Who is Jagtar Singh Tara? Wiki, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

May 2024 · 9 minute read

Jagtar Singh Tara (born 16 May 1973, Age: 50 years old) is a Sikh militant and a member of the Babbar Khalsa, a banned terrorist organization that seeks to create an independent Sikh state of Khalistan. He is best known for his involvement in the assassination of Beant Singh, the 12th Chief Minister of Punjab, who was killed by a human bomb in 1995.

He is also notorious for his escape from the high-security Burail jail in 2004, along with three other prisoners, by digging a tunnel with bare hands. He was recaptured in 2005 and is currently serving a life sentence at Tihar Jail in New Delhi. He was declared as the Jathedar (leader) of the Akal Takht, the highest seat of authority in Sikhism, by a Sarbat Khalsa (congregation of Sikhs) in 2015, but this declaration is disputed and unrecognized by the official Sikh body, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

Early Life and Background

Jagtar Singh Tara was born on 16 May 1973 in Hawara, a village in Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab. His mother’s name is Narinder Kaur. He was influenced by the Sikh militancy that erupted in the 1980s in response to Operation Blue Star, a military action by the Indian government to flush out Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine of Sikhism, in 1984.

He joined the Babbar Khalsa, a radical group founded by Sukhdev Singh Babbar, who was killed by the police in 1992. He became a close associate of Jagtar Singh Hawara, another prominent member of the Babbar Khalsa, who later became the chief of the organization.

Assassination of Beant Singh

On 31 August 1995, Beant Singh, the Chief Minister of Punjab, who was credited with restoring peace and order in the state after a decade of violence and insurgency, was assassinated by a suicide bomber outside the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. The bomber was identified as Dilawar Singh Babbar, a member of the Babbar Khalsa, who detonated explosives strapped to his body as Beant Singh’s car approached.

The blast killed 17 people, including Beant Singh and Dilawar Singh, and injured 15 others. Jagtar Singh Tara, along with Jagtar Singh Hawara and Paramjit Singh Bheora, were the masterminds of the conspiracy. They had planned the attack for months, procured the explosives, arranged the logistics, and recruited Dilawar Singh as the human bomb. They had also prepared a backup bomber, Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was to carry out the mission in case Dilawar Singh failed. However, Rajoana did not get a chance to act, as Dilawar Singh succeeded in his mission.

Arrest and Trial

The police launched a massive manhunt to nab the culprits of the assassination. Jagtar Singh Tara was arrested on 27 September 1995 from a bus stand in Patiala. He was taken to the Burail jail in Chandigarh, where he was lodged with Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjit Singh Bheora, and Devi Singh, a murder accused who worked as a cook for them.

They were charged with murder, conspiracy, and waging war against the state. The trial began in 1997 and lasted for 10 years. In 2007, the Chandigarh court convicted Jagtar Singh Tara, along with Jagtar Singh Hawara and Paramjit Singh Bheora, and sentenced them to death. Balwant Singh Rajoana, who had confessed to his role and refused to defend himself, was also given the death penalty.

Devi Singh was acquitted for lack of evidence. The convicts appealed to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which in 2010 commuted the death sentences of Jagtar Singh Tara, Jagtar Singh Hawara, and Paramjit Singh Bheora to life imprisonment while upholding the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana. The case is still pending in the Supreme Court of India.

Jagtar Singh Tara Wiki/Bio

NameJagtar Singh Tara
Full NameJagtar Singh Hawara
Date of Birth16 May 1973
Place of BirthHawara, Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, India
CitizenshipIndian
OrganizationBabbar Khalsa
Known forAssassination of Beant Singh, 12th Chief Minister of Punjab; 2004 Burail jailbreak; Being declared Jathedar of the Akal Takht by a Sarbat Khalsa
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
TitleJathedar
MovementKhalistan movement; Dharam Yudh Morcha
Criminal statusin prison
SpouseBalwinder Kaur (m. 2005; ann. 2006)
Conviction(s)Assassination (2007)
Criminal chargeAssassination (murder)
PenaltyLife imprisonment
Capture statusArrested
Partner(s)Balwant
WikipediaJagtar_Singh_Hawara
Homepagenewsunzip.com

2004 Burail Jailbreak

On 21 January 2004, Jagtar Singh Tara, along with Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjit Singh Bheora, and Devi Singh, made a sensational escape from the Burail jail by digging a 104-foot tunnel from their barrack with bare hands. They had started digging the tunnel in 2002, using a steel spoon and a small iron rod. They had concealed their work by putting up curtains in front of their cupboards, where they stored the dug-out soil in bags.

They had also kept the water tap running and the television volume high to mask the sound of digging. They had devised a system of code words to communicate with each other and avoid suspicion. They had also obtained a book titled “True Stories of Great Escape” from Ved Mittar Gill, a deputy jail superintendent, who was later accused of aiding them. The book gave them technical knowledge on how to dig a tunnel. They had made two unsuccessful attempts to escape in 1998 and 2002 but failed due to various reasons.

On the night of their escape, they took advantage of two power outages, which were allegedly caused by Narain Singh Chaura, a Sikh activist who was also accused of facilitating their escape. They crawled through the tunnel and reached the exit point, which was outside the jail wall. They then scaled the wall and fled. The jailbreak came to light the next morning when the jail authorities discovered the tunnel and the empty barrack.

Recapture and Imprisonment

The police launched a massive manhunt to nab the escaped prisoners. Jagtar Singh Hawara was arrested on 9 June 2004 from a bus stand in Delhi. Paramjit Singh Bheora was arrested on 19 March 2005 from a house in Delhi. Jagtar Singh Tara was arrested on 6 January 2015 from Bangkok, Thailand, where he was living under a fake identity.

He was extradited to India on 16 January 2015. Devi Singh remains at large. The four escapees, along with 14 others, including jail officials and Sikh activists, were charged with conspiracy, abetment, and escape from lawful custody. The trial began in 2005 and lasted for 10 years. In 2015, the Chandigarh court convicted Jagtar Singh Hawara and Paramjit Singh Bheora and sentenced them to 12 years of imprisonment. Jagtar Singh Tara and Devi Singh were declared as proclaimed offenders.

The court acquitted 14 other accused, including Ved Mittar Gill and Narain Singh Chaura, for lack of evidence. Jagtar Singh Tara is currently lodged at Tihar Jail in New Delhi, where he is serving a life sentence for the assassination of Beant Singh.

Declared Jathedar by 2015 Sarbat Khalsa

On 10 November 2015, Jagtar Tara was declared as the interim Jathedar (leader) of the Akal Takht, the highest seat of authority in Sikhism, by a Sarbat Khalsa (congregation of Sikhs) organized at Chabba village on the outskirts of Amritsar, Punjab by some Sikh organizations. The Sarbat Khalsa also declared Jagtar Singh Hawara as the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, but appointed Jagtar Tara as his representative, as Hawara was in jail.

The Sarbat Khalsa also removed Gurbachan Singh, the official Jathedar of the Akal Takht, who was appointed by the SGPC, the elected body that manages Sikh affairs. The Sarbat Khalsa accused Gurbachan Singh of being a puppet of the ruling party and of failing to uphold Sikh principles. The declaration of Jagtar Singh as the Jathedar of the Akal Takht was met with mixed reactions from the Sikh community. Some welcomed it as a sign of resistance against political interference and corruption in the Sikh institutions, while others rejected it as a divisive and illegitimate move that violated the Sikh traditions and norms.

The SGPC and the Akal Takht, along with the majority of the Sikh clergy and leaders, denounced the Sarbat Khalsa and its resolutions as unlawful and invalid. They asserted that Gurbachan Singh remained the Jathedar of the Akal Takht and that no one had the authority to remove him or appoint anyone else. They also accused the organizers of the Sarbat Khalsa of being influenced by the anti-India forces and of trying to revive the Khalistan movement.

Parole for a killer: Why Jagtar Singh Tara was allowed to leave jail for two hours

Jagtar Singh Tara, one of the six militants convicted for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh in 1995, was granted a two-hour parole by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on November 29, 2023. Tara, who is serving a life sentence at the Model Jail in Burail, Chandigarh, was allowed to attend the marriage of his niece at a village gurdwara near Ropar on December 3, 2023.

Why was he granted parole?

Tara had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking parole to attend the marriage of his niece, who was the daughter of his brother who had died in April 2023. He had also stated that he had been granted in-custody parole earlier to attend the bhog ceremony of his brother and had not misused the concession.

The High Court, after hearing the arguments of both sides, allowed Tara to get a two-hour in-custody parole on December 3, 2023, from 11 am to 1 pm. The court also directed the Chandigarh Police and the Punjab Police to ensure necessary security arrangements for his transportation and supervision. The court observed that Tara had the right to discharge his familial obligation and perform the ceremonies in connection with the marriage of his niece.

Who is Jagtar Singh Tara’s Wife?

Jagtar Singh married Balwinder Kaur, the daughter of Dara Singh, a Sikh activist, in 2005. The marriage took place at a Gurdwara in village Dohla, where Tara was hiding after he escaped from the Burail jail in 2004. The marriage was arranged by Tara’s associates, who wanted him to settle down and start a family.

However, the marriage did not last long, as Tara was arrested in Thailand in 2015 and extradited to India. Balwinder Kaur filed for divorce in 2006, citing irreconcilable differences and Tara’s involvement in terrorist activities.

She also claimed that Tara had married her under a false identity and without her consent. She said that she was unaware of his real name and his role in the assassination of Beant Singh. She also alleged that Tara had threatened to kill her if she revealed his identity to anyone. The divorce was granted by a court in Fatehgarh Sahib in 2006.

Children

Jagtar Singh Tara does not have any children from his marriage with Balwinder Kaur. He has also not fathered any children from any other relationship. He has said that he does not want to have any children, as he considers himself a soldier of the Khalistan movement and does not want to leave behind any family ties. He has also said that he is ready to sacrifice his life for the cause of Sikh sovereignty and does not fear death. He has expressed his wish to be cremated according to the Sikh rites and his ashes to be immersed in the river Ravi, which flows through the erstwhile state of Khalistan.

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