Fateh Singh (Sikh leader)
Encyclopedia
Fateh Singh was an India
n Sikh
religious and political leader, and a key figure in the Punjabi Suba
movement. He was revered as Sant Fateh Singh among his followers.
of Punjab. Fateh Singh did not have any formal schooling, but he started learning to read and write Punjabi language
at the age of 13. He expressed deep interest in the Sikh scriptures
, as a result of which his father apprenticed him to a Sikh scholar named Ishar Singh. Later, Fateh Singh migrated to the Ganganagar
in the princely state of Bikaner (now in Rajasthan
). He toured the nearby villages, preaching the Sikh faith. He also promoted education among the citizens, and established several gurdwara
s and schools, besides an orphanage.
entered politics when he started supporting the concept of "Punjabi Suba
", a separate state for the Punjabi speakers in India. By the late 1950s, Fateh Singh had become the senior vice-president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, and had led several marches supporting the Punjabi Suba movement. On 18 December 1960, he started a fast-unto-death
in support of his demand. Several prominent Indian leaders tried to convince him to abandon his fast. He ended his fast on 9 January 1961, after the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
issued a statement indicating the support for establishment of a Punjabi Suba. Paul R. Brass, the Professor Emeritus of Political Science and South Asian Studies at the University of Washington, opines that the Sikh leader Fateh Singh
tactically stressed the linguistic basis of the demand, while downplaying the religious basis for the demand—a state where the distinct Sikh identity could be preserved.
In July 1962, Fateh Singh broke away from the prominent Sikh leader Master Tara Singh
, and formed his own Akali Dal. On 2 October 1962, his party gained control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee
. In the Gurdwara elections on 17 January 1965, Fateh Singh's party annexed 90 of the seats, while Master Tara Singh's party could manage only 45.
After a few unsatisfactory meetings with Nehru, on 16 August 1965, Fateh Singh threatened another fast-undo-death and self-immolation, if a Punjabi Suba was not created. However, after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
broke out, he decided to postpone his fast, and asked his followers to support the government in this need of hour.
After the war ended, the Government of India set up a Cabinet Committee consisting of Indira Gandhi
, Mahavir Tyagi
and Yashwantrao Chavan
to consider the Punjabi Suba proposal. On Fateh Singh's request, a Parliamentary Consultative Committee headed by the Lok Sabha
speaker Sardar Hukam Singh
was also constituted for the same purpose. The report of the Hukam Singh committee was made public on 18 January 1966, recommending the reorganization of the Punjab state on linguistic basis. When Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister after Lal Bahadur Shastri
's death, she agreed to the Punjabi Suba proposal. On 3 September 1966, the Punjab Reorganization Bill was introduced in the Lok Sahha and the modern Punjab state came into being on 1 November 1966.
However, Fateh Singh was not happy about Chandigarh
and some other Punjabi-speaking areas being left out of Punjab. He threatened a fast starting from 17 December 1966 and self-immolation on 27 December 1966, if his demands were not met. Hukam Singh and Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir (the Chief Minister of the Punjab) persuaded him to end his fast on behalf of Indira Gandhi, and Fateh Singh ended his fast on 27 December 1966.
Fateh Singh's influence began to decline in the late 1960s. He started another fast-unto-death on 26 January 1970, demanding the inclusion of Chandigarh into Punjab, but ended it on 30 January. He announced his retirement from politics on 25 March 1972, and died in Amritsar
a few months later, on 30 October 1972.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
religious and political leader, and a key figure in the Punjabi Suba
Punjabi Suba
Punjabi Suba was a proposed state in northwest India. It was proposed by Shiromani Akali Dal in 1966. The Punjabi Suba movement resulted in the trifurcation of the East Punjab into three states: Punjab , Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.-References:...
movement. He was revered as Sant Fateh Singh among his followers.
Early days
Fateh Singh was the son of Channan Singh, a resident of Badiala in Bathinda districtBathinda District
Bathinda district is in Punjab, India. The districts encompasses an area of 3,344 square kilometres. It is bounded by Faridkot district on the north, Mukatsar district on the west, Barnala and Mansa districts on the east, and the state of Haryana on the south...
of Punjab. Fateh Singh did not have any formal schooling, but he started learning to read and write Punjabi language
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
at the age of 13. He expressed deep interest in the Sikh scriptures
Sikh scriptures
The principal Sikh scripture is the Adi Granth , more commonly called the Guru Granth Sahib. The Sikhs do not regard this as their "holy book" but as their perpetual and current "Guru", Guide or Master...
, as a result of which his father apprenticed him to a Sikh scholar named Ishar Singh. Later, Fateh Singh migrated to the Ganganagar
Ganganagar
Sri Ganganagar , also called Ganganagar , is the northernmost city of Rajasthan in western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Ganganagar District.-History:...
in the princely state of Bikaner (now in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
). He toured the nearby villages, preaching the Sikh faith. He also promoted education among the citizens, and established several gurdwara
Gurdwara
A Gurdwara , meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib ....
s and schools, besides an orphanage.
Punjabi Suba movement
In the 1950s, Fateh SinghFateh Singh
Fateh Singh can refer to:* Maharana Fateh Singh, the King of Udaipur and Mewar* Sahibzada Fateh Singh, the youngest of Guru Gobind Singh's four sons* Fateh Singh , a Sikh leader from India, revered as Sant Fateh Singh...
entered politics when he started supporting the concept of "Punjabi Suba
Punjabi Suba
Punjabi Suba was a proposed state in northwest India. It was proposed by Shiromani Akali Dal in 1966. The Punjabi Suba movement resulted in the trifurcation of the East Punjab into three states: Punjab , Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.-References:...
", a separate state for the Punjabi speakers in India. By the late 1950s, Fateh Singh had become the senior vice-president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, and had led several marches supporting the Punjabi Suba movement. On 18 December 1960, he started a fast-unto-death
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
in support of his demand. Several prominent Indian leaders tried to convince him to abandon his fast. He ended his fast on 9 January 1961, after the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
issued a statement indicating the support for establishment of a Punjabi Suba. Paul R. Brass, the Professor Emeritus of Political Science and South Asian Studies at the University of Washington, opines that the Sikh leader Fateh Singh
Fateh Singh
Fateh Singh can refer to:* Maharana Fateh Singh, the King of Udaipur and Mewar* Sahibzada Fateh Singh, the youngest of Guru Gobind Singh's four sons* Fateh Singh , a Sikh leader from India, revered as Sant Fateh Singh...
tactically stressed the linguistic basis of the demand, while downplaying the religious basis for the demand—a state where the distinct Sikh identity could be preserved.
In July 1962, Fateh Singh broke away from the prominent Sikh leader Master Tara Singh
Master Tara Singh
Master Tara Singh Malhotra was a prominent Sikh political and religious leader in the first half of the 20th century...
, and formed his own Akali Dal. On 2 October 1962, his party gained control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee
Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is an organization in India responsible for the upkeep of gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in three states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. SGPC also administers Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar. Gurdwaras in Delhi are the administered by Delhi Sikh...
. In the Gurdwara elections on 17 January 1965, Fateh Singh's party annexed 90 of the seats, while Master Tara Singh's party could manage only 45.
After a few unsatisfactory meetings with Nehru, on 16 August 1965, Fateh Singh threatened another fast-undo-death and self-immolation, if a Punjabi Suba was not created. However, after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
broke out, he decided to postpone his fast, and asked his followers to support the government in this need of hour.
After the war ended, the Government of India set up a Cabinet Committee consisting of Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
, Mahavir Tyagi
Mahavir Tyagi
Mahavir Tyagi was an Indian independence fighter and famous parliamentarian from the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.Early life=Tyagi was educated in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. He joined the British Indian Army and was posted in Persia but resigned after the Amritsar Massacre, or Jallianwala Bagh...
and Yashwantrao Chavan
Yashwantrao Chavan
Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan was the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra after the division of Bombay State and the fifth Deputy Prime Minister of India. He was a strong Congress leader, Cooperative leader, social activist and writer. He was popularly known as Leader of Common People...
to consider the Punjabi Suba proposal. On Fateh Singh's request, a Parliamentary Consultative Committee headed by the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
speaker Sardar Hukam Singh
Sardar Hukam Singh
Sardar Hukam Singh was an Indian politician and the speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1962 to 1967. He was also governor of Rajasthan from 1967 to 1972.-Early life:...
was also constituted for the same purpose. The report of the Hukam Singh committee was made public on 18 January 1966, recommending the reorganization of the Punjab state on linguistic basis. When Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister after Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Srivastava Shastri was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of India and a significant figure in the Indian independence movement.-Early life:...
's death, she agreed to the Punjabi Suba proposal. On 3 September 1966, the Punjab Reorganization Bill was introduced in the Lok Sahha and the modern Punjab state came into being on 1 November 1966.
However, Fateh Singh was not happy about Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
and some other Punjabi-speaking areas being left out of Punjab. He threatened a fast starting from 17 December 1966 and self-immolation on 27 December 1966, if his demands were not met. Hukam Singh and Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir (the Chief Minister of the Punjab) persuaded him to end his fast on behalf of Indira Gandhi, and Fateh Singh ended his fast on 27 December 1966.
Fateh Singh's influence began to decline in the late 1960s. He started another fast-unto-death on 26 January 1970, demanding the inclusion of Chandigarh into Punjab, but ended it on 30 January. He announced his retirement from politics on 25 March 1972, and died in Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
a few months later, on 30 October 1972.