DECLARE BASSI PATHANA JAIL A GURDWARA, SAYS BIR DEVINDER

Former deputy speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Bir Devinder Singh on Thursday met Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president of Bibi Jagir Kaur in Chandigarh and discussed the historic relevance of an old jail in Bassi Pathana of Fatehgarh Sahib district.

He presented historic references which cited that Guru Teg Bahadur and his disciples -- Bhai Sati Dass, Bhai Mati Dass and Bhai Dayala -- were kept in the Bassi Pathana jail after their arrest from Malikpur Rangran village, near Pargana of Ghanaola in 1732. They had been arrested

by the then daroga (inspector) of Ropar police post, Noor Mohamad Khan Mirza and thereafter produced before the Haqam (administrator) of Sirhind. The administrator of Sirhind had sent a dispatch to Lahore to seek Emperor Aurangzeb’s command in the matter. Aurangzeb had directed the governor of Lahore to allow Guru Teg Bahadur and his accomplices hassle-free travel to Delhi. The entire process of communication took almost four months, and during this time, Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib and his followers were kept in custody at Bassi Pathana. “There is an old Gurdwara in the memory of Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib, adjacent to the ancient jail in Bassi Pathana which stands testimony and validates the historical facts. This incident has been cited by eminent Sikh historians of exalted eminence such as Dr Ganda Singh, Dr Kirpal Singh, Dr Fauja Singh and Prof Piara Singh Padam in their selected works on Guru Teg Bahadur,” added Bir Devinder Singh. He said it was sad that such a prominent journey of the ninth Guru had escaped the appropriate notice of SGPC for all these years.