Its designs were exposed in no time. As the cases were filed and prosecuted the Mahant was awarded death sentence. The same was converted to Kala Paani (exile to Port Blair). But he served the sentence in Delhi only. Others accused were given very minor sentences and terms of imprisonment.

In contrast, about 100 Sikhs were arrested, on charges of dacoity, house breaking and unlawful assembly. In the first case, Jathedar Teja Singh Bhuchhar was awarded a total of seven years of imprisonment on different counts. Others were awarded between three and four years. In the second case, S. Lahora Singh was awarded 9 years, three Akalis were awarded three years each and 16 others with two years term of rigorous imprisonment.

In a third case S. Kartar Singh Jhabbar was awarded a total term of 18 years on different counts. His other colleagues were also wantonly punished.

All these reflected the attitude of the Imperial government towards the Akalis, the peaceful unarmed satyagrahis who fought for a most noble and pious cause of getting their gurdwara freed from the clutches of the Mahant who along with his employees or colleagues was indulging in nefarious and immoral acts in the holiest place of the Sikhs.

Heads bow in reverence to the martyrs who laid down their lives or otherwise faced different terms of rigorous imprisonments. The entire Panth will remember their sacrifices for ever, as the religious and political leadership of the day included this Saka, - the massacre - in our daily Ardas.